S3 Unit 5: Final Outcomes
A Level Art & Design · Semester 3 Plan · Unit 5 · 3rd of 4 this semester · ← Unit 4 | Unit 6 →
What this unit does
You build both final outcomes and complete the research paper, under AO3 Develop and AO4 Present. You plan each outcome in advance — composition, palette, materials — so nothing is left to the day itself, then build it across merged multi-day runs with a mid-production review while change is still possible, and resolve and photograph it to examiner standard. The two outcomes stay inside one investigation with one voice. The research paper reaches final text, with every claim pointing at real work.
The unit carries two attainments: A2, the whole-investigation mock review, and A3, the final research paper.
Dates & span
Weeks W8–W14 (2027-10-17 → about 2027-12-04), 28 sessions, around the W9 Seniors’ Days (no teaching) and the reduced W13. These dates are projected and may shift when the school publishes the calendar for this period.
Sequence of work
| Code | Session | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| U5·L1 | Plan final outcome 1 | Composition, palette, materials decided |
| U5·L2 | Studio: supporting thumbnails | Solve it small first |
| U5·L3 | Studio: outcome 1 build opens | Before the Seniors week removes W9 |
| U5·L4 | A2: Mock portfolio review | The whole investigation, sequenced as if submitting |
| U5·L5 | Feedback and independent targets | The studio does not wait for W9 |
| U5·L6–L8 | Studio: build outcome 1 (3-day session) | One sustained run. Mon 11-01 |
| U5·L9 | Mid-production review | While there is still time to change it |
| U5·L10 | Studio: act on the review | Today, not later |
| U5·L11–L12 | Studio: resolve outcome 1 (2-day session) | Focal areas resolved, surface unified |
| U5·L13 | Photograph outcome 1 | The version the examiner sees |
| U5·L14 | Research paper final text | The argument is set; the prose serves it |
| U5·L15 | Final text and integration check | Every claim points at real work |
| U5·L16 | A3: Final research paper | Submitted with one-to-one review |
| U5·L17 | Plan outcome 2 | Answer the first, do not repeat it |
| U5·L18–L19 | Studio: outcome 2 build opens (2-day session) | While the first is fresh |
| U5·L20–L23 | Studio: outcome 2 | Sustained through the reduced W13. Wed 11-24 |
| U5·L24–L25 | Studio: resolve outcome 2 (2-day session) | So the pair can be judged together |
| U5·L26 | Photograph outcome 2 | Both outcomes to the same standard |
| U5·L27–L28 | Evaluate both outcomes | What the investigation found, in writing |
Assessment
Two attainments gate this unit.
- A2, Thu 2027-10-21 — mock portfolio review of the whole investigation to date, marked against AO1–AO4. It also serves as portfolio application material.
- A3, Mon 2027-11-15 — the final research paper, marked against the C3 written criteria.
CS tasks:
- CS5, Tue 2027-10-19 — outcome 1 plan
- CS6, Thu 2027-11-04 — outcome 1 mid-production review
- CS7, Fri 2027-11-19 — outcome 2 plan and progress
- CS8, Fri 2027-12-03 — evaluation of both outcomes
These dates are projected and may shift when the school publishes the calendar. See the full register.
Key content
- ◆ Both outcomes must trace visibly back to the preparation — an outcome from nowhere fails AO4 regardless of quality.
- Both outcomes speak with one voice; two voices fail AO4.
- The paper’s specialist language is exact, and every claim is evidenced in the portfolio.
- The A2 mock review is sequenced as a real submission — it is both a dress rehearsal and an application asset.