GCSE | Art & Design – Leighton Park
Exam Board: AQA
Syllabus Code: 8201
By responding to and using materials from the society and culture in which it finds itself, the Art and Design course should extend students’ understanding of the role of art and design in society. The study of art and design is thus an educational experience which is applicable to everyday life. Here we follow the AQA GCSE Art & Design syllabus, offering a variety of specialist areas of study. Through exploring the Art, Craft and Design course students are able to encompass and develop a range of skills, processes and approaches within their artistic practice, preparing them well for courses of further study at a high level.
This course should include at least two of the areas of study listed below:
- Fine Art: painting and drawing, sculpture, printmaking, land art, installation
- Graphic Communication: illustration, advertising, package design, digital media
- Textile Design: fashion, printing, construction, embellished surfaces
- Three-Dimensional Design: ceramic, interior, product and architectural design
- Photography: portraiture, landscape, still life, documentary – 35mm or digital format
The Art and Design course demands a high degree of personal involvement and commitment. Throughout the two years students will consider ways in which they prefer to work. The course will provide an opportunity to experience a range of content from which an appropriate individual course of study will be ‘negotiated’ within an ongoing portfolio.
Evidence of drawing and written annotation will form a key part of the portfolio and the externally set assignment.
Component 1: Portfolio of Work – 60% weighting
The portfolio of work is selected from work undertaken during the course of study, which takes place throughout Year 10 and the Autumn term of Year 11. The portfolio will include more than one extended collection of work or project which demonstrates an ability to sustain work from a project brief, through the research and investigation stages to a final realisation.
Component 2: Externally Set Assignment – 40% weighting
The externally set assignment is an assessment set by AQA. Question papers are issued to candidates from the beginning of January in the year of the exam. Students then respond to their chosen starting point to produce a personal response. Preparation time is unlimited and a 10 hour period of supervised study will take place at the end of the Spring Term.
Trips and Visits:
Local, London and UK based gallery/ museum visits take place at various points during the course.
International visits tend to take place during the Summer Term of Year 10.
A link to AQA GCSE Art & Design Specification is here.
If you have any queries about this course, please contact Head of Department: Mark Wood.