A Level Art & Design · S4 Assessments
A Level Art & Design · Semester 4 Plan · spring 2027-28 (Component 2 Externally Set Assignment + all-component submission, 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–CS8 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). Your final C2 piece is externally marked by Cambridge — A4 is the internal grade layer only.
Dates may change
All S4 dates below are provisional and may shift once the school publishes the spring 2027-28 calendar. A4 and CS7 move with the mock window; exact dates will be confirmed in class.
Attainments (50%) — A1–A4
| Code | Date | Milestone | AOs | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Fri 2028-03-10 | Recording milestone: locked question with rationale, intention, sustained study, recording pages | AO1 | Unit 2 |
| A2 | Fri 2028-03-24 | Exploration & artist study: experiments, media selection, two artists with visible work responses, bridge piece, scale trial | AO2+AO3 | Unit 3 |
| A3 | Fri 2028-03-31 | Complete supporting studies: draft comparison page, final composition plan, mounted order — content close | AO3+AO4 | Unit 4 |
| A4 | Fri 2028-04-21 (moves with the test) | Complete C2 submission package (internal grade layer; the final piece is externally marked) | AO1–AO4 | Unit 5 |
Course Skills tasks (20%)
| CS | Date | Task | Format | Practices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS1 | Fri 2028-02-25 | Question choice with written rationale | Written annotation | A1 |
| CS2 | Fri 2028-03-03 | Intention, thumbnails and shoot plan on the chosen question | Written annotation | A1 |
| CS3 | Thu 2028-03-09 | Sustained study progress check | Sketchbook | A1 |
| CS4 | Fri 2028-03-17 | Experiment documentation + the artist 1 response | Sketchbook | A2 |
| CS5 | Tue 2028-03-21 | Artist pages + bridge piece check | Written annotation | A2 |
| CS6 | Thu 2028-03-30 | Composition critique response + the draft comparison page | Written annotation | A3 |
| CS7 | Thu 2028-04-20 (moves with the test) | Submission checklist and reflection | Reflection | A4 |
| CS8 | Thu 2028-04-27 | Portfolio photography for student records | Sketchbook + digital | A4 |
There are eight CS tasks across the core and the tail. CS7 moves with the test week; the exact test, A4 and CS7 dates will be confirmed in class.
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 — no exam paper, no invigilation. This class sits no department finals. The date is set by your teacher and will be confirmed in class.