ART AND DESIGN A LEVEL

'To draw you must close your eyes and sing.’

Pablo Picasso

Art and Design at A Level offers a path towards many careers. It is designed to meet the needs of those who wish to undertake further studies in art and design; those who wish to take up a career in which an art and design qualification is either desirable or necessary and those for whom art is simply a way of obtaining a qualification, through self expression and the acquisition of basic artistic techniques in ceramics, sculpture, painting, fashion and textiles or photography. The course emphasises that art is the expression of a wordless language consisting colour, form and sensitivity.
Candidates are required to work in one or more area(s) of Fine Art, such as those listed below. They may explore overlapping areas and combinations of areas: painting, drawing and mixed media, including collage and assemblage; sculpture (including ceramic sculpture); land art, installation and construction; printmaking, relief, intaglio, screen processes and lithography; photography, film, television, animation and/or video.

Ashbourne’s Art & Design Department

Ashbourne’s Art department is headed by Gina Fiori, who is one of the most passionate, energetic and enthusiastic teachers students new to Ashbourne will have ever encountered. Gina has a very interesting and broad CV having obtained art degrees in Santiago, Chile and Bruxelles. Every year Gina works tirelessly with her colleagues in the Art, Media and Drama departments to coordinate and put together the annual Christmas college revue, which is now in its tenth year. Sheila Cosgrove has studied Art and Design in New York and Cincinnati and is a graduate of Chelsea College of Art. She also attended Ruskin College, Oxford studying Fine Art. Also making a valuable contribution to photography and graphic design are Jack Sritaipop and Tim Dean, a graduate of the prestigious St. Martin’s College. Tim also holds a PGCE whilst Jack Sritaipop graduated in Thailand and heads the Photography department.

Examination Board

Ashbourne follows the AQA specification for Art and Design, Art and Fashion, Art and Graphic Design and Photography.

ART A (Art, Craft and Design)

Candidates should produce practical and critical/contextual work associated with two or more of the endorsements below.

ART B (Fine Art)

Candidates should produce practical and critical/contextual work in one or more areas including painting, drawing, mixed-media, sculpture, land art, installation, printmaking, film, animation, television, video and photography: lens-based and/or light-based media.

ART C (Graphic Communication)

Candidates should produce practical and critical/contextual work in one or more areas including illustration, advertising, packaging design, design for print, communication graphics, computer graphics, multimedia, animation, web design, film, television and/or video.

ART D (Textile Design)

Candidates should produce practical and critical/contextual work in one or more areas including fashion, printed and/or dyed fabrics and materials, domestic textiles, wallpaper, interior design, constructed textiles and installed textiles.

ART E (Three Dimensional Design)

Candidates should produce practical and critical/contextual work in one or more areas including ceramics, sculpture, jewellery, body ornament, exhibition design, design for theatre, television and film, interior design, product design, environmental design and architectural design.

ART F (Photography: Lens Based and Light based Media)

Candidates should produce practical and critical/contextual work in one or more areas including portraiture, landscape photography, still-life photography, documentary photography, photo-journalism, experimental imagery, photographic installation, video, television and film.

AS Examinations

Unit 1 – ARTA1, ARTB1, ARTC1, ARTD1, ARTE1, ARTF1

Coursework Portfolio

50% of AS, 25% of A Level

No time limit

80 marks

Portfolio of work set and marked by the centre and moderated by AQA

Available in June only

Unit 2 – ARTA2, ARTB2, ARTC2, ARTD2, ARTE2, ARTF2

AS Externally Set Assignment

50% of AS, 25% of A Level

Supervised time 5 hours

80 marks

Work produced will be marked by the centre and moderated by AQA

Available in June only

Unit 3 – ARTA3, ARTB3, ARTC3, ARTD3, ARTE3, ARTF3

Personal Investigation

25% of A Level

No time limit

80 marks

Personal investigation supported by written element of 1000-3000 words, set and

marked by the centre and moderated by AQA

Available in June only

Unit 4 – ARTA4, ARTB4, ARTC4, ARTD4, ARTE4, ARTF4

A2 Externally Set Assignment

25% of A Level

Supervised time 15 hours

80 marks

Work produced will be marked by the centre and moderated by AQA

Available in June only

Possible University Degree Programmes Suited to A-level Art & Design

Students studying Art at A level might reasonably be expected to pursue their studies at undergraduate level in the following areas; Art, Fine Art, Art & Design, Advertising, Architecture, Graphics, Graphic Arts, Furniture Design and myriad other choices and specialisms.