A-Level Art

The A level art course at St. Michael’s provides students with the opportunity to gain experience and understanding of a selection of art and design practices. You will be able to explore a variety of ways of seeing and thinking about what is around you and develop a coherent and personal visual language with which to express your ideas.

This course is aimed at creative minded pupils and encourages an adventurous and enquiring approach to art and design. Students will develop practical skills in drawing, painting, sculpture and related activities which will enable them to express their own ideas. Students will develop an understanding of past and contemporary art and design practice.

Course content (Edexcel)
The A level comprises 2 components:

Component 1: Personal Investigation (60%)
Part 1 – practical work:

  • From personal starting points
  • Students submit:
    – Supporting studies
    – Practical outcome(s)

Part 2 – personal study:

  • Students submit a piece of continuous prose of a minimum of 1000 words.

Component 2: Externally Set Assignment (40%)

  • Externally-set, broad-based theme.
  • Sustained focus period of 15-hours controlled assessment in which students create final response(s) to the theme.

Students submit:

  • Preparatory studies
  • Practical outcome(s)

How is the course examined?

  • An internally assessed unit of coursework per year
  • An externally set examination per year

Key Skills
Students will develop the following key skills:

  • Develop intellectual, imaginative, creative and intuitive powers.
  • Develop investigative, analytical, experimental, technical and expressive skills, aesthetic understanding and critical judgement.
  • Develop knowledge and understanding of the role and achievements of artists, craftspeople and designers in the past and in contemporary society.
  • Develop an understanding of the relationship between, and the connections across the disciplines of art, craft and design.

What will this course prepare me for?
This A-level gives students the potential to progress to university onto an art-related degree course, through a pre-degree Foundation Diploma in Art and Design.

The course could also lead to a career in teaching, fashion, gallery/ museum management, architecture, interior design, graphics, film and television design, jewellery design, theatre and set design and production, TV and film, art directing or as an artist or art technician.

Extra-Curricular
Every opportunity is made to give pupils the opportunity to visit galleries and museums. Here they can note work by famous artists and crafts people and collect information by relating to primary source material.

Each year the department invites practicing artists into the school to work with pupils giving them an insight into where art can take you.