AS Level

This course is designed to introduce students to developing personal work through individual working processes. By exploring techniques, examining themes and researching art history, students build up a portfolio of work which shows a wide variety of approaches but which points out paths for development in the future. Over the summer, students will be given a small project to complete that relates to work in the first term. There are two components to the course at AS level:

• Coursework Portfolio
  During the AS course students will produce a portfolio of work on a given theme, for example ‘Landscape and the Environment’. The focus of their work will be on exploring a variety of different media, researching and exploring their ideas, and developing and improving their skills and techniques. Students practical work will be enriched and supported by examining various developments in art history with a view to it have some relevance and influence on students’ personal work. A gallery visit to London is part of the course.
• Controlled Assignment
  After the research projects, students must undertake a controlled assignment which takes of the form of a five hour exam.

The two units at AS form 50% of the corresponding four-unit Advanced GCE.

A2 Level

• Personal Investigation
  During the A2 course students research and create one major project that has a personal significance, possibly developing further an element from their coursework portfolio at AS level. Students have a lot of artistic freedom to develop how they choose within the remit of the course. This investigation includes a related art history personal study that must be between 1000 and 3000 words. It can be presented in a variety of ways, including essay format, a display board, an installation or a sound and light presentation utilising computer technologies.
• Controlled Test
  As in AS level, the year ends with an exam, but this time it is fifteen hours long and is done over three days. There is ample preparation time before the exam to collate and develop ideas.

• Anyone with an interest in pursuing a career in art and design, including those who are looking to go into designing disciplines such as graphics.
• Anyone who is interested in developing themselves artistically and improving their knowledge and awareness of the visual world.

You do not need to have done GCSE Art, though you do need to have a genuine interest and commitment to the subject. Students who have not done GCSE Art will need to produce a suitable portfolio demonstrating suitable skill levels before admission to the course. It is recommended that candidates have gained sound communication and literacy skills at a level equivalent to GCSE Grade C in English.

What next?

This course provides you with a portfolio of work, which you need to get on ANY, art-based course. There is a vast variety of courses to pursue after A levels, but it is customary for Art courses to require that you complete a one year Foundation Course at College before applying to a University. This A-level prepares you perfectly for Foundation, at which point you can choose which specialism you want to pursue as a career.