Art & Design - Fine Art

This course builds upon skills and knowledge of art, and offers students the opportunity to develop creativity, imagination and independence. It provides freedom for students to experiment and take risks with their work whilst developing their own style, and to gain experience of the working practices of individuals, organisations and creative industries.

GCSE Entrance Requirements:

  • Art & Design - Grade 5

More info:

Combines well with:

Lead Teacher:

Ms P Thomson - pthomson@hswv.co.uk

WHAT YOU STUDY

Within Fine Art there are two components:

Component 01: Personal Investigation (60%)

Students will produce:

  • A portfolio of practical work showing their personal response to either a starting point or brief

  • A related study – an extended response of a guided minimum of 1000 words

Component 02: Externally Set Task (40%)

The early release paper will be issued on 1 February and will provide students with a number of themes, each with a range of written and visual starting points, briefs and stimuli. A response should be based on one of these options. 

HOW YOU STUDY

Students are introduced to the course in Year 12 with a ‘Mini Project’ in which they respond to a brief through investigation, experimentation and development using a range of media and techniques such as drawing, painting and mixed media. Taught lessons allow students to further refine skills to bridge the gap from GCSE to A Level.

Students begin their Personal Investigation in Year 12 and explore their chosen theme in media of their choice making personal connections to other artists and designers. The work at this stage is self-directed and students are guided in meeting the assessment criteria AO1 DEVELOP, AO2 EXPERIMENT, AO3 DEVELOP.

 In Year 13 students complete both elements of their Personal Investigation: Practical Portfolio & Related study. They must present their portfolio which demonstrates a realisation of intentions AO4 PRESENT.

In February of Year 13 students begin their externally set task in which they choose  a  theme  set  by  OCR. The paper will give learners a choice of seven themes, each with a choice of visual starting points. From this paper, learners are expected to choose one option for which they will generate an appropriate personal response for assessment covering AO1, AO2 & AO3. Students are allocated 15 hours in exam conditions in order to realise their intentions AO4.

DEPARTMENT STRENGTHS AND RESOURCES

The staff in the department are vastly experienced and are able to support students with their specific interests, being able to tailor learning to the outcomes desired by individual students. In addition to this the department is extremely well equipped with a wide range of opportunities for students to experience throughout the duration of the course.

PROGRESSION TO UNIVERSITY/CAREERS

The breadth and depth of understanding that you will acquire across the course opens up a wide array of future career opportunities including those in art industries such as fine artist, illustrator, fashion, architecture, digital art, photographer, teacher, lecturer, therapist, sculptor, media, interior design and theatre design. It also supports careers which require creative and analytical thinkers.

OUR SUCCESSES

The department has a track record of excellent results and are proud to display high quality students work around the school and the wider community.