Art and Design: Fine Art A Level

This course builds on and extends core Fine Art skills, alongside developing your creativity, expression, imagination, and critical and contextual understanding.

Year 1: You will broaden your Fine Art skills through experimentation with a diverse range of materials, techniques, and processes, strengthening your technical and creative foundation for A Level study. You will engage with the work of Fine Artists to encourage critical thinking and analysis, which will help inform and develop the initial stage of your Personal Investigation.

Year 2: You will continue to build upon and extend your creative skills, critical and contextual understanding and be encouraged to adopt an independent approach. Your work will develop personal significance and comprise a major in-depth practical investigation with integrated extended written content. For your Externally Set Assignment you will respond to a choice of visual or written stimuli and develop a personal response. The assignment includes a preparatory period, and a 15-hour sustained outcome under examination conditions.

Over the two-year course, assessment includes:

1: Personal Investigation (60%) Major in-depth practical project with integrated written elements, exploring a personal theme.

2: Externally Set Assignment (40%) A practical project with integrated written elements in response to an externally set brief, culminating in a 15-hour sustained outcome.

At least five GCSEs graded 9-4 including English or Maths at grade 4 or above and an art-based subject, preferably Art and Design. If you are not doing a GCSE in an art-based subject, you will need to provide a portfolio of your work.

This course prepares you for progression to a Foundation Diploma, HND, or degree level study in Art and Design. It also provides a strong basis for careers in the creative industries. Our students progress to a wealth of careers such as fine art practice, design, illustration, architecture, gallery management, art direction, animation, film and television, curation, and restoration.