Art and Design - Photography AS/A Level 3

Applications Open – 3PM Thursday 6 November 2025

Applications Close – August 2026

Entry Requirements – For Level 3 courses, students must have 5 or more Grade 4s at GCSE. No minimum entry for Level1/2 courses

How to Apply – Please apply via KentChoices

This is a two year course.

Year 1
Students are introduced to B/W 35mm manual cameras and the darkroom environment. Students will learn a variety of film developing and print developing techniques, they will also learn to use digital equipment and digital print manipulation.
The course consists of 2 units. The first can reflect the students own particular interests / concerns
or a theme of their choosing. The second is a controlled test of 15 hours duration.

Year 2
The year consists of 2 units. The first is a personal investigation in which candidates develop work in response to an idea, issue, concept or theme of your choosing.
Candidates are also required to support this investigation with a written essay of between 1000 and 3000 words.

The second unit is an externally set examination of 15 hours supervised time.
There are 8 questions to choose from, candidates select one question.

This is a two year course. 60% exam and 40% coursework.

3 GCSE passes at grade c or above, one of which should be an art related subject

You could take this course with other advanced level courses or equivalent to prepare for higher education, BTEC Higher Nationals or NVQ Levels 3 and 4 in areas of art and design, photography, architecture or more general higher education courses. With further training, you could go into a job related to art and design such as an Architect, Interior or Fashion Designer. The course will also encourage you to explore your creative mind and help you develop the basic skills, understanding and knowledge that many employers across lots of industries are looking for.