A Level Fine Art

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 Fine Art programme is exciting and challenging, encouraging experimentation and self-expression in a wide variety of media. Students are offered support through individual feedback and tutorials.

At AS we teach a broad range of skills through a series of projects where you are encouraged to experiment and develop ideas by reviewing and refining your practice through informed research. As a result, you will begin to develop your own individual style.

At A2 you develop a sustained body of work on your chosen personal theme supported by 1000–3000 word dissertation.

The course covers both traditional and non-traditional skills with exploration in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and installation, digital and alternative media. Fine Art is housed in a new studio enhanced by vast natural light, with spacious areas to work. The art room is equipped with computers offering students the opportunity to use Adobe Photoshop and other creative software.

At AS level you will learn the basic skills of drawing, painting, manipulating materials through the use of collage, relief, sculpture and colour. You will have the opportunity to write an independent project derived from a theme and learn to develop a focused study influenced by contemporary and historical references.

In the second year at A-level the skills learnt at AS level are built on and extended using processes and techniques of your choice. The second year finishes with an exhibition showcasing student work.

All work undertaken for the 2 components of each year of the course is practical. There are no formal theory exams, but simply a final outcome made under timed exam conditions at the end of each year.

Exam - 12.5%

Coursework - 87.5%

Grade C or above in GCSE Art. An average GCSE score of 5.00 or above. Students who have not taken GCSE Art will be considered but will need to show evidence of artistic and creative ability by submitting a portfolio of drawings or paintings and be interviewed on or before Enrolment Day by a member of the Art & Design team.

Students ­find this subject a creative complement to other subjects. Some use it as a stepping stone to a Foundation Course in Art and Design or as a direct route to a degree course in subjects such as Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, 3D Design, Fashion and Textiles, Photography, Film Animation or Architecture.