Course may be subject to change.
If you are interested in studying A Levels at New College Durham please just complete one application form and you will be able to choose your subjects once you have had your interview. You do not need to apply for each of the subjects you are interested.
As an A-Level student on our Art & Design course, you will have the opportunity to fully develop your knowledge, understanding and skills in a range of specialist areas as you explore the specialism of Fine Art. The course will enable you to develop:
- Intellectual, imaginative, creative and intuitive capabilities
- Investigative, analytical, experimental, practical, technical and expressive skills
- Aesthetic understanding and critical judgment
- Independence of mind in developing, refining and communicating your ideas, intentions and personal outcomes.
Entry Criteria
You will hold at least five GCSEs, including maths grade 4 or above and English language grade 5 or above. It is expected that if one of your GCSEs is in art, you will hold a grade 5.
What are the next steps?
You will be invited into the College for an interview with one of our lecturers. You will also have the opportunity to take a tour of the College.
Study Aims
- To develop the skills and understanding required to progress to higher education or within the creative industry
- To explore appropriate materials, processes and techniques with purpose
- To develop and demonstrate understanding of the language of Art and Design.
Modules Studied
Year 1:
Induction Period (September - December)
You will meet the four assessment objectives through a guided series of practical workshops that cover a range of art disciplines (e.g. painting, drawing, photography, sculpture) to develop craft skills. You will then be encouraged to be more experimental with materials, techniques and processes through problem solving, as well as provoking critical thought in relation to contemporary art practices (e.g. sound, installation, video).
The intention is to build from your comfort zone and encourage healthy exploration without fear of failure.
Practical work is presented in a sketchbook that will evidence the clear development of your creative ideas through annotations and evaluation. It will not be assessed.
Personal Investigation (January-May)
- Preparatory period
- 10 hours supervised time
- 80 marks
- 100% of AS-Level
Year 2:
Personal Investigation (September - December)
- 120 marks
- 60% of A-Level
External Set Task (January-May)
- Preparatory period
- 15 hours supervised time
- 80 marks
- 40% of A-Level
- The task will be set by the board and offers a choice of starting points.
Teaching and Assessment
You will be taught by lecturers who are specialists in their subjects. Teaching is classroom based and involves group work and individual work. Independent study is essential outside of the classroom and frequent homework will be given.
You will sit monthly in-class assessments, for which you will receive extensive feedback, as well as other assessments throughout the academic year which will help you track your progress.
Terminal assessments will be through both portfolio work and written exams.
This A-Level, in combination with other subjects, could enable you to apply for degree courses in Architecture, or relevant Art and Design programmes, such as Visual Arts at NCD.
The arts will develop your emotional intelligence, you will make independent decisions and will learn to be self-critical and brave to improve the quality of your work.
Artists are good communicators, they pay great attention to detail and you will develop strong organisational skills. You will learn how to express the inexpressible and make sense of things that otherwise do not seem to.
