What endorsed titles does WJEC Art and Design offer, and what does each expect?
WJEC Art and Design is offered across endorsed titles, including Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Textile Design, Three-Dimensional Design and Photography, plus the broad Art, Craft and Design, which share the same assessment but set the focus of practice.
The endorsed titles of WJEC Art and Design: Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Textile Design, Three-Dimensional Design and Photography, plus the broad Art, Craft and Design. They share the same four objectives, units and marks, but set the focus and breadth of practice expected.
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What this dot point is asking
WJEC Art and Design is offered as a set of endorsed titles: Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Textile Design, Three-Dimensional Design, Photography, and the broad Art, Craft and Design. The title labels the focus of a candidate's practice but does not change the assessment. This dot point sets out the titles, what each expects, and how to choose, so you take the title that fits your strengths.
What an endorsement is
An endorsed title is the named version of the qualification that a candidate's work is certificated under. The course content, objectives, units and marks are common to all titles; the endorsement simply records the area of practice the candidate has specialised in (or, for the broad title, that they have worked across areas).
The specialist titles
The specialist titles each focus on a discipline and its media, processes and conventions.
- Fine Art. Drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, mixed media and lens-based work used for personal, expressive or conceptual ends.
- Graphic Communication. Visual communication: illustration, typography, layout, branding, advertising and digital design that communicates a message.
- Textile Design. Constructed, printed, dyed, stitched and surface textiles, exploring materials, pattern and surface.
- Three-Dimensional Design. Form in three dimensions: sculpture, ceramics, product, architectural or environmental design and construction.
- Photography. Lens- and light-based media: photographic recording, manipulation, moving image and the conventions of the photographic image.
Each specialist title expects depth in its field, although candidates may still draw on other media where it serves the work.
The broad title: Art, Craft and Design
Art, Craft and Design is the broad endorsement. It expects the candidate to work across more than one discipline, sampling a range of approaches rather than specialising. It suits candidates who want to keep their practice wide and combine areas.
How to choose a title
Because the objectives, units, marks and standard are identical, the choice of title is about fit, not difficulty. A candidate with a strong, focused direction in one discipline chooses the matching specialist title; a candidate who wants to range across disciplines chooses Art, Craft and Design. The title should match the work the candidate actually wants to make.
Try this
Q1. Name four endorsed titles and state whether the title changes the assessment. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Any four of Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Textile Design, Three-Dimensional Design, Photography (plus the broad Art, Craft and Design); the title does not change the assessment, which uses the same four objectives, three units and marks across all titles.
Q2. Explain the difference between a specialist title and Art, Craft and Design, and how a candidate should choose. [Short explanation]
- Cue. A specialist title (such as Photography or Fine Art) expects depth in one discipline, while Art, Craft and Design expects work across more than one discipline; because the objectives, units, marks and standard are identical, the choice is about fit, a focused candidate takes the matching specialist title and a candidate wanting breadth takes Art, Craft and Design.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC specification6 marksName four endorsed titles of WJEC Art and Design and state whether the title changes how the course is assessed.Show worked answer →
A recall task. Award marks for the titles and the assessment point.
Four endorsed titles (any four): Fine Art; Graphic Communication; Textile Design; Three-Dimensional Design; Photography. There is also the broad title Art, Craft and Design.
The title does not change the assessment. All titles share the same four assessment objectives, the same three units and the same marks. What the title changes is the focus and breadth of practice expected: a specialist title (such as Photography) expects depth in that field, while Art, Craft and Design expects work across more than one discipline.
A strong answer notes that a candidate's submission is endorsed with the title that matches their practice, and that the choice should fit the candidate's strengths and interests because the objectives and standard are identical across titles.
WJEC endorsements8 marksExplain the difference between a specialist endorsed title and the broad Art, Craft and Design title, and how a candidate should choose.Show worked answer →
An explanation task rewarding understanding of the endorsement structure.
Specialist titles. Titles such as Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Textile Design, Three-Dimensional Design and Photography expect the candidate to work with depth in that discipline, using the media, processes and conventions of the field, even though the candidate may still draw on others.
The broad title. Art, Craft and Design expects breadth: the candidate works across more than one discipline, sampling a range of approaches rather than specialising in one. It suits candidates who want to keep their practice wide.
How to choose. The objectives, units and marks are identical across all titles, so the choice is about fit. A candidate with a strong, focused direction in one field chooses the matching specialist title; a candidate who wants to range across disciplines chooses Art, Craft and Design. A top answer stresses that the standard is the same: the title labels the practice, it does not make the course easier or harder.
Related dot points
- WJEC requires learners to include evidence of working with processes and media associated with more than one title, with the final resolution drawn from a single endorsed title or a combination of disciplines.
The WJEC requirement that learners evidence working with processes and media associated with more than one title, while the final resolution may be drawn from a single endorsed title or a combination of disciplines, and how this breadth requirement is met in practice.
- WJEC A-Level Art and Design (Wales) is a unitised, portfolio-only qualification of three non-exam units: AS Unit 1 Personal Creative Enquiry (40 percent), A2 Unit 2 Personal Investigation (36 percent) and A2 Unit 3 Externally Set Assignment (24 percent), all judged against four equally weighted assessment objectives.
How WJEC A-Level Art and Design (Wales) is built: a unitised, portfolio-only qualification with three non-exam units (AS Unit 1 Personal Creative Enquiry 40 percent, A2 Unit 2 Personal Investigation 36 percent, A2 Unit 3 Externally Set Assignment 24 percent), all marked against four equally weighted assessment objectives, with no written exam.
- Each unit is marked against the four equally weighted assessment objectives using mark bands, internally assessed by the centre and externally moderated by WJEC, with weighted unit marks combining into the A* to E grade.
How marking works in WJEC A-Level Art and Design: each unit is judged against the four equally weighted objectives using mark bands, internally assessed by the centre and externally moderated by WJEC, with the weighted unit marks combining into the overall A* to E grade.
- A2 Unit 2 Personal Investigation is a sustained, candidate-led practical project on a self-chosen theme worth 36 percent and 160 marks, including an extended written element of 1000 to 3000 words, assessed against all four objectives.
What the WJEC A2 Unit 2 Personal Investigation requires: a sustained, candidate-led practical project on a self-chosen theme worth 36 percent and 160 marks, including an extended written element of 1000 to 3000 words of continuous prose, assessed against all four equally weighted objectives.
- AO2 requires experimenting with and selecting appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.
What AO2 of WJEC A-Level Art and Design requires: experimenting with and selecting appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, and reviewing and refining ideas as work develops, with guidance on how to evidence it across the units.
- AO4 requires presenting a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language, drawing together the investigation, experimentation and recording.
What AO4 of WJEC A-Level Art and Design requires: presenting a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language, drawing together the investigation, experimentation and recording, with guidance on how to evidence it.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCE AS/A Level Art and Design specification (from 2015) — WJEC (2015)
- GCE AS and A level subject content for art and design — Welsh Government / Ofqual (2015)