Art, Craft and Design : A-level

For each component you will be taught technical skills and variety creative developmental approaches, but the emphasis is on you – you are encouraged to explore for yourself, make your own discoveries, and develop your own patterns of working in consultation with your teachers. You will produce a variety of work and use a sketchbook to research and analyse your ideas. You will have studio bases in the art studio and ceramics studio, workshops for wood, metal and with specialist art and design resources including computer, printmaking and stone carving facilities. Teaching staff and technicians who have a wide range of experience and qualifications within the arts will support your work. A wealth of reference material and other resource sites can be found in the College library, the subject VLE site and other resource sites. Many projects will be backed up with visits to museums and galleries, also professional studio/workshop visits.

The 2 components are assessed on the evidence in your Portfolio and sketch books. The marks you get for each component are added together to give your final grade for the A-level.

To enrol for an A level programme we normally expect applicants to have achieved good GCSE passes in at least six subjects, these must:

• demonstrate the suitability for Advanced Level study

• have been achieved at Grade 4/C as a minimum

• include two at Grade 5/B as a minimum

Mathematics - If not achieved within the scope of the above should normally be achieved at grade 3/D. If mathematics is not achieved at grade 4/C then it will be a requirement to continue to study at the correct level until a grade 4 is achieved. Subjects with a mathematical content will require a higher grade.

In addition to the standard College entry requirements, this course normally requires a student to have achieved Grade 4 or above in a GCSE Art and Design course or Grade 4 in GCSE Design and Technology (Graphic Products or Resistant Materials).

In addition to the standard College entry requirements (see below), this course normally requires a student to have achieved Grade 4 or above in a GCSE Art and Design course or Grade 4 in GCSE Design and Technology (Graphic Products or Resistant Materials). To fully support students who have gained a Grade 4 in GCSE in an Art and Design or Design Technology subject, or those who have not had the opportunity to study these subjects at GCSE, we will ask you to do a short drawing task as part of the enrolment procedure. This is to ensure you can successfully meet the rigours of the course. It would also be helpful if you could bring with examples of your creative work on enrolment day.

The usual progression route for Art and Design students is to a Foundation course in Art and Design, and from there to a degree course. Each year many students successfully gain direct entry onto Arts degree of their choice.

What does the course combine well with?

The course can be taken alongside any A-level subjects, including another specialist Art and Design A-level