Photography (GCSE) 

Exam Board: Edexcel

Course Overview:

You will learn how to use a digital and film camera, create digital and darkroom work, study photographers 

and photographic processes and independently develop pieces surrounding a variety of themes. The course 

is split into 60% coursework and 40% exam and both of these mean you will create a variety of photographic 

pieces.  You will study the work of photographers  and this will be documented both digitally and in a 

sketchbook. 

Course Content:

At Stationers’ Crown Woods Academy we follow both digital and analogue photography as an Art and Design endorsed route for GCSE. During this course, you will be introduced to a wide variety of techniques and processes whilst studying the meaning of different photographers work. The course is structured by working through a series of set class tasks and activities. Completion of these will help you to develop your own ideas and enable you to create your own finished pieces more independently. During the course, you will work on three main projects that begin with basic photography skills and build up to creating personal pieces that express your own style. This is a digital based course that also involves creativity.  

Component 1: Personal Portfolio (coursework)

Component 2: Externally Set Exam (year 11) Students will receive preparatory time before this.

Assessment Structure:

Your teacher will continually assess you throughout the course with work being marked against the exam board criteria.  There are four assessment objectives which are: 

•     Develop

•     Refine

•     Record

•     Realise

Within the assessment objectives, we look for experimentation, documentation, creativity, planning, research and final outcomes. These assessment objectives are continually covered by the type of work that is set in the course. In year 11, students will receive their externally set exam paper and will have ten weeks to prepare their responses in time for the 2 day sustained exam. The exam work is assessed internally and then all work is assessed by a visiting external moderator.

Extra Curricular Opportunities:

During the course you will enjoy organised trips to galleries and exhibitions. You will be able to use the studio, darkroom and Digital Media Centre to create your own work. There will also be opportunities to have your work entered into competitions and to take part in higher education experiences with partnered establishments. Photography enrichments will be held throughout the course and this is an important aspect of the experience.

Career Prospects and Transferable Skills:

Photography is a unique subject that enables us to view the world in which we live differently. It also encourages us to problem solve, be inventive,  expressive and analytical. It can make us challenge ourselves and come out of our comfort zone with regards to our interpretation of topical issues. It makes us more individual and allows us a vehicle through which to express our opinions.

The creative industries are the fastest growing industries in the UK. Students who have studied photography 

can go on to become; photographers in a multitude of fields, filmmakers, people who work in a plethora of 

media industries (the fastest growing segment of the UK economy for over a decade) including illustrators, graphic designers, designers, set designers, film and television, directors, architects, artists, web designers, 

lecturers or teachers, fashion designers, TV Producers and many more. Photography is not only about learning how to take a photo, it is also about digital communication and use of software. Through the study of photography you learn more about the world, its history and its culture. 

Further Information: Hannah McLeod  (Head of Photography) - email: hannah.mcleod@scwa.org.uk