WJEC A-Level Art and Design the three units: a complete overview of the Personal Creative Enquiry, Personal Investigation and Externally Set Assignment

What this module covers

WJEC A-Level Art and Design (Wales) is assessed by three non-exam units, all portfolios, with no written exam. This overview ties the four dot-point pages of the module together: the course-and-assessment structure, and an overview of each of the three units. Understanding the units is the foundation for planning a two-year course that earns marks across all four objectives.

The shape of the qualification

The A level is built from three units assessed entirely by portfolio. The course is unitised, with one AS unit and two A2 units. Everything is judged against four equally weighted assessment objectives (AO1 develop, AO2 explore and refine, AO3 record, AO4 present), and the qualification is offered across endorsed titles (Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Textile Design, Three-Dimensional Design, Photography, and the broad Art, Craft and Design) that share the same assessment.

The WJEC weightings are distinctive: the AS unit carries the largest single share of the A level. Quote them precisely.

AS Unit 1: Personal Creative Enquiry (40 percent)

The Personal Creative Enquiry is the AS-year project and the largest single contributor to the A level. It is a broad, exploratory project on a personally meaningful theme that integrates three strands: critical (analysing sources and artists), practical (making, experimenting and recording) and theoretical (the ideas behind the work). Its purpose is breadth, a wide foundation across the visual arts before A2 narrows into specialism. It is the whole of the standalone AS and counts 40 percent towards the A level.

A2 Unit 2: Personal Investigation (36 percent)

The Personal Investigation is the major candidate-led A2 project, worth 36 percent and 160 marks. It is a sustained practical project on a self-chosen theme, including an extended written element of continuous prose, between 1000 and 3000 words, that explores the contextual sources behind the practical work and is integrated with it. A2 expects greater specialism than the broad AS enquiry, and the strongest investigations show a focused line of enquiry that develops across the project with the writing and making sharing one concern.

A2 Unit 3: Externally Set Assignment (24 percent)

The Externally Set Assignment is the final unit, worth 24 percent and 100 marks. WJEC releases a paper of broad starting points, and you respond to one in two phases.

• The preparatory period carries AO1, AO2 and AO3: you investigate sources, experiment with media and record first-hand, arriving at a resolved plan.
• The 15 hours of sustained focus under supervised conditions carry AO4: you make the final outcome, working from preparatory work that is fixed once the supervised time begins.

Preparatory and supervised work are marked together, so the quality of the outcome depends on thorough preparation, because the supervised time is for making, not deciding.

How the marks sit across the units

Every unit is marked against all four equally weighted objectives, internally assessed by the centre and externally moderated by WJEC. The weighted unit marks combine into the overall grade, A* to E. Written analysis still earns marks, especially in the extended written element of Unit 2, but as part of the portfolio rather than as a separate paper.

Check your knowledge

1. Name the three units with their stages and weightings towards the A level. (3 marks)
2. What is the extended written element of Unit 2, and how long is it? (2 marks)
3. What are the two phases of the Externally Set Assignment, and which objectives does each carry? (2 marks)
4. How long is the supervised period in Unit 3, and what is the main rule about the preparatory work during it? (2 marks)
5. Is there a written exam in WJEC Art and Design? (1 mark)