What are the six endorsed titles of AQA GCSE Art and Design, and what disciplines does each cover?
The six endorsed titles (8201-8206): Art craft and design, Fine art, Graphic communication, Textile design, Three-dimensional design and Photography, and the disciplines or areas of study within each.
How AQA GCSE Art and Design is offered as six endorsed titles (8201 to 8206), what disciplines each title covers, the rule that Art craft and design must draw on at least two areas of study, and how the title shapes a portfolio.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA GCSE Art and Design is not a single course but a family of six endorsed titles, each with its own specification code from 8201 to 8206. A student is entered for one title, and that choice decides the disciplines, media and conventions their work is expected to use. Knowing the titles and what each covers tells you which area of study you are working in, and it explains why the four assessment objectives stay the same no matter which title you take.
The six endorsed titles
Each title endorses a discipline area. The objectives are common to all; the title sets the field you work in.
The five specialist titles and their disciplines
Each specialist title lists areas of study (disciplines) AQA gives as examples of what work in that title can explore.
- Fine art (8202). Drawing, painting, mixed media, sculpture, land art, installation, lens-based and light-based media, and printmaking. Fine art is concerned with personal visual ideas and expression, exploring an idea, conveying an experience or responding to a theme.
- Graphic communication (8203). Illustration, advertising, packaging, design for print, communication graphics, branding, multimedia, motion graphics, web design and typography. Graphic communication is design-based: it responds to a specific need, brief or starting point with requirements and constraints.
- Textile design (8204). Art textiles, fashion design and illustration, costume design, constructed textiles, printed and dyed textiles, surface pattern, stitched or embellished textiles, and soft furnishings or textiles for interiors.
- Three-dimensional design (8205). Architectural design, sculpture, ceramics, product design, jewellery and body adornment, interior design, environmental or spatial or exhibition design, design for theatre, television and film, and 3D digital design.
- Photography (8206). Portraiture, landscape photography, still life, documentary photography, photojournalism, fashion photography, experimental imagery, multimedia, photographic installation, and moving image (film, video and animation).
Art craft and design: the broad title
Art craft and design (8201) is the widest of the six and works differently from the specialist titles.
AQA also distinguishes three broad modes that can inform any title. Art is personal work and lines of enquiry that explore an idea, convey an experience or respond to a theme. Craft is making that draws on tools, materials and processes with the associated practical skills. Design is a response to a specific need, brief or starting point that takes account of requirements and constraints. These modes describe the kind of thinking behind the work; the title fixes the discipline.
Why the title matters but the objectives do not change
The most common confusion is thinking different titles are marked differently. They are not. AQA uses one set of four assessment objectives and one marking model across all six titles. What the title changes is the field of practice, the media expected and the conventions a moderator looks for. A Graphic communication outcome answering a brief and a Fine art outcome expressing a personal theme are judged on the same AO4 wording, but they look very different because their disciplines differ.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 202310 marksOutline the six endorsed titles of AQA GCSE Art and Design and explain how the title a student is entered for shapes the work they produce.Show worked answer →
An outline needs the six titles, their codes and the effect of the title on the work.
- The six titles
- AQA offers Art craft and design (8201), Fine art (8202), Graphic communication (8203), Textile design (8204), Three-dimensional design (8205) and Photography (8206). A student is entered for one of these.
- What the title decides
- The four assessment objectives are identical across all six, so the title does not change how the work is marked. It changes the disciplines, media and conventions the work is expected to use. A Photography portfolio works through lens-based and light-based media; a Textile design portfolio works through fabric, fibre and surface processes; a Graphic communication portfolio responds to a brief or need.
- The broad title
- Art craft and design (8201) is deliberately the widest. A student taking it must draw on at least two of the other areas of study, so it suits candidates combining, for example, painting with printmaking and ceramics.
Markers reward the six named titles with codes, the point that the objectives are common to all, and the explanation that the title fixes the disciplines and conventions rather than the marking.
AQA 20226 marksExplain the special requirement that applies to the Art craft and design title (8201) and why it differs from the five specialist titles.Show worked answer →
A short explanation needs the at least two areas rule and the reason it exists.
The requirement. Art craft and design (8201) requires the student to explore and create work drawn from at least two of the other five areas of study: fine art, graphic communication, textile design, three-dimensional design and photography.
Why it differs. The five specialist titles endorse a single discipline area, so a Fine art student can work entirely in fine art media. Art craft and design is the broad, combined title; its identity is breadth, so AQA sets a minimum spread of at least two areas to make sure the work genuinely ranges across disciplines rather than sitting in one.
Markers reward the at least two areas of study rule and the contrast with the single-discipline specialist titles.
Related dot points
- The marking model: each component marked out of 96, the four objectives weighted equally at 24 marks each, the band structure, internal marking and external moderation by AQA.
How AQA GCSE Art and Design is marked: each component scored out of 96 with the four assessment objectives weighted equally at 24 marks each, the band structure for each objective, and the process of internal marking and external moderation by AQA.
- Building the Component 1 portfolio: a sustained body of work covering all four assessment objectives, worth 60% of the GCSE, internally marked and externally moderated.
How AQA GCSE Art and Design Component 1, the portfolio, works: a sustained body of work worth 60% covering all four assessment objectives, and how to build, balance and present it well.
- The Component 2 Externally Set Assignment: responding to an AQA theme with a preparatory period and a 10-hour supervised exam, worth 40% of the GCSE.
How AQA GCSE Art and Design Component 2, the Externally Set Assignment, works: responding to an AQA-set theme through a preparatory period and a 10-hour supervised exam, worth 40% and marked on all four objectives.
- AO2: refining ideas through experimenting and selecting appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes, and reviewing as work develops.
How to satisfy AQA GCSE Art and Design Assessment Objective 2: refine ideas by experimenting with and selecting appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes, and review choices as the work develops.
- Drawing and painting fundamentals: observational drawing, tone, line, mark-making, colour mixing and paint handling as core transferable skills.
How to build core drawing and painting skills for AQA GCSE Art and Design: observational drawing, tone, line, mark-making, colour mixing and paint handling that support recording, experimenting and final outcomes.
- Photography fundamentals: composition, light, viewpoint and simple editing, using photography as both a primary recording tool and a creative medium.
How to use photography for AQA GCSE Art and Design: composition, light, viewpoint and simple editing, treating photography as both a primary recording tool for AO3 and a creative medium for AO2.
Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Art and Design 8201 specification: subject content — AQA (2016)
- AQA GCSE Art and Design 8206 specification: subject content — AQA (2016)