Photography Year 11
Students study for the AQA GCSE qualification. At Key Stage 4 students develop their understanding of the formal elements and work from the themes ‘Macro’, ‘People’ and ‘Landscape’ to meet the assessment objectives noted below. The students are awarded marks as follows:
- 60% Coursework – 2 distinct portfolios of work.
- 40% Exam – A theme that has been given, with
preparation time followed by a 10 hour exam.
Sketchbooks
You'll end up with a minimum of 3 sketchbooks and prep and mounted work.
- Sketchbook 1 - Coursework theme 1
- Sketchbook 2 - Coursework theme 2
- Sketchbook 3 - Exam
You are marked according to assessment objectives. Each section is marked out of 20 marks and is worth 25% of your overall grade.
A01 – Develop their ideas through investigations informed by contextual and other sources demonstrating analytical and cultural understanding. (20 Marks – 25%) | Study the work photographers for techniques composition, colour, shape etc. and apply this in your own work Evaluating your own work; the idea; the media; the composition; the technique and the influence of artists and photographers Effectively using specialist vocabulary Evaluating the successes and failures of your work, identifying opportunities for to improve your own work |
A02 – Refine their ideas through experimenting and selecting appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes. (20 Marks – 25%) | Completing a visual brainstorm Presenting ideas in a variety of combinations Showing a range of ideas Manipulation on photoshop Manipulation in the darkroom |
A03 – Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to their intentions in visual and/or other forms. (20 Marks – 25%) | Taking your own photographs B & W and digital Collecting relevant pictures Collecting magazine images Visiting art galleries and libraries Use of the Internet |
A04 – Present a personal, informed and meaningful response demonstrating analytical and critical understanding, realising intentions and where appropriate, making connections between visual, written, oral or other elements. (20 Marks – 25%) | Developing an imaginative response Taking the best design ideas forward for your final and prep pieces Ability to develop a response that meets the specified exam question |
Course Books and Equipment
Students will be given a handbook at the start of the course that outlines all expectations and includes assessment objectives, help sheets and expectations.
Students will be able to borrow both digital and black and white camera’s to take photographs. These are signed in and out by staff; the equipment is the student’s responsibility any loss or damage will have to be paid for.
There is a £30 charge at the beginning of each year for this course. This cost is for the black and white development process, film, chemicals and paper, inks for the printer, paper for the printer as well as the maintenance and upkeep of the cameras and equipment that is lent out as well as used in school.
If you have your own digital camera which is 5 mega pixels or higher please feel free to use this for your digital work. If you are thinking of buying a camera for the course, please talk to us. We can recommend cameras and good websites to get them to meet all budgets.
Useful Websites
When students carry out critical studies work they should not copy and paste information from the internet, they should put the information into their own words, writing their own thoughts and opinions and use the worksheets that teachers provide accordingly. The library also has a good source of books to help with research.
