A Level Art and Design

hillsroad.ac.uk/study-with-us/how-to-apply

Take your creative ideas and skills on to the next level in Art and Design. Are you considering career pathways in the burgeoning Creative Industries such as art, architecture, graphics, textiles, fashion or game design? Perhaps you simply love the broad-ranging opportunities Art and Design offers you to express yourself through exploring a broad range of media and techniques. If so, then this exciting course will be for you.

Our course is designed to build on the skills and enthusiasm you bring. We will help you acquire new techniques, broaden your knowledge and give you the confidence you need to realise your full creative potential.

The Art and Design department is a lively and friendly teaching and learning environment, where individual ideas, experimentation and risk-taking are encouraged. All staff are practising artists and have a wide range of specialist interests and expertise.

Resources and staffing within the Art department enable students to explore a rich and diverse range of creative approaches, including:

• Painting
• 3D / Sculpture
• Printmaking
• Graphic Communication
• Textiles / Fashion
• Digital Media

A Level Art and Design at Hills Road allows you to develop an exciting and extensive range of creative and technical skills. You will also gain a strong understanding of historic and contemporary visual art practice through contextual studies, while developing your own personal skills and creative direction.

Technical workshops

We begin the course by introducing you to a range of working methods and materials that can be used to develop project work. As part of this introduction, we also run a Visual Studies course, where you will explore a range of artists and movements to further your conceptual understanding.

Individual project work

Following the workshops, you will start developing individual projects. This involves taking your ideas further through observational drawing, research and experimentation with media, processes and imagery. You can build on your favourite ways of working or explore new approaches.

You will complete a range of substantial main pieces in response to the project work developed in your sketchbook. This project will form a Personal Investigation and will be accompanied by a 3,000-word research essay.

Exam project

In February of your second year, you will receive an exam paper containing a range of stimuli from which you will begin a second practical project. This builds towards an outcome completed under 15 hours of timed conditions.

Successful Art and Design students are creative thinkers with high levels of self-motivation, good independent working skills and an ability to accept constructive criticism. You will need inspiration, perseverance, good time management and a willingness to develop and diversify your creative skills.

Homework is set regularly, usually weekly, and you should expect to spend around five hours a week on this work outside lessons.

Assessment

• 60% coursework, typically submitted in December of Year 13
• 40% practical exam

You will have one main teacher, with flexibility to explore a wide range of methods of working. Teachers are available to provide advice and support, and weekly drop-in sessions provide additional individual guidance.

Resources and support

A broad range of online resources is also available, including narrated presentations, technical know-how videos and demonstrations. There are opportunities to attend specialist workshops such as life drawing.

The Art department has three fully equipped studios, including printmaking facilities. There is also a fully equipped workshop with a range of tools and materials for 3D work and ceramics, as well as a designated life drawing room.

Subject grades - Option A

GCSE grade 6 or Merit in Art and Design or a similar subject title.

Art & Design (Photography) and Design Technology are not included.

Subject grades - Option B

Applicants who have not completed a GCSE in Art & Design or a related subject may complete an A Level Art & Design Access Project so that their suitability for the course can be assessed.

Required Admissions Score

The Minimum Entry Admissions Score for Art and Design is 58, or 56 for Cambridgeshire Area Partnership (CAP) students.

Other information

Art and Design can be combined with a wide range of other A Level subjects and there are no fixed combinations. Some students choose to combine Art and Design with History of Art or A Level Photography.

The ability to think creatively alongside the observational skills developed through Art and Design can be valuable across a wide range of professions. Students pursuing scientific subjects, for example, may find Art provides a useful contrast and a complementary set of skills.

Many students complete a one-year Art Foundation course after studying Art and Design at Hills Road. This provides an opportunity to experience full-time arts education and can support progression to a wide variety of degree specialisms in Higher Education.

Some students successfully apply directly to undergraduate degree courses, such as BA (Hons) Architecture.

Employment opportunities in the creative arts industries include:

• 2D, 3D and digital design
• TV and film
• Museum and gallery work
• Art therapy
• Art criticism

Art and Design also develops valuable transferable skills, including creative ideas development, problem-solving, contextual interpretation and visual communication, as well as organisational, presentation and teamwork skills.

Support with progression

Support is provided for university and Art-related job applications through mock interviews and portfolio reviews. The department also hosts a range of visiting speakers and former students who talk about their experiences in Higher Education and beyond.