What makes a strong A-Level sketchbook, and how does it carry the assessment objectives?
Keeping a sketchbook: using the sketchbook as the working record where recording, experimentation, research and development are evidenced and annotated.
An Edexcel A-Level Art and Design guide to keeping a sketchbook. Explains why the sketchbook is where AO1, AO2 and AO3 are evidenced, how to balance recording, experimentation and research, how to annotate so a marker can follow your thinking, and how to use the sketchbook to drive a project forward.
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What this dot point is asking
The sketchbook is the heart of an Art and Design A-level. It is not a place to keep finished pictures; it is the working record where you record, experiment, research and develop, and it is where three of the four assessment objectives are evidenced. This dot point is about using the sketchbook as the engine of a project and annotating it so a marker can follow your thinking.
The answer
The sketchbook holds three objectives
Because the objectives reward the journey, a sketchbook that shows working, including false starts and dead ends, scores better than one that only shows successes.
Weave, do not block
- Let pages lead somewhere: end each with a decision or a question that the next page answers.
- Mix media, scale and approach so the sketchbook feels like active thinking, not a template.
Annotation makes thinking visible
The marker cannot read your mind, only your pages. Annotation is how you show the reasoning behind the marks. Good annotation does three things:
- Explains decisions: why you chose a medium, artist or composition.
- Reflects on outcomes: what worked, what failed, what you learned.
- Connects pages: how this leads to the next development.
Annotation should be specific and analytical, not a diary. "Today I painted a flower" adds nothing; "the wet-in-wet kept the petals soft, which suits the fragile feeling, so I will use it for the final piece" adds AO1 and AO2 evidence.
The sketchbook drives the project
The best test of a sketchbook is whether it drives the project. Could a reader follow your thinking from theme to outcome through the pages alone? If each page advances the enquiry, the sketchbook is doing its job. If pages are tidy but disconnected, the project will feel thin however attractive the outcomes.
Examples in context
A model sketchbook spread would combine an observed study, an analytical artist note, a media experiment and a developing idea, all annotated and linked, so the page clearly advances the project.
Try this
Q1. Describe how you would use your sketchbook across one project so that it evidences AO1, AO2 and AO3, and explain how annotation supports the marks. [16 marks]
- What the marker wants. Recording, experimentation and research woven together, each page leading to the next, specific analytical annotation that explains decisions and reflects on outcomes, and a clear sense that the sketchbook drives the project from theme to outcome.
Q2. Which three assessment objectives are mainly evidenced in the sketchbook, and which is usually not? [4 marks]
- Cue. AO1 (research and development), AO2 (experimentation) and AO3 (recording) live in the sketchbook; AO4 (the resolved outcome) usually sits outside it.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Edexcel 9AD0 portfolio task16 marksDescribe how you would use your sketchbook across a single project so that it evidences AO1, AO2 and AO3, and explain how annotation supports the marks.Show worked answer →
The task rewards understanding that the sketchbook is the main vehicle for three of the four assessment objectives.
Map the objectives. Recording from observation (AO3), media and technique experiments (AO2), and artist research with idea development (AO1) all belong in the sketchbook, woven together rather than separated into blocks.
Annotate to make thinking visible. Notes should explain decisions ("I tried monoprint here because..."), reflect on outcomes ("this worked but lost detail"), and connect pages ("this leads to..."). Annotation is how the marker reads the thinking behind the marks.
Strong work shows a sketchbook that drives the project, with each page leading somewhere, rather than a scrapbook of finished-looking pieces.
Edexcel 9AD0 critical-analysis prompt10 marksExplain the difference between a sketchbook that 'drives a project' and one that is a 'scrapbook of finished pieces', and why the first scores better.Show worked answer →
A question testing understanding of how sketchbooks are assessed.
A driving sketchbook shows process: rough trials, decisions, failures, reflections and developments where each page leads to the next. This evidences AO1, AO2 and AO3 directly.
A scrapbook of finished pieces shows only outcomes, hiding the thinking. It cannot demonstrate development, experimentation or reflection, so the marker has little to credit beyond AO4.
A strong answer explains that the objectives reward the journey, so visible, annotated process scores better than a collection of polished but disconnected results.
Related dot points
- Observational drawing: drawing accurately from first-hand observation using measuring, sighting, negative space, and a range of timed and tonal studies.
An Edexcel A-Level Art and Design guide to observational drawing. Explains how to draw accurately from first-hand observation using sighting and measuring, comparing angles and proportions, drawing negative space, and using gesture, contour and tonal studies to build the core recording skill (AO3).
- Perspective and proportion: linear perspective (one, two and three point), the horizon and vanishing points, foreshortening, and proportional systems for the figure and objects.
An Edexcel A-Level Art and Design guide to perspective and proportion. Explains one, two and three point linear perspective, the horizon line and vanishing points, atmospheric perspective, foreshortening, and proportional systems for drawing the figure and objects accurately.
- Recording from primary and secondary sources: gathering first-hand (primary) material and selecting secondary sources, and combining them to build a personal visual resource.
An Edexcel A-Level Art and Design guide to recording from primary and secondary sources. Explains the difference between first-hand (primary) and secondary sources, why primary recording is valued, how to gather your own photographs, drawings and objects, and how to select and combine secondary sources responsibly.
- AO1: develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
An Edexcel A-Level Art and Design guide to AO1, developing ideas through investigation informed by contextual and other sources. Explains what sustained investigation means, how artist research and contextual study drive idea development, what analytical and critical understanding looks like, and how to evidence AO1 across the portfolio and the Externally Set Assignment.
- AO3: record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions as work progresses, reflecting critically, including through drawing.
An Edexcel A-Level Art and Design guide to AO3, recording ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, including through drawing. Explains what recording means beyond drawing, why first-hand observation matters, how critical reflection is evidenced, and how AO3 underpins the rest of the portfolio.
Sources & how we know this
- Pearson Edexcel A-Level Art and Design (9AD0) specification — Pearson Edexcel (2015)