Unit 3A2
Personal Investigation
This unit gives students the chance to build on the skills and knowledge developed from the AS Units. The area of study will normally be one of methods, techniques and processes that have been already studied at AS, but should show independence and maturity.
Students will be required to develop a theme of their choice that they feel they would like to investigate.
Students will have to produce one major assignment together with planning sheets or sketchbook and write a further personal study on their chosen theme. In this study students will be able to study in depth an aspect of the visual arts of particular interest to them and relate it to its context.
The student’s study could be presented in a number of different forms, from a structured sequence of drawings and/or paintings and/or photographs’ and/or three-dimensional objects to a visual and written analysis (maximum 3000 words) or a tape/slide, video or multimedia presentation.

Unit 4A2
Controlled Test (15 hours)
For this test students will select one question from a range set by the AQA Examination Board and demonstrate their ability to prepare, plan, relate and resolve their responses in a major project, which will be completed under controlled conditions.
Students will be required to produce a final finished piece of work in a 15 hour period.

Homework
Students on the A Level Art course must spend an extra 3 hours a week in the art studio completing homework. This may be researching, planning, exploring techniques, doing a photo shoot, annotating responses or just drawing for pleasure and being creative! Students need to take risks and to work hard and to be serious about their art studies.

Testing and Assessment
The magnitude of workload demanded of A-level students and depth of research required compared to the GCSE art course is immense at first and can be daunting.
Students are to be aware of the A level taxonomy in the AQA specification. All work is assessed using the AQA assessment objectives and students are given estimated grades as they progress.
Students need to build their coursework and meet the deadlines as they progress and grade changes do take place. Students need to listen and take advice when developing ideas and processes.

Text books
A great deal of research needs to take place and that means students need to immerse themselves in contemporary culture and develop a sound historical knowledge on which to contextualize and build their ideas.

How Parents Can Help
Monitoring art homework and ensuring students keep up with the coursework deadlines will go along way to help ensure success.

The course builds on the skills in GCSE Art, but does not depend on the understanding of GCSE Art.
Students who have not completed GCSE Art, or who have less than Grade B should provide a portfolio of their artwork prior to being accepted on the course. At least a Grade B at GCSE is preferable. It is recommended that students have attained communication and literacy skills at a level equivalent to Grade C in English.

The focus is on including work that shows exploration of materials, processes, research and the acquisition of skills. This might be a single self-contained assignment or a series of smaller projects, or sets of work together with planning sheets or sketchbooks or any appropriate format.
A sketchbook is viewed as a visual diary in which students will document both visual and text based observations of processes and ideas.

Unit 2AS
Controlled Assignment (5 hours)
Students will have a minimum of three weeks to prepare for this controlled research assignment and will choose one question from the Exam paper.
Students will research this by direct observation and analysis of artists. Students will plan for a final piece of work to be produced during the examination. Students will be encouraged to explore and express ideas through various media of their choice.
The AS exam is a focussed piece of planning work and students will be given 5 hour examination time to develop their ideas to realisation(s)/outcome(s).

Possible career options include:
Advertising, Architecture, Typographic Design, Illustration, Furniture Design, Interior Design, Industrial Design, Theatre Design, Ceramics, Silversmithing and Jewellery, Glass and Metal work, Fine Art Conservation, Film making, Painting or Sculpting, Teacher, Lecturer, Art therapist, Textile or Fashion Designer and many others.

Curriculum
Content of the AS/A2 Course
The Department follows the AQA Examination Board A level syllabus and below is an outline of the course. The Advanced Subsidiary GCE(AS) course consists of 2 units of work. The Advanced GCE(A2) course consists of 2 units of work.

This course is broken up into 60% coursework and 40% is examined work in the AS year and 30% coursework and 20% is controlled assignment in the A2 year. The AS GCE course forms 50% of the corresponding A2 year.
Students will need to show sufficient work to satisfy all the assessment objectives set by the Examination Board in all the four units of work listed below.
The assessment objectives all have separate weightings of marks

The AS/A2 unit structure consists of the following: -
Unit 1AS Coursework Portfolio
Unit 2AS Controlled Assignment
Unit 3A2 Personal Investigation
Unit 4A2 Controlled Assignment
Unit 1AS

Coursework Portfolio
Students will be expected to produce a portfolio of work from a topic or theme of their choice. Making visits to art galleries and researching local artists is as important as recording experiences, ideas and insights and developing techniques. We will start the critical contextual research by visiting some galleries in Liverpool in the third week of the course.

Art
Art, Craft and Design at AS/A2.
The course builds on the skills in GCSE Art, but does not depend on the understanding of GCSE Art.
Students who have not completed GCSE Art, or who have less than Grade B should provide a portfolio of their artwork prior to being accepted on the course. At least a Grade B at GCSE is preferable. It is recommended that students have attained communication and literacy skills at a level equivalent to Grade C in English.

* Art and design are forms of communication and a means of expressing intellectual, imaginative and creative ideas.
* Art should be an expressive and inventive response to the visual world, a personal context or social issue.
* It is a subject especially concerned with investigative, analytical, experimental, technical and expressive skills and with the development of complex mental processes involved in visual perception.
* Students need to demonstrate a range of approaches to recording images, such as observation, analysis, expression and imagination.
* The course is largely practical and focuses on Fine Art. It covers a broad range of techniques, including Drawing, Painting, Printing, Photography and Three-dimensional work.
* The course requires students to have an interest in, and an enthusiasm for, and an enjoyment of art, craft and design.
* There will also be critical studies work, where students will be encouraged to have an aesthetic understanding and critical judgement in both practical and written essays.
* Students are expected to independently develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations. Students will work independently throughout the course with verbal and written feedback throughout.
* Course work projects will include drawing and painting from observation, including life drawing, imaginative and developmental work, printing, photography and computer generated work.
The Art department has three teaching rooms that include a large sixth form studio. There is also an equipped photographic dark room and a mini computer suite containing, 8 PCs, a scanner, digital cameras and a colour printer. There is a full size etching press and printing equipment. The 6th form studio is equipped with a set of easels for drawing and life work. Basic materials are provided for students, but they are recommended to buy a portfolio, some acrylic paints, a set of brushes and a range of pencils.
Results in A Level Art are consistently very good, with a high proportion of A and B grades (75%), and with 100% pass rate during the last 15 years.