What is the Personal Investigation, how is it structured, and what does a strong one look like?
Component 1 the Personal Investigation: a sustained, independent practical portfolio on a self-chosen theme integrated with a personal study, worth 120 marks and 60 percent, assessed against all four objectives.
What the Eduqas Personal Investigation (Component 1) requires: a sustained, independent practical portfolio on a self-chosen theme integrated with a personal study of at least 1000 words, worth 120 marks and 60 percent, assessed against all four objectives.
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What this dot point is asking
The Personal Investigation is Component 1 of Eduqas A-Level Art and Design, worth 120 marks and 60 percent, and it is the major piece of the course. It is a sustained, independent practical project on a theme you choose, integrated with a personal study of at least 1000 words. This dot point sets out what the component is, how it is structured, and what a strong one looks like, so you can plan a project that evidences all four objectives.
What the Personal Investigation is
The Personal Investigation is the heart of the qualification: a substantial, self-directed project that you develop over an extended period. Unlike a set assignment, you choose the theme and drive the enquiry, so the work shows independence and personal investment. It is both practical and written, because the personal study is part of it, and it is judged against all four assessment objectives.
The two integrated elements
The component has two parts that should connect, not run in parallel.
Choosing a theme
Because the investigation is student-led, the choice of theme matters. A strong theme is personal (it genuinely interests you, so the investment shows), rich enough to sustain a long project (it has many avenues to explore), and open to both practical development and contextual study (artists and ideas connect to it). Themes such as decay, identity, memory, the urban environment, fragility or transformation work because they are broad, personal and connect to a wealth of artists and approaches.
What a strong investigation looks like
A top-band Personal Investigation has four features. It shows a clear, personal theme and a focused line of enquiry that develops and deepens across the project (not a set of disconnected pieces). It evidences all four objectives evenly, because they are equally weighted. It demonstrates genuine independence, the decisions are the candidate's own. And its personal study integrates with the practical work, so the written and practical elements illuminate each other. Planning for these four features from the start is the surest route to the top bands.
Try this
Q1. State the two integrated elements of the Personal Investigation and the word minimum for the written one. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. A practical portfolio (the body of practical work) and a personal study of at least 1000 words of continuous critical writing exploring the contextual sources of the practical work, illustrated and with a bibliography.
Q2. Explain why the Personal Investigation must be student-led and sustained. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Student-led means you choose the theme and drive the enquiry, so the work shows independence and personal investment; sustained means it develops and deepens over time, which is what lets it evidence all four objectives at depth rather than producing a few disconnected pieces.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas specification6 marksState what the Personal Investigation comprises, its marks and weighting, and the two linked elements it must contain.Show worked answer →
A recall task. Award marks for the structure, figures and the two elements.
The Personal Investigation (Component 1) is a sustained, independent practical project on a theme the candidate chooses. It is worth 120 marks and 60 percent of the A-Level.
It has two linked elements: a practical portfolio (the body of investigative and resolved work) and a personal study, a piece of continuous critical writing of at least 1000 words that explores the contextual sources behind the practical work, illustrated and supported by a bibliography.
A strong answer notes that the component is assessed against all four objectives (AO1 to AO4), internally marked and externally moderated, and that the written and practical elements should be integrated.
Eduqas Fine Art Personal Investigation8 marksExplain why the Personal Investigation must be student-led and sustained, and how that shapes a strong portfolio.Show worked answer →
An explanation task rewarding understanding of the component's nature.
Student-led. The candidate chooses the theme and drives the enquiry, so the work shows independence and personal investment. A teacher-set, uniform task does not meet the spirit of a Personal Investigation.
Sustained. The project develops over an extended period, deepening rather than producing a few disconnected pieces, which is what lets it evidence all four objectives at depth.
How it shapes a strong portfolio. A strong portfolio shows a clear personal theme, a focused line of enquiry that develops across the project, even evidence of all four objectives, and a personal study genuinely integrated with the practical work. A top answer links independence and sustained development to the balanced coverage of AO1 to AO4 that the marks reward.
Related dot points
- The structure of Eduqas A-Level Art and Design: a linear, portfolio-assessed course with no written exam, offered as endorsed titles (Art Craft and Design, Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Textile Design, Three-Dimensional Design, Photography, Critical and Contextual Studies), assessed by two components against four objectives.
How Eduqas A-Level Art and Design is structured: a linear, portfolio-assessed course with no written exam, offered as endorsed titles and assessed by two components (Personal Investigation 60 percent, Externally Set Assignment 40 percent) against four objectives.
- The personal study: the written element of the Personal Investigation, a piece of continuous critical prose of at least 1000 words, illustrated and referenced, integrated with the practical portfolio and assessed against all four objectives.
What the Eduqas personal study requires: the written element of the Personal Investigation, a piece of continuous critical prose of at least 1000 words, illustrated and referenced, integrated with the practical portfolio and assessed against all four objectives.
- Building a line of enquiry: narrowing a broad theme into a focused, personal question; sustaining a connected thread of development from starting point to outcome; making the enquiry visible to a moderator.
How to build a line of enquiry in Eduqas Art and Design: narrowing a broad theme into a focused, personal question, sustaining a connected thread of development from starting point to outcome, and making the enquiry visible to a moderator.
- Resolving a final outcome: planning and producing a resolved response that realises intentions; drawing the development together; the final piece as the culmination of the line of enquiry (in both components).
How to resolve a final outcome in Eduqas Art and Design: planning and producing a resolved response that realises intentions, drawing the development together, and making the final piece the culmination of the line of enquiry in both components.
- AO1: develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
How to satisfy Eduqas A-Level Art and Design AO1: develop ideas through sustained and focused investigation, draw on contextual and other sources, and demonstrate analytical and critical understanding across the Personal Investigation and Externally Set Assignment.
- Writing the personal study: planning a clear argument; structuring continuous prose (introduction, developed analysis, conclusion); integrating illustrations and quotations; an academic critical voice connected to the practical work.
How to plan and write the Eduqas personal study: building a clear argument, structuring continuous prose, integrating illustrations and quotations, and writing in an academic critical voice that connects to the practical work.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCE A Level Art and Design specification — Eduqas (2015)
- GCE AS and A level subject content for art and design — Department for Education (2015)