S4 Unit 4: Development
A Level Art & Design · Semester 4 Plan · Unit 4 of 5 · ← Unit 3 | Unit 5 →
What this unit does
This is the development stage, under AO3 Develop closing into AO4 Present — the tightest unit in the course. You compose your final-piece candidates from your own studies (the test will realise one of them); you compare them on a draft comparison page and write out why you reject the others; you fix a final composition plan so nothing has to be invented under supervision; and you complete every supporting study and decide the mounted order. Content closes at A3 — nothing new is taught after it.
Dates & span
Week S6 plus the elastic window (2028-03-26 → 2028-03-31 for the coded sessions; the S7 window can add up to four days on reading B). These S4 dates are projected and may shift when the school publishes the calendar for this period — see the semester plan.
Sequence of work
| Code | Session | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| U4·L1 | Feedback; compose the final piece candidates | From your own studies |
| U4·L2 | Draft comparison page | Rejections articulated in writing |
| U4·L3 | Final composition plan | Nothing invented under supervision |
| U4·L4 | Supporting studies completed | Every gap closed |
| U4·L5 | A3: Complete supporting studies — content close | Comparison page, plan, mounted order. |
| Elastic (S7) | Reading B window | All four teaching days go to refinement and rehearsal |
Assessment
A3, Fri 2028-03-31 — complete supporting studies (draft comparison page with articulated rejections, final composition plan, mounted order), marked against AO3+AO4. This is the content close: nothing new is taught after it.
One CS task: CS6, Thu 2028-03-30 (composition critique response + draft comparison page).
See the full register.
Key content
- ◆ The draft comparison page with articulated rejections earns top AO4 — it is the center of this unit.
- Your final plan should be complete enough that the test is execution, not invention.
- This unit is compressed into one taught development week, widened only by the elastic window. Every day here counts, so attendance matters.