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WalesVisual Arts

The three units

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How is WJEC A-Level Art and Design structured, and how is the grade built from its three non-exam units?

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.
13 min answer →

What is the AS Personal Creative Enquiry, and what does a strong one look like?

AS Unit 1 Personal Creative Enquiry is a broad, exploratory non-exam project worth 40 percent of the A level that integrates critical, practical and theoretical work on a personally meaningful theme, assessed against all four objectives.
What the WJEC AS Unit 1 Personal Creative Enquiry requires: a broad, exploratory non-exam project on a personally meaningful theme that integrates critical, practical and theoretical work, worth 40 percent of the A level and marked against all four assessment objectives, building the foundation for A2.
13 min answer →

What is the A2 Personal Investigation, how is it structured, and what does a strong one look like?

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.
14 min answer →

What is the A2 Externally Set Assignment, how do its two phases work, and how is it marked?

A2 Unit 3 Externally Set Assignment is a non-exam unit worth 24 percent and 100 marks in which learners respond to a WJEC-set starting point through a preparatory period and a final outcome made in 15 hours of sustained focus under supervised conditions, assessed against all four objectives.
What the WJEC A2 Unit 3 Externally Set Assignment requires: responding to a WJEC-set starting point through a preparatory period and a final outcome made in 15 hours of sustained focus under supervised conditions, worth 24 percent and 100 marks, with preparatory and supervised work assessed together against all four objectives.
13 min answer →