Exam Board – OCR

Qualification – A Level H601

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

Course specification

Photography is an art-based course which can be provoking, rewarding, intriguing and eye-opening. Throughout the course, the photographer will have the opportunity to truly understand
how to use a camera, to learn the rules of photography and to be nurtured into pushing the boundaries. The course allows students to research and to explore other photographers’ styles
through outdoor photography, studio-based photography or using editing software. The course also includes workshops with professional photographers and visits to artistic places of interest.

You will receive six lessons per week, one of which is self-directed study time during which you will receive one to one advice and guidance. As well as offering the most up-to-date equipment and facilities to experiment and enhance your photographs, we have three skilled professional artists from different specialisms who facilitate the course and help you find your own artistic style.

Photography requires various skills through studio and outdoor led photographing workshops, as well as understanding and being critical in the editing process. Just like in art, independence and personal drive are the key to success on the photography A Level course. You will be encouraged and expected to embrace the life of a photographer and regularly record ideas, visit places of artistic and cultural interest and reflect upon your own work and that of others. If you are visually curious about the world we live in and want to express your own opinions and ideas, then this is the creative course for you!

Year 1

Unit 1: skills workshops and portfolio building
Unit 2: mock exam unit

Year 2

  • Unit 3: personal investigation, 60% of grade, includes a 1000+ 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.