We are pleased to announce that we now offer both Fine Art and Photography at GCSE and A-Level at 3A Tutors. We are excited to add to the wide range of subjects we run at our Bristol exam centre. Here’s everything you need to know about our new courses.
How does the Fine Art or Photography GCSE course with 3A Tutors work?
GCSE Fine Art and GCSE Photography are both taught over an 18–24-month period. A student completing one of these GCSE courses will need to attend one 2-hour face-to-face lesson (in BS40) a week and 2-3 1-hour online lessons a fortnight.
The GCSE is divided into two components;
- A portfolio of practical work showing the student’s personal response to a set starting point, brief, scenario or stimulus; presented in an appropriate format, such as sketchbooks or digital presentations. This component makes up 60% of the total GCSE.
- An externally set task. The student will be given a choice of five themes, each with the choice of written and/or visual starting points or stimuli. From this the student will choose one option for which they will generate an appropriate personal response within a 10-hour supervised period. The student will be given a preparation period, typically around 12 weeks, to conduct research, plan and develop ideas for their response to the theme they have chosen. The student can realise their response through the production of one or more artefact(s)/product(s)/personal outcome(s). This component makes up 40% of the total GCSE.
Both of these components will offer the opportunity to explore different genres of art, for example portraiture and still life, and to demonstrate using a range of techniques and materials. Skills will constantly be developed, with students experimenting with lots of artistic processes. As students progress an increasingly independent and refined technical and conceptual response will be encouraged.
What will completing a Fine Art or Photography A-Level course with 3A Tutors involve?
A-Level Fine Art and A-Level Photography are both taught over an 18–24-month period. A student completing these A-Level courses will need to attend one 2-hour face-to-face lesson (in BS40) a week and 3-4 1-hour online lessons a fortnight.
The A-Level is divided into two components;
1. A personal investigation. This component makes up 60% of the total A-Level. Students produce two elements: –
- A portfolio of practical work, showing their personal response to either a starting point, brief, scenario or stimulus. This portfolio will consist of a sustained project, theme or course of study. It may be presented in appropriate formats for the specialism and area of study chosen.
- A related study. This is an extended response to an idea, issue, concept or theme supported by written material (minimum 1000 words).
2. An externally set task. The student will be given a choice of seven themes, each with a choice of written and/or visual starting points, briefs or stimuli. From this the student will choose one option for which they will generate an appropriate personal response within a 15-hour supervised period. The student will be given a preparation period, typically around 8 weeks, to conduct research, plan and develop ideas for their response to the theme they have chosen. This component makes up 40% of the total A-Level.
Students will be encouraged to develop their artistic and creative responses to a range of subject matter and themes. Learning can be adapted to suit each student’s creative interests and skills. Over the learning period students will be expected to plan, resource and develop projects in an increasingly independent manner, showing that they can work meaningfully with a number of different media to communicate their ideas.
Who will be teaching the art courses? 
All students taking these qualifications at our centre are required to have regular tuition with our Art teacher, Gemma Lane.
Gemma has over 15 years of experience teaching Fine Art and Photography at GCSE and A-Level. She has taught at schools across Bristol, Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire. Gemma has a current DBS check and tutors both children and adults online and face-to-face.
Gemma will tailor the lessons to the student’s interests, making lessons fun and enjoyable, whilst introducing a range of new skills and materials. For further information about Gemma please visit her website Green Fox Workshops.
Which exam board are you using for Fine Art and Photography qualifications?
We will provide the OCR specification for all our art qualifications. Further information can be found here for GCSE and here for A-Level.
Discover more
If you are interested in enrolling for our art courses please Contact Us to find out more.