A Level Art & Design · Department Handbook
Your Art & Design handbook covers the visual elements, the principles of design, the three components, the assessment objectives with checklists, the four disciplines, theme selection, artist studies, the Personal Study, and portfolio samples.
Some numbers in it are from an older specification
The handbook was written for the earlier 9479 specification, not the one this cohort sits. Do not rely on the sheet counts, hours, word counts or mark totals printed in it. Use the current syllabus for those. The teaching content, prose and structure are still fine — this is only a numbers problem.
| Feature | Handbook says (old spec) | Use instead | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 name | ”Component 1: Coursework” | Component 1: Portfolio (coursework is still a correct informal name) | p.34 |
| C1 mark | single mark out of 100 | mark grids | p.34 |
| C2 submission | three sheets of A2, photographed and mounted | all-digital submission | p.35 |
| C1 submission | five sheets of A2 | — | p.34 |
| C3 submission | eight sheets of A2 | — | p.37 |
| C3 written analysis | 1000–1500 words | 2000–2500 words ← use this | pp.36, 104 |
| C3 mark | out of 100, “weighted to 200” | — | p.37 |
| AOs | AO1 Record · AO2 Explore · AO3 Develop · AO4 Present, flat weighting | new per-component splits | p.39 |
The handbook gives the C2 timed test as 15 hours (p.35); the correct duration will be confirmed in class.
The course page also warns against taking numbers from the older support documents.
Things in the handbook that disagree with themselves
- Personal Study word count. pp.36 and 104 say 1000–1500 words; pp.114–115 say 2000–3000 words and “should not exceed 3000 words.” Ignore both — use 2000–2500 words from the syllabus.
- Tint. p.18 is correct: tone is adding darker shades, tint is adding white. The p.19 sub-glossary is wrong where it says “tint — Another word for shade.”
- AO names. Three different sets appear (pp.39, 72, 84). Treat p.39 as the correct one: Record / Explore / Develop / Present.
What is in it
Visual Elements (pp.7–23)
Six elements, each a definition plus a full-bleed plate: Line (Fred Sandback), Shape (Escher, Sky and Water II), Space (Doug Wheeler), Tone (Wolfgang Mattheuer), Color (pp.18–21, with a CMYK note and six example plates), Texture.
Form is not covered in this chapter. The fullest element vocabulary — including Form, with adjective banks for all six — is at p.81 in the Artist Studies chapter, e.g. Texture: “flat, raised, smooth, rough, coarse, shiny, glossy, reflective, scratched, matt, satin, frosted, visible, smooth, blended, impasto, washes, glazes, stippled, splattered, bold, timid, lively, layered.”
Principles of Design (pp.24–30)
- p.25 “How to Read Images” — the four-stage method (Description · Formal Analysis · Interpretation · Judgement) over a grid of 15 paired opposites for visual communication: balanced/unstable · gestural/technical · sharp/diffuse · symmetry/asymmetry · active/still · distorted/realistic · solitary/juxtaposed · flatness/depth · transparent/opaque · regular/irregular · subtle/amplified · vivid/neutral · unified/fragmented · ordered/loose · light/dark
- p.26 “17 Key Principles of Design” — Alignment · Hierarchy · Contrast · Repetition · Proximity · Balance · Color · Space · Emphasis · Proportion · Rhythm · Pattern · Movement · Variety · Unity · Lines · Shapes
- pp.27–30 — worked demonstrations of eight: Emphasis (focal point), Hierarchy, Scale/Proportion (size · ratio · divisions), Contrast (in shape · color · scale · layout), Repetition, Unity & Variety, Balance (symmetrical · asymmetrical)
The four disciplines (pp.48–57)
Fine Art (painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, mixed media, assemblage) · Graphic Communication (illustration, printmaking, packaging, branding, advertising, signage, typography) · Three-Dimensional Design (sculpture, ceramics, product, architecture, interior, environmental, set design, jewellery) · Textiles and Fashion (fashion design/illustration, costume, constructed textiles, screen printing, batik, digital-printed textiles, surface pattern).
You may focus on one discipline or combine several. Two distinctions:
- Fine Art responds to a theme only; the other three respond to a theme or a brief (pp.50–57).
- 3-D Design uniquely requires you to consider “the setting in which the final outcome will be situated, e.g. interior/exterior, urban/rural” (p.55).
Themes (pp.66–72)
Guidance on choosing a theme (this is Component 1-facing, p.66). Nine qualities of an appropriate theme (personal relevance · breadth and depth · creativity and originality · flexibility · researchability · visual and conceptual interest · educational value · relevance to the assessment objectives · engagement with broader issues), a seven-step selection guide, then the assignment: complete a theme selection form for at least four possible themes with related artists and possible artworks, choose one, and justify it. Submitted by the end of the week.
Assessment Objectives (pp.38–47)
Take the assessment objectives and all rubrics from the current syllabus, not from this handbook. The handbook’s AO checklists (pp.41–47) are still useful as scaffolding — for example, AO1’s runs seven questions from “collected images to show your inspiration and stimuli?” through “clearly linked all of your work to your starting point?” — as long as the objectives they hang off come from the syllabus.
Personal Study (pp.104–118)
Three study types (p.105), which can be combined:
- Technical — media, surfaces, tools, techniques
- Stylistic — signs, symbols, metaphor, meaning, figurative and formal elements
- Contextual — art and society; social, historical and cultural contexts; theories of art
The integration rule (p.105): “the study will form the starting point of your practical coursework. The two must link together and inform each other i.e. they are not separate elements but dependent on each other. Your success depends on this point.”
Use the 2000–2500 word count from the syllabus, not the figures printed in this chapter.
Portfolio samples (pp.119–205)
Around 87 pages of sample work, captioned (“Final Outcome”, “SAMPLE 1 / Component 1”).
AI use
The examples in the school AI policy are Art & Design examples, and its attribution requirements align with what the current syllabus asks for on AI-generated images.