A Level Art & Design · S1 Assessments
A Level Art & Design · Semester 1 Plan · autumn 2026-27 (Component 1 Portfolio, G11)
Grading follows the BNDS assessment framework: Attainment 50% · Course Skills 20% · Learning Behaviour 10% · End of Term Exam 20%. A1–A4 are the attainment layer (portfolio milestones marked against the 9479 AOs); CS1–CS10 are the course-skills layer, each direct practice for the attainment it precedes; the 20% End of Term category is met by the Final (below).
The dates below may shift when the school publishes its calendar for this period.
Attainments (50%) — A1–A4
| Code | Date | Milestone | AOs | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Fri 2026-10-09 | Recording: intention, Stage 1 pages, sustained study, supporting studies | AO1 | Unit 2 |
| A2 | Mon 2026-11-09 | Exploration & artist study: twelve experiments, media selection, scale trial, artist pages, bridge piece | AO2+AO3 | Unit 3 |
| A3 | Thu 2026-12-10 | Development: compositions 1+2, targeted tests, written evaluation, final composition plan | AO3 | Unit 4 |
| A4 | Thu 2027-01-07 | Final portfolio: resolved outcome + complete supporting portfolio, sequenced and edited; no edits after | AO1–AO4 | Unit 5 |
Course Skills tasks (20%)
| CS | Date | Task | Practices |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS1 | Mon 2026-09-14 | Formal elements study set + Recording Page 1 (sketchbook) | A1 |
| CS2 | Fri 2026-09-18 | Intention statement + mind map (written annotation) | A1 |
| CS3 | Thu 2026-09-24 | Sustained-study progress check (recorded on the rota sheet) | A1 |
| CS4 | Wed 2026-09-30 | Recording pages build check | A1 |
| CS5 | Fri 2026-10-16 | Twelve media experiments documented (sketchbook) | A2 |
| CS6 | Fri 2026-10-23 | Stage 3 page + media selection note (written annotation) | A2 |
| CS7 | Fri 2026-10-30 | Artist analysis pages (written annotation) | A2 |
| CS8 | Fri 2026-11-20 | Both compositions photographed and laid out side by side | A3 |
| CS9 | Fri 2026-11-27 | Targeted tests + critique response (written annotation) | A3 |
| CS10 | Fri 2026-12-18 | Mid-production review reflection on the final outcome | A4 |
The Final (End of Term Exam category, 20%)
The 20% category is satisfied by the Final: a teacher-marked assessment of your portfolio-so-far against the Cambridge criteria. There is no exam paper, no invigilation and no new task — you are marked on the portfolio you produce over the semester. The date will be confirmed in class.