GCSE Art & Design

GCSE Art & Design is a broad and varied course exploring practical, critical and contextual work through a range of 2D and/or 3D processes and new media and technologies.  This GCSE course is made up of two separate units, Portfolio of Work and Externally Set Task, which are completed across year 10 and year 11.

Unit 1 Portfolio of Work

Supporting Unit

• Students are given the opportunity to experiment and develop their skills in a wide variety of techniques, media and materials through a series of workshops and tasks

• This unit allows students to develop drawing skills, critical understanding, use of materials and experimental techniques

• Exploration of materials and techniques are inspired and supported by research of a range of contemporary and historical artists and makers

• The use of a sketchbook throughout this unit allows students to experiment with ideas and materials, using their book for recording changes to their ideas, composition ideas, artists references and experiments with techniques.

Portfolio Unit – ‘Identity’

• To demonstrate that students can sustain work from an initial starting point to the realisation of intentions

• Includes evidence of research, the development of ideas and meaningful links with critical and contextual sources.  

• The theme of Identity is very wide ranging and allows all students to be able to find a relevant starting point to take their work forward.

• Students present their explorations, photographs, experimentations and research using large A1 sheets to create a full portfolio of work, working towards producing a final resolved outcome at the end of the project.

Unit 2 Externally Set Task (Exam)

• This unit is externally set by the exam board, where students will receive an exam paper with a variety of starting points to choose to base their final project on.

• Students will further develop the skills they have acquired through Unit 1 by choosing their own theme from the exam paper to create an exciting, broad body of work using the skills and presentation skills they have developed in their first unit of work.

• As this is an externally set task, students will produce their final resolved outcome during controlled assessment (10 hours exam time).

Throughout both units, students are encouraged to evidence the relationship between process and outcome, reflect on and evaluate their experimentation process and research and visit galleries and museum to inform their own work. Students can explore any number of methods and materials such as photography, video/film, animation, installation, ceramic forms, sculptures, mixed media, printing, textiles, drawing and painting.