A Level Art & Design · Course Map
A Level Art & Design · the whole two-year course at a glance
The course runs C1 → C3 (across two semesters) → C2, closing on a linear A Level entry in June 2028.
| Semester | When | Component | Cohort | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | autumn 2026 | C1 Portfolio | G11 | S1 Plan · 5 units |
| S2 | spring 2027 | C3 Personal Investigation, part 1 | G11 | S2 Plan · 5 units |
| S3 | autumn 2027 | C3 part 2 → internal submission | G12 | S3 Plan · 4 units |
| S4 | spring 2028 | C2 Externally Set Assignment → all-component submission | G12 | S4 Plan · 5 units |
Dates: S1 follows the 2026-27 calendar. S2, S3 and S4 dates are provisional and may shift when the school publishes the calendars for spring 2027 and 2027-28.
What linear entry means here: all three components are entered in the single June 2028 series, so there is no separate AS award and no carry-forward step. Spring 2027 therefore carries no Cambridge deadline — the first and only submission is ≈ end April 2028, where C1, C2 and C3 land together (S4 wk 11).
Design constants: the eight-stage portfolio pipeline every semester; 4 Attainments + 8–10 Course Skills tasks per semester; homework every week (sketchbook / written annotation / reflection, ≤30 min); theme control tightens each component — C1 teacher menu → C3 student-proposed and locked in writing → C2 Cambridge-set with the teacher shortlisting 2–3 questions per student.
S1 — autumn 2026 · C1 Portfolio
| Code | Date | Milestone | AO |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Fri 2026-10-09 | Recording milestone | AO1 |
| A2 | Mon 2026-11-09 | Exploration & artist study | AO2+AO3 |
| A3 | Thu 2026-12-10 | Development | AO3 |
| A4 | Thu 2027-01-07 | Final portfolio | AO1–AO4 |
Full detail: Semester 1 Plan · S1 Assessments.
S2 — spring 2027 · C3 part 1 (theme → mid-point portfolio)
Opens Mon 2027-02-22. You have three weeks of consultation, then the theme is locked and the research paper drafts alongside the visual work.
| Code | Date | Milestone | AO |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Fri 2027-03-19 | Recording milestone, in C3 specialist language | AO1 |
| A2 | Fri 2027-04-23 | Exploration + Artist 1 | AO2+AO3 |
| A3 | Fri 2027-05-28 | Development + research paper, first full draft | AO3 + integration |
| A4 | Fri 2027-06-11 | C3 mid-point portfolio | AO1–AO4 |
Other fixed points: your theme is locked in writing by week 3; the Qingming mock week falls early–mid April (sketchbook brief only); the research paper outline is issued mid-semester and its bibliography must be integrated into the body of work, not detached (a detached bibliography loses AO1 marks); the semester closes on a summer production briefing — the largest uninterrupted C3 window. Full detail: S2 Plan · S2 Assessments.
S3 — autumn 2027 · C3 part 2
| Code | Date | Milestone | AO |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Thu 2027-10-14 | Development resumed + research paper draft 2 (marked section by section) | AO3 |
| A2 | Thu 2027-10-21 | Mock portfolio review of the whole investigation | AO1–AO4 |
| A3 | Mon 2027-11-15 | Final research paper | C3 written criteria |
| A4 | Wed 2027-12-22 | Complete Personal Investigation — both outcomes + portfolio + paper | AO1–AO4 |
Seniors’ Days remove a full week mid-semester, so A2 lands just before it as a whole-investigation mock, and that week is for marking and independent production. Week 1 opens on 1:1 summer-production reviews; the semester ends on assembly, viva-rehearsal critique, and submission QC. Full detail: S3 Plan · S3 Assessments.
S4 — spring 2028 · C2 + submission
| Code | Date | Milestone | AO |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Fri 2028-03-10 | Recording — intention, shoots, sustained studies | AO1 |
| A2 | Fri 2028-03-24 | Experiments + two artists + bridge piece + scale trial | AO2+AO3 |
| A3 | Fri 2028-03-31 | Complete supporting studies — content closes here; nothing new is taught after | AO3+AO4 |
| A4 | Fri 2028-04-21 | Complete C2 submission package | — |
- Week 1: the ESA paper is released and distributed; the teacher shortlists 2–3 questions per student and your choice is locked by Friday.
- The 15-hour supervised test runs in Qingming mock week, unless the school sets a dedicated window.
- ≈ end April 2028: coursework marks and samples go to Cambridge — on the linear entry, C1, C2 and C3 all land at this single deadline. The June 2028 timetable publishes ≈ Oct 2027.
- Submit two artists: single-artist submissions score in the middle and low bands.
Full detail: S4 Plan · S4 Assessments.