A Level 3D Design

Please refer to EN's Entry Requirements Guide for specific advice on our Admissions Policy. This guide is supplied at interview to prospective students and is also available to Schools & Careers Advisers.

The work of 3D designers is evident in all aspects of our daily lives. From the beds we sleep in to the styling of the Smart phone in your hand, 3D designers play an important role in shaping the world we inhabit. 3D designers will also be at the forefront of trying to ensure the earth’s diminishing resources are used considerately into the future.

3D design A-level is a specialism within the Art and Design department. Students develop skills in design, model making and drawing (both freehand and digital). The ethos of the course is very much that innovative design springs from experimentation with both ideas and materials.

The course has a dedicated studio equipped with computers, drawing tables and studio lighting for photographing 3D work. Adjacent to the studio is a well-equipped multi-media workshop for working in wood, metal, plastic, plaster and clay.

Following a skills building introductory period in the AS year students work on personal projects.

- Free-hand, technical and digital drawing (Sketchup).

- Both 2D and 3D design development

- Exposure to a wide variety of processes and techniques in the 3D workshop

- Model making

- Design history (integrated into practical projects).

- Photography (recording first hand observations and own work made)

- The production of A3 sketchbooks that record student’s thinking, research and idea development.

All work undertaken is practical. There are no formal theory exams but simply time to make a final piece made under exam conditions at the end of the 2nd year.

Exam 12.5%

Coursework 87.5%

Grade 4 in English Language and Grade 4 in either GCSE Art or Design Technology (Resistant Materials, Graphics or Textiles) is preferred but not essential. What is most important is your enthusiasm for making and designing things. If you don't have a 4 grade in either of these subjects you should still apply but you will need to show evidence of creative ability by submitting a small portfolio of drawings or designs and be interviewed on or before Enrolment Day by a member of the Art and Design Department.

A-level 3D Design and a portfolio of work capable of successful entry to a wide variety of art and design courses. Students wishing to apply to degree courses in architecture, product design, interior-design, model making, craft and jewellery will build a portfolio of work ready to take to interview. Past students have gained direct entry to some of the most prestigious design courses in the country.