History of Art A level (S9688)

3 A Level Programme

Minimum of 66444 at GCSE (Please note : grade 4 may be replaced by an 'old C' grade and grade 6 by 'old' B grade)

Vocational subjects cannot replace GCSEs for entry on to an A Level programme.

You must also study English/Maths GCSE if you have not already achieved grade 4 in these subjects.

4 A level programme

If you achieve a minimum of 3 GCSE's at grade 8 (A*) plus 5 at grade 7 (A) and your English Language and Maths are at minimum grade 4, you will have the option to join the A Plus programme.

Please note that A Plus is designed for applicants to academic courses at Oxford, Cambridge or other Russel Group universities. Grades in vocational subjects cannot replace GCSE's for entry to this programme.

Vocational programmes

Minimum of five grade 4 at GCSE (or old grade C) or Merit/Distinction in a relevant BTEC First Diploma (or equivalent) plus 1 grade 4 (or old grade 4) at GCSE. You must also study English Language and/or Maths GCSE if you have not already achieved grade 4 in these subjects.

Level 2 programme

Minimum of three grade 4 at GCSE (or old Grade C).

This programme is designed for those students who just miss our entry requirements for level 3 study. It includes an opportunity to improve your GCSE English Language and Maths grades, alongside a Workskills course to develop the skills required for progression into employment or onto a level 3 programme.

History of Art is a wonderfully vibrant and open subject that allows you to enjoy, appreciate, analyse and discuss an extraordinarily wide range of aspects of visual culture. This course will allow you to develop an understanding of the relationship between society and art. You will learn art historical terms, concepts and issues while exploring the influence of cultural, social and political factors on what we see. You will also study developments in materials, techniques and processes of both art and architecture across historical periods and cultures.

The course is split into two units. The first, visual analysis and themes, has two main elements that build your skills of visual literacy, developing your knowledge and understanding of key terminology and the ability to analyse and interpret the choices made by artists, sculptors and architects in their work. The second unit focuses on two periods in the history of art from the five possibilities set by the exam board. These include the Italian Renaissance (1420-1520), the Baroque (1597-1685), the British and French Avant-Garde (1848-1899), European Modernism (1900-1939), and Contemporary American British Art (1960-2015).

Trips and visits play an important part in this course with students previously visiting Amsterdam, Barcelona and New York. History of Art is suitable for anyone interested in visual culture.

If you go to galleries, look at art and photography online or just wonder why a small black square painted onto a white canvas can be called art, then History of Art could be for you. It should be emphasized that previous knowledge really isn't important; being excited and inspired by images, however, is crucial.

3 A Level Programme

Minimum of 2 6/B grades and 3 4/C grades at GCSE. Vocational subjects cannot replace GCSEs for entry to an A Level programme.

You must also study English Language and/or Maths GCSE if you have not already achieved a minimum of grade 4/C in these subjects.

A+ Programme

This programme is only available to students who achieve a minimum of 3 GCSEs at grade 8/A* plus 5 at grade 7/A and a minimum of grade 4/C in English Language and Maths.

You can go on to do an undergraduate course which is seen as a strong component of any university or job application. This is mainly because it allows you to develop analytical and conceptual skills, learn attention to detail and how images work and improve the clarity and coherence of your own writing.

Such skills taught in this course will make you highly employable in everything from advertiting to museum work and graphic design to publishing.