Art and Design N6 (Higher)

Vale of Leven Academy

The course has two areas of study:

Expressive 100 marks This part of the course helps candidates to plan, research and develop creative expressive work in response to a theme or stimulus. Candidates develop knowledge and understanding of artists’ working practices and the social, cultural and other influences affecting their work and practice. They respond to a theme or stimulus and produce 2D/3D analytical drawings, studies and investigative research. They use these to produce a single line of development and a final piece. Candidates also reflect on and evaluate their creative process and the visual qualities of their work.

The expressive portfolio assesses candidates’ ability to:

• produce relevant and focused analytical drawings, studies and investigative research appropriate to their theme/stimulus and line of development
• produce a single line of focused development showing visual continuity with their investigative research
• demonstrate the refinement of a single idea, leading to a final piece
• creatively and skilfully use appropriate materials, techniques and/or technology in response to their theme/stimulus
• creatively and skilfully use appropriate visual elements and expressive effects in response to their theme/stimulus
• give a justified critical evaluation of the effectiveness of decisions made and the visual qualities of their portfolio with reference to their theme/stimulus

Design 100 marks This part of the course helps candidates to plan, research and develop creative design work in response to a design brief. Candidates develop knowledge and understanding of designers’ working practices and the social, cultural and other influences affecting their work and practice. They respond to a design brief and compile a variety of 2D/3D investigative material and market research. They use these to produce a single line of development and a design solution. Candidates also reflect on and evaluate their design process and the aesthetic and functional qualities of their work.

The design portfolio assesses candidates’ ability to:

• produce and compile relevant and focused investigative material and market research appropriate to their design brief/design area and line of development
• produce a single line of focused development showing visual continuity with their investigative material and market research
• demonstrate the refinement of a single idea, leading to a design solution
• creatively and skilfully use appropriate materials, techniques and/or technology for aesthetic and functional effect in response to their design brief/design area
• creatively and skilfully demonstrate understanding of appropriate design elements in response to their design brief/design area
• give a justified critical evaluation of the effectiveness of decisions made and the aesthetic and functional qualities of their portfolio with reference to their design brief/design area

Question paper 60 marks The question paper assesses candidates’ ability to:

• respond to unseen prompts and images
• demonstrate knowledge of works by significant artists and designers from any time period
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding in a minimum of two art and two design areas
• analyse and explain how artists and designers use materials, techniques and/or technology in their work
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of visual and design elements using appropriate art and design terminology
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of social, cultural, and/or other influences and how they impact on the work and practice of a single artist and a single designer (see following list)
• A wide range of external influences affects the work and practice of artists and designers. The term ‘social and cultural influences’ may be interpreted broadly, and includes (but is not limited to):
• living conditions, including economic conditions
• social and cultural expectations
• influence of family and community
• influence of other artists/art movements
• exposure to different cultures
• physical environment and geography
• new and emerging technology
• politics
• gender
• religion and belief
• national and world events
• developments in other fields, for example science, literature
• personal circumstances
• health and wellbeing

Course assessment is based on the information provided in this document. The course assessment meets the key purposes and aims of the course by addressing:

• breadth — drawing on knowledge and skills from across the course
• challenge — requiring greater depth or extension of knowledge and/or skills
• application — requiring application of knowledge and/or skills in practical or theoretical contexts as appropriate This enables candidates to:
• demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of art and design practice in an extended-response format in a question paper
• produce a portfolio of expressive artwork with a selection of relevant 2D/3D analytical drawings, studies and investigative research, and showing the development of one idea leading to an expressive final piece
• produce a portfolio of design work with a selection of relevant 2D/3D investigative material and market research, and showing the development of one idea leading to a design solution

The question paper assesses candidates’ knowledge and understanding of the work and practice of artists and designers, and how social and cultural contexts impact on art and design works.

The question paper has a total mark allocation of 60 marks. This is 23% of the overall marks for the course assessment. The question paper has two sections.

Section 1: Expressive art studies This section has 30 marks. It contains six extended-response questions: one mandatory and five optional. In this section, candidates answer three questions in total: the mandatory question and two of the five optional questions.

Section 2: Design studies This section has 30 marks. It contains six extended-response questions: one mandatory and five optional. In this section, candidates answer three questions in total: the mandatory question and two of the five optional questions.