S4 Unit 2: Recording
A Level Art & Design · Semester 4 Plan · Unit 2 of 5 · ← Unit 1 | Unit 3 →
What this unit does
This is the recording stage at exam pace, under AO1 Record. You state an intention on your chosen question and plan your reference shoot in the same session; you shoot and draw your own reference within the same week; you open one observed study and sustain it without restarting; you annotate so every page ties back to the question; and you build your recording pages as the work happens — there is no later. The unit closes with A1, marked against AO1.
Dates & span
Weeks S2–S3 (2028-02-27 → about 2028-03-11), 10 sessions. These dates are projected and may shift once the school publishes the calendar for this period.
Sequence of work
| Code | Session | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| U2·L1 | Intention, thumbnails and shoot plan | Reference you control |
| U2·L2–L3 | Studio: primary source shoot and first studies (2-day session) | Shot and drawn the same week |
| U2·L4 | Sustained study opens | Sustained, not restarted |
| U2·L5 | Recording pages | Built as the work happens |
| U2·L6–L7 | Studio: sustained study (2-day session) | Pushed past comfortable |
| U2·L8 | Critical annotation | What the recording taught you about the question |
| U2·L9 | Recording pages build | AO1 obvious without explanation |
| U2·L10 | A1: Recording milestone | All recording on your chosen question |
Assessment
A1, Fri 2028-03-10 — recording milestone (locked question with rationale, intention, sustained study, recording pages), marked against AO1.
CS tasks:
- CS2, Fri 2028-03-03 — intention, thumbnails and shoot plan.
- CS3, Thu 2028-03-09 — sustained study progress check, the day before A1.
See the full register.
Key content
- ◆ All reference is self-generated — “nothing found, nothing borrowed” does not relax under exam pressure.
- The sustained study shows duration despite the pace.
- Homework stays capped at 30 minutes: exam pace does not mean more homework.