Departmental contact

Mr S Meredith – [email protected]

Examining board & Qualification

OCR – A LEVEL

Entry requirements

Please see current prospectus for further information

Students say

WHY STUDY THIS SUBJECT?

If you have an aptitude for art, are creative, imaginative and enthusiastic but above all, have ideas to communicate, then you will love this subject. You will also need to have good general drawing and painting ability and a sound knowledge and understanding of art media in order to succeed.
Exploration and experimentation at A Level are certainly encouraged and so it is important to understand that you will be trying new ways of working and taking a few more risks than perhaps you did at GCSE.

If you have a genuine interest in the world of art, from the old masters to the contemporary and you love the process of creating art, then this could certainly be the course for you.
A Level Fine Art is an incredibly rewarding course for motivated students, however you should be prepared to work hard at developing your skills and please remember that the production of quality work takes time. Success in this subject requires determination and dedication but above all, self-motivation, organisation and a love of Art.

WHAT SKILLS WILL I DEVELOP?

The skills you gain will be varied. The main purpose of any Art course is to develop your ability to appreciate the visual world and to respond to it in a personal and creative way. You will also develop a working knowledge of materials, practices and techniques within Art.

You will develop methods to interpret and convey your ideas and feelings, and will be given opportunities to build on existing creative and imaginative skills. You will also develop a specialist vocabulary, knowledge and understanding of Art and its place in history and contemporary society.

WHAT WILL I STUDY?

YEAR 12

During the first two terms students will produce a portfolio of practical work which demonstrates their personal response to an initial starting point which we will provide. Students will be encouraged to experiment with their own ideas, a range of media and develop their critical/contextual awareness.

The mock exam paper is issued in January and provides candidates with a number of themes, each with a range of written and visual starting points, briefs and stimuli. From these, one must be selected and students develop their ideas over a ten-week period. At the end of this there will be ten hours of supervised time in which students will aim to realise their ideas into an outcome.

YEAR 13

Component 1: Personal Investigation. Candidates will be required to submit two elements for this component. A portfolio of practical work showing their personal response to their own starting point and a related written study. Within this unit (the personal investigation), students develop a personal project based entirely on their own ideas, issues or concepts. This is supported by a written element (a related personal study) of between 1000-3000 words.

Component 2: Externally Set Task. The paper is issued in January and provides candidates with a number of themes, each with a range of written and visual starting points, briefs and stimuli. From these, one must be selected and students develop their ideas over a ten-week period. At the end of this there will be fifteen hours of supervised time in which students will aim to realise their ideas into an outcome.

Areas of study

You are required to work/experiment in one or more of these areas:

• Painting, drawing and mixed media including collage and assemblage
• Sculpture, including ceramic sculpture
• Land art, installation and construction
• Printmaking
• Photography/Film

HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?

The coursework (Component 1) is worth 60% of the overall A Level.
The externally set task (Component 2) is worth 40% of the total A Level.

WHAT ARE MY POST-18 OPTIONS?

For those who do intend to take the subject beyond A Level there are a number of opportunities.
Further study in Art and Design (Foundation Courses) at Art College is the normal route taken before being accepted onto a specialised Art Degree Course at University; however exceptional students can get direct entry straight from school.

Students who are looking to take up a career for which an art background is required might consider fine art, advertising, publishing, illustration, fashion, animation, architecture, theatre, film, design, photography, art gallery work or even education. The list and range of jobs really is endless.
The study of Art can also help you to develop transferable skills that you can take into any job or career.

WHAT EXTRA-CURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE?

Life drawing, observational drawing trips, gallery visits to Birmingham, London and Compton Verney.
The Art Department provides extra art sessions three times each week after school, every lunch time and offers a studio space for students to work in during study periods.