A Level Art at Ousedale School
| Qualification | AS and A2 Level |
| Examining Board | AQA |
| Head Of Department | Ms A Burton |
Candidates will build on the breadth of experience established in AS to develop skills, knowledge and understanding for the A Level.
Students wishing to study Art at Advanced Level will find a number of changes from their GCSE course. They will be working with a very able and more highly motivated group of students and this will lead to a change of atmosphere. They will have more freedom than they may have been used to and this in turn will demand a higher level of initiative and self-motivation from them. They will be required to demonstrate a level of adaptability and awareness which takes account of the breadth of the subject and current thinking and developments in Art beyond the classroom. They will need all their creative energy and enthusiasm and will find it is a demanding and stretching course but also a very enjoyable one if approached with an open mind. The course is broadly divided into two:
The full range of the Art Department's facilities is available to the Sixth Form student. These facilities consist of four studios and a dark room. All the studios provide a wide variety of two dimensional media such as painting, drawing, pastel, collage and 2D design. In addition, one studio specialises in photography and printmaking. The three dimensional design and sculpture area is where a wide variety of materials including wood, clay, metal, wire and plaster are used. Another studio is devoted to Creative Fabric crafts involving fabric printing, batik, appliqué and embroidery. As can be seen from this list, we offer a wide range of crafts but the work is not done in isolation and overlap is encouraged.
The AS Year from September 2008
This is initially diagnostic and structured in such a way as to identify the student's suitability for Advanced Level study, and most appropriate specialisation. The course will introduce the student to the wide range of methods and activities demanded by Advanced Level, many of which will be new to the student and will have to be learned from the basics upwards. First hand observation for the most part will be a necessary starting point for the various briefs, and drawing skills will be an important common element. However, we see this early part of the course as GCSE plus and many skills and experiences are carried forward. Preparation and back-up work is an integral part and students will often be required to make and work from their own sketches and photographs. Our approach is to emphasise the investigative nature of the work and we put a great deal of stress on quality and technique. Students will be required to select specialisms after demonstrating their skills and taking advice from the specialist staff.
- Painting
- Printmaking
- Creative Textiles
- Sculpture
Students will produce a portfolio of work for the coursework element which accounts for 50% of the overall AS grade with a controlled practical assignment set externally conculding the remaining 50%.
The critical and contextual studies element covers a wide variety of movements and styles and consists of discussions, tutorials and group work using slides, video or reference books. Occasional visits to museums and galleries will also be arranged.
Throughout the two year course of study, all students will be required to keep a sketch/research book. The importance of this cannot be over-emphasised particularly at interview times when the sketchbook is often the most thumbed item. The sketchbook should be a rich resource of notes, ideas, experiments, discovery and investigation. The keeping of such a record is essential at this level, and gives the students a greater insight into, and understanding of, their own creative work as well as acting as a rich source of reference.
The A2 Year from September 2009
The A2 course starts at the end of June. Coursework at A2 takes place as a personal investigation. This is an opportunity for students to respond to an idea, concept or theme. Students will build upon their strength from last years' work to produce a highly personal project incorporating skills from one or more craft areas. This unit is supported by a written element of between 1000 and 3000 words with links to the practical work. For this element students should be prepared to undertake gallery visits.
Assessment
Students are assessed on the following:
- Critical and contextual evaluation/understanding/analysis
- Development of ideas/selection/experimentation
- Observation/insight/source
- Realisation/coherence/contextual connections