GCSE Art

Exam Board : Edexcel

Overview

This is a two year course leading to an GCSE in Art and Design. Students will gain experience of working broadly across a range of disciplines within the design fields, covering work in the following areas:

  Drawing and Photography
  Painting and Printmaking
  Textile and Fashion Design
  Ceramics and Sculpture
  Graphic Design
  Contextual Studies

The Art and Design GCSE comprises four projects spread across the two years. Each one is themed and students will be expected to produce a sketchbook of research and ideas, as well as a body of classwork for each. The themes are very much open to interpretation. All work is assessed at the end of the course when an exhibition of each student’s work is mounted.

Students will learn how to research, develop and experiment with ideas and materials. They will be taught to think about the expressive possibilities of the materials they choose to work with, and to develop their visual language through experiments and problem-solving tasks.

Looking at and articulating thoughts about art and design work is an important part of the course. Students will be assessed on their ability to make connections with the work of artists and designers. We will make visits to exhibitions and galleries in London and give them an experience of working with an artist at the end of Year 10.

Finally, we want our students to be self-reflective and independent. They will be encouraged to think about and evaluate their own work throughout the course, and to develop a confidence to think critically about the world and for themselves.

Assessment

Coursework (first 3 projects): 60%
Final Project: 40%

Students are assessed on four main criteria:

  Ability to research
  Ability to develop design ideas
  Ability to analyse and evaluate their own work and that of others.
  Realisation of ideas – use of materials and reference to context.

All work is marked internally and externally moderated at the end of the course when an exhibition is mounted of every candidate’s work. Grades are sent out by the Board the following August.

Below are some examples of some GCSE Sketchbooks. Please click on the thumbnails to view the larger versions in a gallery.
You can also see more examples of some GCSE pieces over on the galleries page.