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Why study AQA A-Level Art, Craft & Design at The Sixth Form at Ridgewood?

The subject knowledge of the staff allows you to unlock your unrealised potential.
Access purpose built modern facilities with space to fulfil most students’ ideas, however big they are!
You will work with trust in your teachers at every step of your studies.
Bespoke one-to-one intervention takes place for every student in every lesson through questioning, coaching and discussion.
Your love of the subject is matched by the passion of our staff.

What skills will I need in this subject?

You should have a good sense of aesthetic (the way things look) coupled with confident technical ability. This and an added willingness to explore new ways of working will help you develop significantly as an art student at Ridgewood.

You will often be required to explore practitioners’ work by yourself, continue with ideas and creative work you may have started in your lesson, and show progress in your next lesson. Confidence in your own ideas is paramount.

Art involves a lot of ‘doing’, it is not a subject you can do well in if you simply turn up to the lesson. You will need to balance your other subjects and independent study, so you can ensure you complete the work set for Art to an expected standard.

What topics will I study in this subject?

YEAR 1

Bare Bones	An introductory project covering new and old techniques demonstrating the ‘step up’ to A level.
Minimal	‘Less is more’, successful use of limited shape colour and pattern. Careful composition and dynamic typography.
Ten Plus One, Plus Another One	Unusual starting points for the generation of a final outcome.
Gluttony	Exploring excess through fine art, photography and digital media.
Mock Examination	Mock examination (ten hours) based on the work generated for ‘Gluttony’.

YEAR 2

Year 13: Personal Project	A self-set project spanning five months. Evidence to fulfil the assessment objectives is generated and collated through guidance from staff. This culminates in a final piece or pieces.
Externally Set Examination	Like the GCSE examination, a range of starting points will be presented to you, set by the exam board. You will select one and investigate ideas, culminating in a 15 hour examination.

How will my learning be structured?

CLASS LESSONS

Interesting and stimulating briefs to challenge and develop skills.

You should use the Learning Resource Centre for further reading or research.

Explore overlapping areas of Art, Craft and Design including painting, drawing, sculpture, textiles, surface pattern, print making, interactive media, advertising, packaging design, design for print, illustration, branding and photography.

Lessons may involve listening, researching, annotation, discussion (group and individual) as well as creative ‘on task’ activities.

INDEPENDENT STUDY

It will involve following next step advice from your teacher and you will be expected to show progress in your next timetabled lesson.

You should use the Learning Resource Centre for further reading or research.

You can use the Art studio in Faraday to further develop practical work following guidance from your teacher.

Your independent study periods will be shared evenly between Art and your other subjects and will be added to your timetable on SIMS.

How will I be assessed?

Course Breakdown

Percentage coursework assessment: 60%
Percentage exam assessment: 40%

Details of Exam Assessment

Examination paper in Year 13 is 40%
One exam, 15 hours, worth 40% of overall mark

An externally set exam is distributed in February of Year 13 and you will have approximately two months to prepare investigations, ideas and experimentations etc. before sitting the 15 hour examination where you will create the final piece.

How do I know this is the right course for me?

A level Art is time-consuming, challenging and frustrating but arguably the most rewarding course available. You will work hard but will create some fantastic work and develop as an artist ready for your future pathway. The step-up from GCSE is not obvious, but generally you’ll be required to do as much work in one week as you did in two weeks at GCSE. Through guidance, your work will become more mature and sophisticated, but you must be willing to stretch your own understanding of the subject too. Current students enjoy the breadth of opportunities available to them in realising their ideas. You can help your success by spending a little time EVERY day adding to your work, looking on specific websites/image research apps and by DRAWING. This will enrich your knowledge and skills, and ultimately make your work significantly stronger and more mature.

Please get in touch via the enquiry form on our Contact Us page, should you have any further regarding AQA A-Level Art, Craft & Design or any of our other courses, a member of our Sixth Form Team will be happy to speak with you.