What should I focus on for WJEC A-Level Art and Design?

Start your portfolio early and regularly update your reflective journal to avoid last-minute cramming.

What should I focus on for WJEC A-Level Art and Design? (2)

Select artists whose work genuinely excites you; your engagement will show in your analysis.

What should I focus on for WJEC A-Level Art and Design? (3)

Document every experiment, even failed ones, to demonstrate breadth of exploration.

What should I focus on for WJEC A-Level Art and Design? (4)

Seek feedback from peers and tutors at key stages and record how it shaped your decisions.

What should I focus on for WJEC A-Level Art and Design? (5)

Balance your presentation: ensure your portfolio tells a clear visual story with a logical flow.

What are common mistakes in WJEC A-Level Art and Design?

Students often present superficial artist research without clear analysis of how it influenced their own work.

What are common mistakes in WJEC A-Level Art and Design? (2)

Failure to show progression: jumping from initial idea to final piece without intermediate experimentation.

What are common mistakes in WJEC A-Level Art and Design? (3)

Over-reliance on a single medium or technique without exploring alternatives.

Art and Design

WJEC

A-Level

Specification: WJEC-A-Level-Art-and-Design

This subject will help you develop key knowledge and skills required for exam success.

10

Topics

0

Objectives

16

Exam Tips

13

Pitfalls

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Key Features

Master key concepts
Develop exam technique
Apply knowledge effectively

Assessment Objectives

AO1

25%-30%

Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding

AO2

25%-30%

Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops

AO3

25%-30%

Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress

AO4

25%-30%

Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements

What Gets Top Grades

A*/Grade 9

Knowledge & Understanding

Demonstrates comprehensive and accurate knowledge

Uses correct subject-specific terminology
Shows detailed understanding of concepts
Makes accurate connections between topics
Demonstrates depth beyond surface-level knowledge

Application

Applies knowledge effectively to new contexts

Selects relevant knowledge for the question
Adapts understanding to unfamiliar scenarios
Uses examples appropriately
Shows awareness of context

Analysis & Evaluation

Develops sophisticated analytical arguments

Constructs logical chains of reasoning
Considers multiple perspectives
Weighs evidence to reach justified conclusions
Acknowledges limitations and nuances

Key Command Words

WJEC

State

1 mark

Give a single fact or term

Identify

1 mark

Name, select, or recognise

Outline

2 marks

Set out main features briefly

Describe

2-4 marks

Give an account of what something is like or what happens

Explain

3-6 marks

Give reasons with developed cause→effect chains

Compare

2-4 marks

State similarities AND differences (both required)

Analyse

6-9 marks

Examine in detail showing cause→effect→consequence chains

Evaluate

6-12 marks

Weigh up BOTH sides, reach JUSTIFIED conclusion

Assess

6-12 marks

Make judgments about importance with justification

Calculate

2-4 marks

Show formula→substitution→calculation→answer with units

Common Exam Mistakes

Pitfalls to avoid in your exams

•Students often present superficial artist research without clear analysis of how it influenced their own work.
•Failure to show progression: jumping from initial idea to final piece without intermediate experimentation.
•Over-reliance on a single medium or technique without exploring alternatives.
•Descriptive rather than analytical annotation, lacking genuine critical reflection.
•Poor time management leading to rushed or incomplete final outcomes.
•Failing to integrate the written element with the practical work
•Falling below the 1000-word minimum requirement
•Lack of specialist terminology in the written component

Top Examiner Tips

Expert advice for exam success

•Start your portfolio early and regularly update your reflective journal to avoid last-minute cramming.
•Select artists whose work genuinely excites you; your engagement will show in your analysis.
•Document every experiment, even failed ones, to demonstrate breadth of exploration.
•Seek feedback from peers and tutors at key stages and record how it shaped your decisions.
•Balance your presentation: ensure your portfolio tells a clear visual story with a logical flow.
•Ensure the chosen theme has enough depth to sustain an extended exploratory project.
•Focus on the personal relevance of the subject matter to demonstrate individual engagement.
•Maintain a clear link between the exploratory portfolio work and the final outcomes.

Specification Topics

10 topics

E2E stub topic

This subtopic focuses on the development of a cohesive personal portfolio that demonstrates sustained investigation and exploration of ideas, techniques, and processes. It enables learners to articulate their creative journey, showing how research into artists and contexts informs their own practical outcomes. This component is central to the A-Level assessment, encouraging independence and critical reflection.

E2E stub subtopic

0 objectives5 tips5 pitfalls

: Personal Creative Enquiry

Unit 1: Personal Creative Enquiry is an AS-level component comprising 40% of the qualification. It requires learners to produce an extended, exploratory project, portfolio, and final outcome(s) based on themes and subject matter that are personal and meaningful to the individual.

0 objectives3 tips

: Personal Investigation

Unit 2 Personal Investigation is a major in-depth A2 component consisting of two integrated parts: a practical, critical, and theoretical investigative project with outcomes based on themes of personal significance, and an extended written element of at least 1000 words.

0 objectives4 tips4 pitfalls

: Externally Set Assignment

Unit 3 is an Externally Set Assignment representing 24% of the A-Level qualification. It requires learners to produce a response to a chosen visual or written stimulus, supported by a period of preparatory study and culminating in a 15-hour period of sustained focus.

0 objectives4 tips4 pitfalls