GCSE ART

Parent/Pupil Support
Materials
Exemplary GCSE
Projects.

Welcome
This presentation is designed to highlight how
the GCSE Art and Design assessment
objectives can be covered, by looking at two
excellent example projects from past
students at the school.
Further information on the EDEXCEL syllabus,
including assessment and pupil support, can be
found at:
http://www.edexcel.org.uk/quals/gcse/art

ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES.
There are four areas you are assessed
in.
Each of these areas is referred to as an
assessment objective we refer to
them as AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4.
Each assessment objective has two
strands each marked out of 10. That
adds up to a total mark for each project
or unit of 80.

THE ASSESSMENT STRANDS

AO3: Develop and explore ideas and materials

A wide range of RELEVANT experimentation with different materials and techniques. Lots
of different materials is less important than varied, THOUGHTFUL application.

Review and refine ideas.

It is vital that you record your ideas visually and with notes and recognise what has worked
and what has not selecting the best way forward. Compositional planning is vital here.

AO4:

Realise intentions.

High marks go to final pieces that make the most of all that has been learnt in the
preparatory work.

Make Connections.

You must make a clear connection between your work and the work of artist/s studied.

THE ASSESSMENT STRANDS

AO1:
Record and organise information

collect a wide range of FIRST-HAND material, by sketching, photographing, collecting and

making notes.

Record Observations

Make sure your drawings are of the highest quality, careful observation over time required.

AO2:

Respond to the work of others

Show an interest in art relevant to your topic by drawing, copying, commenting.

Analyse and evaluate sources.

Use the department writing frames to focus analysis of work which will help you solve
problems you are facing or likely to face in your own work. Visually explore the artists ideas
and techniques to help extend your own.

Example Project with Three Dimensional

Outcome
This project is an exam
project on the title of
Underneath and Overhead.
The slide opposite shows the
students work as presented
for assessment and gives an
idea of volume expected.

The project outcome was a

three-dimensional piece.

AO1

In this picture you can see

evidence of the student fluently
gathering a wide range of initial
information and recording
through drawing and
photography.
FLUENT work attracts - in any
strand - 9-10 marks.
There are five catagories of
achievement:
LIMITED 1-2 marks
BASIC 3-4 marks
COMPETENT 5-6 marks
CONFIDENT 7-8 marks
and FLUENT 9-10 marks.
Further details can be found on
the edexcel website.

AO2

Here she is exploring through writing and drawing, the work

of other artists from the Tate Gallery tackling similar themes.

AO2
Here she expands her
study of artists, by
focusing on those works
that may help her solve
problems she will face in
her own work. It is vital
that students make a
connection between the
art they are studying and
their own work, if they
want to attract the
highest mark.

AO3
Here she records her experimentation
with ideas, using a variety of media.
She makes little sketches of what she
plans to make and photographs various
maquettes she has made. Notes here
should be quick and focused on
explaining thinking and evaluating
never label! NEVER use titles!!!!!!

AO4: The student has selected the best from her recording and

experimentation to produce an outcome rich in colour and texture and well

related to the artist Cezanne and the sculptures she looked at.

Example Project with Two Dimensional

Outcome
This example project is by
another student on the same
theme of Underneath and
Overhead.
Her work concludes with the
painting opposite. She covers
many assessment objectives
jointly on her sheets. This is
fine. Please notice that she does
not include titles!

AO1 and AO3: The student has covered both these objectives here.

She is gathering images connected to windows, by taking her own photos

which count as recording first-hand. She has then experimented with ways
to develop that imagery using the computer and also collage.

AO3 and AO1 Exploring Imagery

Further experiments
with photography,
computer aided design
and paint.
She is thinking about
how she can extend
the information she
has obtained

AO1, AO2 and AO3:

Here she covers three objectives.
After analysing techniques/concepts
of cubist style work, she responds to
this work by overlaying her
observations of a window frame to
create a jumbled image, that
experiments with scale. She annotates
her thinking.

AO3 and AO2: Here she has further refined her work by

experimenting with colour and tone through paint. These colour and technique
choices connect her work to that of the artists she has studied.

AO3: She extends this idea of jumbled imagery, by sourcing new windows

and collaging her photos together. This is FLUENT evidence of a candidate

reviewing and modifying her ideas.

AO4:
This is a fluent resolved
piece, that makes the most of
all the preparatory
information, whilst still
extending and developing
ideas. It makes clear
connections with cubist artist
studied, yet is personal and
coherent.

AO3:
Exploring this idea further, she
experiments with various
materials ( photographs and paint)
and processes (photocopying, tonal
shift in painting and collage)