Exam Board – OCR

Qualification – A Level H601

Entry requirements – Grade 5 in GCSE art or merit in Level 2 art and design / grade 4 in English

Course specification

Fine art is art which is predominantly concerned with creating work for aesthetic purposes (rather than design purposes).

“Studying art has opened my eyes to so many different ways of working. I have worked alongside professional artists and my confidence in explaining my ideas has really improved. You are seen as a proper artist on the course and helped every step of your way through your visual journey.”

– Student

The course allows artists to develop a wide range of skills as well as focus on one or more of the following areas – portraiture, landscape, still life, human form, abstraction, experimental imagery, narrative, installation, and working in a genre. The course teaches skills in a number of different mediums and allows artists to specialise in a particular area. Students are required to meet all four assessment objectives through a sustained and proactive approach to learning. The course also includes workshops with professional artists and visits to artistic places of interest.

Year 1

Unit 1: skills workshops and portfolio building
Unit 2: externally set task (concluding in a 10 hour exam)

Year 2

Unit 3: personal investigation, 60% of grade, includes a 1,000+ word related study essay
Unit 4: externally set task (concluding in a 10 hour exam), 40% of grade

Assessment objectives

  • AO1: develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding
  • AO2: explore and select appropriate resources, media, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining as work develops
  • AO3: record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress
  • AO4: present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements

What doors does this open up for me?

One in twelve UK jobs is within the creative industries. There are many careers for which an art background is essential or relevant, including advertising, publishing, media, architecture, museum and gallery work, photography, film, animation, 3D design, ceramics, fashion, textiles, makeup artistry, interior design, landscape gardening, styling, illustration, tattooing, teaching, art therapy, forensic artistry, set design, marketing, conceptual artistry, and performance to name but a few.

Typically, 100% of our A Level artists at Tuxford Academy go on to study art and related areas at college or university.

Learning journey

Our learning journeys can be used to understand each subject in more detail.

Art