How is Eduqas A-Level Art and Design structured, and what are the endorsed titles?
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.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas A-Level Art and Design is a linear, portfolio-assessed course with no written exam, offered as several endorsed titles and assessed by two components against four objectives. This dot point sets out how the whole qualification is built: the assessment model, the titles, the components and the objectives, so you understand the framework every other page sits inside before you plan your work.
A linear, portfolio-assessed course
Eduqas A-Level Art and Design is a two-year linear qualification: you are assessed at the end of the course, not in modular units along the way. Crucially, it has no written exam paper. Your grade comes entirely from the work you make and how you present your development, judged against the four assessment objectives. Centres mark the work internally using the Eduqas grid, and Eduqas externally moderates a sample to confirm the standard.
The endorsed titles
Art and Design is offered as several endorsed titles. They all share the same four objectives, the same two-component structure and the same marks, but each focuses on a different field of practice. Your centre enters you for one title.
The two components
The whole grade comes from two components, both portfolio-based.
- Component 1, the Personal Investigation (60 percent). A sustained, independent practical project on a theme you choose, integrated with a personal study of continuous prose of at least 1000 words. It is the larger component.
- Component 2, the Externally Set Assignment (40 percent). A response to a paper of starting points released by Eduqas, with a preparatory period and a final outcome made in 15 hours of supervised time.
Both are judged against all four objectives, so the same skills (investigation, experimentation, recording, resolution) are rewarded in each.
The four assessment objectives in brief
Everything is marked against four equally weighted objectives, each 25 percent: AO1 develop ideas through investigation, AO2 explore and refine media, AO3 record observations, and AO4 present a personal response. They are the marking scheme for both components, which is why the rest of the course is organised around evidencing them.
Try this
Q1. State the two components of Eduqas A-Level Art and Design with their weightings, and say whether there is a written exam. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Component 1 the Personal Investigation (120 marks, 60 percent) and Component 2 the Externally Set Assignment (80 marks, 40 percent); there is no written exam, the only timed element is the 15-hour supervised period for Component 2.
Q2. Explain how a candidate taking Art, Craft and Design differs from one taking Fine Art. [Short explanation]
- Cue. The objectives, marks and structure are identical; Art, Craft and Design is the broad title requiring practice from more than one discipline, whereas Fine Art is a single specialism (drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, lens-based media as fine art) studied with depth.
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 how Eduqas A-Level Art and Design is assessed, name its two components with their weightings, and say whether there is a written exam.Show worked answer →
A recall task. Award marks for the assessment method, the two components with weightings, and the absence of a written exam.
Eduqas A-Level Art and Design is assessed entirely by portfolio coursework, internally marked by the centre and externally moderated by Eduqas. There is no sit-down written exam.
The two components are Component 1, the Personal Investigation, worth 120 marks and 60 percent, and Component 2, the Externally Set Assignment, worth 80 marks and 40 percent.
A strong answer adds that both components are judged against all four assessment objectives, and that the only timed, supervised element is the 15 hours for the Externally Set Assignment.
Eduqas Art, Craft and Design8 marksExplain what the endorsed titles in Eduqas Art and Design are and how a candidate choosing Fine Art differs from one choosing Art, Craft and Design.Show worked answer →
An explanation task rewarding understanding of how titles shape a course.
The endorsed titles. Eduqas offers the subject as several titles that share the same four objectives and two-component structure but focus on different specialist practices: Art, Craft and Design, Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Textile Design, Three-Dimensional Design, Photography, and Critical and Contextual Studies. A centre enters a candidate for one title.
Fine Art. A Fine Art candidate works within a defined specialism (drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, lens-based media used as fine art) and is expected to show depth in that field.
Art, Craft and Design. The broad title requires evidence drawn from more than one discipline, so the candidate combines practices (for example fine art with graphics or three-dimensional work) rather than staying in one.
A strong answer notes that the objectives and marks are identical across titles, so the difference is the breadth and focus of practice the title expects, not the assessment.
Related dot points
- 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.
- Component 2 the Externally Set Assignment: a response to an Eduqas-set paper of starting points, with a preparatory period followed by a 15-hour supervised final outcome, worth 80 marks and 40 percent, assessed against all four objectives.
What the Eduqas Externally Set Assignment (Component 2) requires: a response to an Eduqas-set paper of starting points, with a preparatory period and a 15-hour supervised final outcome, worth 80 marks and 40 percent, assessed against all four objectives.
- How the marks and bands work: the four objectives equally weighted at 25 percent, the marks per component, the performance band grid, and how internal marking and external moderation produce the grade.
How Eduqas Art and Design is graded: the four objectives equally weighted at 25 percent, 30 marks each in the Personal Investigation and 20 each in the Externally Set Assignment, the performance band grid, and internal marking with external moderation.
- 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.
- 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.
- Analysing an artwork: a framework for critical analysis (form, process, content, context, meaning, judgement); moving from description to analysis; analysing how the formal elements make meaning.
How to analyse an artwork critically in Eduqas Art and Design: a framework of form, process, content, context, meaning and judgement, moving from description to analysis, and analysing how the formal elements make meaning.
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)