GCSE Art & Design

Course Details
The course is structured as follows:

Unit One: Portfolio of work (Consisting of 2 coursework units) 60% of the overall mark.

Unit Two: Externally set task (papers issued near the start of the Spring Term; unlimited preparation time, followed by a 10 hour ‘sustained period of focused study’ completed in exam conditions) 40% of the overall mark.

Course Content:

The course is a general art and design course and therefore may cover a wide range of disciplines including:
Fine Art: Including painting, drawing, mixed-media and print-making
Graphic communication: Including illustration, communication graphics and computer graphics
Textile Design: Including fashion and printed and dyed textiles
Three-dimensional Design: Including sculpture, design for theatre, and architectural design
Photography
The projects you follow will be broad-based and in-depth and will allow you to explore ideas and processes in a personal and creative way. During your course, you will experience visits to galleries / museums / sites and working with an artist in residence.

Who is the Course Suitable For?

You will enjoy this course if you are someone who likes to experiment with a range of materials and processes and who enjoys working with a range of different areas within art and design. The course requires you to be an independent thinker, someone who can research around an idea or theme and drive your own ideas forward with support from your teacher. You will be effective at managing your time as working outside of lessons is crucial to successful completion of the course.

GCSE Graphic Communication

Graphic design is all around all of us, every day. As technologies develop, and the internet becomes an increasingly important factor in all of our lives, graphic design becomes increasingly important. It is a massive industry which is a growth industry, with a diverse range of roles types of work.

If you choose to follow this course, it would enable you to study either Art and Design or Graphic Design at post-16 level. Graphic communication is offered at Sandbach School at AS and A2 level.

The course is structured as follows:

Unit One: Portfolio of work (Consisting of 2 coursework units) 60% of the overall mark.

Unit Two: Externally set task (papers issued near the start of the Spring Term; unlimited preparation time, followed by a 10 hour ‘sustained period of focused study’ completed in exam conditions) 40% of the overall mark.

Course Content

The course is a specialised course and therefore will cover a range of disciplines including:
Illustration
Photography
Communication graphics
Typography
Design for print
Digital media
Computer generated imagery
The projects you follow in-depth and will allow you to explore ideas and processes in a personal and creative way whilst following a design process. You will learn how to use Photoshop and this will be an important tool in enabling you to develop your ideas and final products. During your course, you will experience visits to galleries / museums / sites and working with a designer in residence.

Who is the Course Suitable For?

You will enjoy this course if you are someone who likes to experiment with ideas and work with briefs towards a final outcome. The course requires you to be an independent thinker, someone who can research around an idea or theme and drive your own ideas forward with support from your teacher. You will be effective at managing your time as working outside of lessons is crucial to successful completion of the course.

This film shows how Year 11 Art & Design students worked with some visiting Artists.

Key Stage 3 information to follow.