Art 'Fine Art'

Exam Board:EDEXCEL

What is this subject about?
Fine art may be defined as work which is produced as an outcome of the students' personal experience, rather than that which is the outcome of a tightly designed brief. It is both a form of communication as well as an expression of ideas and feelings which encourages imagination sensitivity, conceptual thinking, analytical abilities and practical skills.
For the AS level you will study:
During the AS year emphasis is placed on developing and extending students' observational skills and their understanding of the formal elements; line, tone, form, colour texture, composition, pattern. Alongside the teaching of these skills, students will be expected to experiment with a wide range of media, learning how to transform, and extend the potential of materials. Researching the work of other artists is an integral part of the course and students will be required to make independent visits to museums and galleries to inform their own work.
For the A2 level you will study:
The skills you have learned in the first year provide a starting point for your A2 year. These skills will enable you, with guidance, to now pursue your own creative and visual ideas. Students will need to demonstrate the ability to resolve issues and ideas which develop as part of their working practice. Practical studio work is underpinned by a written and illustrated personal study of between 1000 and 3000 words.
How is the course assessed?
AS coursework 60% of AS level (contributes 30% of A level marks)
AS examination - timed 8 hour exam 40% of AS level (contributes 20% of A level marks)
A2 coursework 60% (contributes 30% of A level marks)
A2 examination - timed 12 hour exam 40%(contributes 20% of A level marks)
What skills will I need and develop in this course?
Students will be expected to develop knowledge and understanding of art materials - plasticity, opacity, translucence, the relationship of colour and tone, how to use tools to control mark-making. How to analyse and critically evaluate art and design practice, as well as how to synthesise and develop appropriate ideas are important skills.
Subject combination advice:
A level Art is a very time consuming course. Therefore we strongly advise students to select a programme of study which contains a balance of exam based and practical coursework subjects.
What can the course lead to in terms of higher education and future careers?
The skills you develop on a fine art course are broad transferable visual skills. Consequently our students have progressed onto a wide range of courses form Architecture to Art history. Applications to London art schools for art foundation courses are popular and historically 100% of students who have applied have achieved a place, mostly at their first choice college.
What are the formal entry requirements for this course?
Aside from the general entry criteria that the College requires, you will also need to achieve at least a
grade C or above in GCSE Art.
What extra support / enrichment activities are on offer?
The department offers optional life drawing evening classes for first and second year students. Optional lunchtime workshops are run for 6.2 students (previous sessions have included black and white photography sessions, photographic liquid emulsion workshops and screenprinting). A gallery visit is organised for AS students to gather visual information for coursework. We run practical workshops during wider skills week. At the end of the year we celebrate student achievement with a large exhibition and have a prize giving evening.
What is the difference between A level Art and Applied A level Art and Design?
A Level Art is a FINE ART course. Essentially this means that unlike the applied course you will do NO design work. We do not do graphics or any computer aided design. You are not set themed projects or given briefs to work to. On the Fine Art course emphasis is placed on developing visual language skills to a very high level. All the work you do in the first year will be based directly on observation.