A Level Art & Design · S3 Assessments
A Level Art & Design · Semester 3 Plan · full register, autumn 2027-28 (Component 3 Personal Investigation part 2, G12)
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; 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).
All S3 dates below may shift when the school publishes the 2027-28 calendar; any changes will be confirmed in class.
Attainments (50%) — A1–A4
| Code | Date | Milestone | AOs | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Thu 2027-10-14 | Development milestone + research paper draft 2: outcome candidate compositions, targeted tests, evaluation, Stage 6 page | AO3 | Unit 4 |
| A2 | Thu 2027-10-21 | Mock portfolio review: the whole investigation to date, sequenced as if submitting | AO1–AO4 | Unit 5 |
| A3 | Mon 2027-11-15 | The final research paper | C3 written criteria | Unit 5 |
| A4 | Wed 2027-12-22 | Complete Personal Investigation: both outcomes, the supporting portfolio, the research paper | AO1–AO4 | Unit 6 |
Course Skills tasks (20%)
| CS | Date | Task | Format | Practices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS1 | Fri 2027-09-03 | Summer portfolio audit against the set targets | Written annotation | A1 |
| CS2 | Fri 2027-09-10 | Composition studies for the outcome candidates | Sketchbook | A1 |
| CS3 | Fri 2027-09-17 | Research paper draft 2 sections | Written annotation | A1 (→ A3) |
| CS4 | Fri 2027-09-24 | Targeted tests | Sketchbook | A1 |
| CS5 | Tue 2027-10-19 | Final outcome 1 plan: composition, thumbnails, palette, materials | Written annotation | A2 |
| CS6 | Thu 2027-11-04 | Outcome 1 mid-production review | Reflection | A4 |
| CS7 | Fri 2027-11-19 | Outcome 2 plan and progress | Written annotation | A4 |
| CS8 | Fri 2027-12-03 | Evaluation of both outcomes against the intention | Written annotation | A4 |
| CS9 | Fri 2027-12-10 | Sequencing and documentation check | Written annotation | A4 |
| CS10 | Thu 2027-12-16 | Presentation critique response (viva rehearsal, answered in writing) | Reflection | A4 |
Ten CS tasks, one per non-attainment teaching week. A3 (the research paper) has no CS task of its own; its written thread runs through CS3 (draft 2 sections) and the Unit 5 final-text sessions.
The Final (End of Term Exam category, 20%)
The 20% category is met by the Final: a teacher-marked assessment of your portfolio-so-far against the Cambridge criteria — no exam paper, no invigilation. This class sits no department finals. The date is set by the teacher and will be confirmed in class.