As well as working imaginatively and expressively the course will also help you to learn practical skills - skills of problem-solving, observation, interpretation and presentation that will be useful in other subjects you study at school, and in your life as an adult.

The course is a mainly practical one, lasting two years, during which time you are expected to build up a `portfolio' (that is a varied folder) of completed assignments. During the initial stages of the course you will find that your projects are quite specific and your teacher will give you direct guidance. As you acquire confidence during the course, you will be expected to interpret and research your own response to a given theme or topic, using the skills, techniques and processes you have learned.

You will be entered for Unendorsed Art GCSE which means that you will have the opportunity to work with a wide range of materials and experience a variety of disciplines which may include printmaking, textiles, graphic design, sculpture and 3-dimensional design, jewellery, ceramics and illustration as well as painting and drawing.

By the end of the course (the last day of the Spring Term 2004) you will have completed two or three units of coursework. Your coursework submission could include work in at least two of the following areas; drawing and painting, graphics, textiles, 3-dimensional studies, photography and mixed media. This submission represents 60% of your final mark.

A timed examination of 10 hours takes place at the end of your course. You will be given the examination paper in advance and this will offer a choice of questions from which you will choose one to answer. You will have up to 4 weeks in which to develop your ideas and produce preliminary and supporting studies. This preparation work and the work produced in the final timed test make up the remaining 40% of your mark.

During the two years of the course, you will also be involved in the study of work by other artists, designers and craftspeople from past and recent times as an integral part of each of your assignments. We aim to organise a school trip each year to an exhibition or gallery, and require a contribution to costs from each student of about five pounds.

The GCSE Art course opens opportunities for further study, either in the 6th Form to study A Level or at a College of Further Education. It can also provide valuable experience for a number of jobs and professions including the printing industry, advertising, display, hairdressing, fashion, graphic design, architecture, interior design, textiles and town planning.

Back to Art home