GCSE Art and Design (Fine Art) is an exciting course concerned with visual and tactile ways of expression.  It offers a unique opportunity for students to communicate their own ideas and develop meaningful responses. Visual literacy is equivalent in importance to literacy and numeracy, and is highly valued by employers and universities. 

Throughout the two years of the course, students work on producing a personal portfolio that demonstrates the use of formal elements and creative skills.  They learn to give visual form to observations, thoughts, feelings and ideas. They become familiar with a process that allows them to take an idea from its inception to a high quality studio outcome.

They accomplish this by engaging in the following:

• Broad visual research and investigation of themes, directed by the teacher.
• Experimentation with various materials, equipment and processes including drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, digital art, photography and mixed media approaches.

• Development of ideas from inception to the production of well informed and resolved studio outcomes.
• Making connections between their own work and that of artists and designers from other times and cultures.
• Research artists work by taking part in workshops and gallery visits.. 

Students are graded from 9 to 1 (where 9 is the top grade)  Drawing is an explicit requirement in GCSE Art and Design, and students will be expected to use drawing to support the development process within their area of study.

There are four assessment objectives:

A01: Critical and contextual understanding
A02: Experimentation and refinement of ideas and processes
A03: Recording ideas and intentions
A04: Present a personal and meaningful response. 

There are two components to the course:

1. Personal Portfolio – 60% of the final grade is awarded for the Personal Portfolio

• The visual investigation and research for this portfolio is done both at home and in the classroom, in both Year 10 and Year 11. This takes the form of a sketchbook, and may also include larger works and 3D experiments. The portfolio consists of an in depth sustained project and students work towards developing a large scale outcome of their own choice based on this theme. Students are encouraged to research artists of their own choosing, making this a highly personal and self directed project. 
• All portfolio work done in Years 10 and 11 will be submitted before embarking on the Externally Set Assignment which will be handed out in January of Year 11.

2. Externally Set Assignment (ESA) issued by Edexcel – 40%

• This assignment is issued by Edexcel towards the end of the second year of the course (Year 11), usually January of the final year.  It is worth 40% of the final grade and takes the form of a ten hour exam.
• Students are presented with a paper giving a thematic title 10 weeks in advance of a timed test.
• Students will use this 10-week period to prepare a broad investigation of the given theme. (This takes the form of a sketchbook full of visual investigations which may be completed at home as well as in the art studio).
• At the end of this period students submit their sketchbooks containing the 10 weeks of investigative work.
• During the timed test, (10 hours usually held over two days), students go on to produce a studio outcome based on their 10 weeks of investigation. They make clear connections between their sketchbook investigations and the outcomes produced during this time.

The Personal Portfolio and ESA are marked by an Edexcel External Examiner who comes to Cairo in May (from the UK) to mark all the students’ work. There is an Annual GCSE Art Exhibition at BISC celebrating the creativity and skill of all the work completed by the Year 11 Art Students.

If you require any further information about this course or about careers in and using Art and Design please contact Janie Wheeler, Head of Art.

The Student Perspective – Art and Design

"I think Art GCSE is a great subject to pick for anyone that enjoys art and is willing to spend time on it. Personally, I really enjoy drawing, so I did not hesitate to pick the subject. Art GCSE can be quite time consuming and it definitely required me to work outside of lessons. On average, I spent about two hours or more per week working on my sketchbook, but I did not find that to be a problem because I really enjoy art. I  like this subject because it’s not very restrictive, and you can be very creative since it does not impose a particular topic on you. It allows you to explore real issues you’re interested in.

From my experience, it was not hard to complete work on time because I followed the plan and referred to the regular deadlines. It is not difficult to get everything done if you manage your time and work outside of lessons as well.

Art GCSE has definitely helped me improve my artistic skills. It has expanded my abilities, since it allowed me to explore several techniques and experiment with different materials to use. Overall, my skills have been refined and become more varied. I recommend this subject for anyone who enjoys art.  It’s a great way to explore your creative side."  

Karen Akiki