Art A Level 

Qualifications 

Exam board: Edexcel

A Level Art, Craft and Design 

Entry Requirements 

GCSE Grade 6 in Art or an equivalent portfolio of work in a creative subject. 

Skills required 

Students are expected to have studied or have had experience of a creative course which includes drawing or mixed media approaches. Aspirational students should be able to produce independent research and develop ideas independently. An analytical inclination is desirable. 

About the course 

Learners opting for Art, Craft and Design explore practical and critical/contextual work through a range of 2D/3D processes and media. Component one is coursework and occupies all of Year 12 and the first term of Year 13. In Component 2, the Externally Set Assignment, learners respond to a set brief from the exam board, resulting in a 15-hour timed response in exam conditions. Areas of study in the course could include: 

Painting and drawing, mixed media (including collage and assemblage), digital art, printing, photography, animation, conceptual art, and sculpture. 

Learners can choose to develop their skills across more than one endorsed title throughout the course, after an initial period of skill development and focused workshops. 

This is a broad course that provides flexibility in content and approach. 

Student testimony 

“The art course gives you a completely different set of skills to any other subject. You get to work independently a lot of the time.” Year 13 student 

“Art is my happy place.” Year 13 student 

Career paths 

Art and Design and professionals work in many industries, creating media and design products that appeal to a wide range of consumers.  

UK’s Creative Industries contribute almost £13 million to the UK economy every hour and new statistics reveal that the Creative Industries sector is growing more than five times faster than the national economy. 

Aspiring artists and designers with applicable skills and training have plenty to look forward to in the fields of architecture, fashion design, illustration, animation, graphic design, and many others. In addition, there are the traditional Art and Craft disciplines including ceramics, painting, silversmithing and glassblowing. Artistic jobs exist across many different sectors, allowing individuals to blend their creativity with technical skills with strong salaries available in the field. 

Course outline/assessment 

Unit 1: coursework includes a personal investigation, a portfolio of practical work and a personal study (written). 

60% 

Unit 2: externally set assignment is set by the exam board and is a mixture of practical work and investigation with a final 15-hour piece in exam conditions. 

40%