Photography

Course Full Title: A Level Photography

Exam Board: OCR

Specification Code: H603

Why study Photography A Level?


Studying Art and Design will teach life skills which will be useful whatever career path you decide to follow in the future.

Studying Art and Design will help you

  • to identify problems and seek solutions
  • to think creatively and communicate your ideas to others
  • to understand the world around you
  • to work constructively independently and as part of a team
  • to have the confidence to express yourself to a range of audiences


What makes a good Art student?


  • Creativity
  • Enthusiasm and a desire to learn and improve
  • The ability to work independently
  • To enjoy discussing your ideas
  • Willingness to try out new techniques
  • To Enjoy painting, drawing and making
  • Perseverance and curiosity to learn


In each A Level Art project, you complete you will learn to:


  • Develop your skill through drawing, designing, manipulating, printing, creating etc.
  • Analyse and recreate work by other artists.
  • Explore and develop your own ideas, experimenting thoroughly to see what works.
  • Create an exciting and well-informed final outcome.
  • Tailor your own projects to fit your interests.


What are the entrance requirements?


  • Grade 5 or above in Art, or a portfolio of work.
  • 5 or more grades 5-9; including equivalents across at least 5 subjects
  • Maths and English Language Grade 4 or above
  • Average GCSE GRADE of at least 4.0 (average of ALL GCSE full courses taken)


How will I be assessed?


The course is 60% portfolio of work (coursework) and 40% Externally Set Assignment (exam)

We use four equally weighted Assessment Objectives to mark your work

  • AO1 Develop work informed by artists
  • AO2 Experiment and explore with media and processes
  • AO3 Record – drawing, designing, creating, explaining
  • AO4 Personal and meaningful response making connections with other work


What will I study over the two years?


We want you to be as creative and individual as possible and make your projects personal to you. We adapt the course each year to suit our students and play to their interests and strengths. You will work with a broad range of materials and learn new techniques to help you to develop further as an artist, including:

  • How to use an SLR camera
  • Darkroom Photography
  • Alternative Processes
  • Studio Photography
  • Photoshop



Where could studying Art and Design at A Level take me?


Here is a selection of the destinations of Art Students who studied at Oriel High School

  • Animation – UCA Farnham
  • Floristry – Floristry City and Guilds – Chichester College
  • Creative Events Management – Greenwich University
  • Media and Cultural Studies – Roehampton
  • Entertainment Management – Portsmouth
  • Fashion – Bristol
  • 3D Design – UCA Farnham
  • Chartered Surveying – Wilmott Dixon graduate scheme
  • Costume Design
  • Photography – Northbrook
  • Art and Design Foundation – Brighton
  • Fashion Design Technology Knitwear – London College of Fashion
  • Fine Art – Southampton University
  • Industrial Design and Technology Brunel University
  • Prop making and Special Effects Northbrook
  • History of Art Warwick
  • Architecture Manchester
  • Fashion Design and Marketing London College of Fashion


We encourage our students to experience art works first-hand. Some of the regular trips and visits that we run as a department include shows and exhibitions in London, Brighton and more.  


If you have any questions about our Art and Design A level courses please chat with your art teacher, or email Mr Miles gmiles@oriel.w-sussex.sch.uk, who would be very happy to answer any questions