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.
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What this dot point is asking
The Personal Investigation is A2 Unit 2 of WJEC A-Level Art and Design, worth 36 percent and 160 marks, and it is the major candidate-led project of the course. It is a sustained practical project on a theme you choose, including an extended written element of 1000 to 3000 words. This dot point sets out what the unit is, how it is structured, and what a strong one looks like, so you can plan a project that evidences all four objectives.
What the Personal Investigation is
The Personal Investigation is the heart of the A2 year: a substantial, self-directed project developed over an extended period. Unlike a set assignment, you choose the theme and drive the enquiry, so the work shows independence. It is both practical and written, because the extended written element is part of it, and it is judged against all four objectives. Where the AS enquiry rewards breadth, the Personal Investigation rewards depth and specialism.
The practical and written work together
The unit has practical work and an extended written element that should connect, not run in parallel.
Choosing a theme
Because the investigation is candidate-led, the choice of theme matters. A strong theme is personal (it genuinely interests you, so the investment shows), rich enough to sustain a deep A2 project (it has many avenues), and open to both practical development and contextual study (artists and ideas connect to it). Themes such as decay, identity, memory, the urban environment, fragility or transformation work because they are broad, personal and connect to a wealth of artists and approaches.
What a strong investigation looks like
A top-band Personal Investigation has four features. It shows a clear, personal theme and a focused line of enquiry that develops and deepens across the project, not a set of disconnected pieces. It evidences all four objectives evenly, because they are equally weighted. It demonstrates genuine independence, the decisions are the candidate's own. And its written element integrates with the practical work, so the writing and making illuminate each other. Planning for these four features from the start is the surest route to the top bands.
Try this
Q1. State the length range of the extended written element and the marks and weighting of the Personal Investigation. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. The extended written element is continuous prose of between 1000 and 3000 words; the unit is worth 36 percent of the A level and 160 marks.
Q2. Explain why the Personal Investigation must be candidate-led and sustained. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Candidate-led means you choose the theme and drive the enquiry, so the work shows independence and personal investment; sustained means it develops and deepens over time, which is what lets it evidence all four objectives at the depth and specialism A2 demands rather than producing a few disconnected pieces.
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 marksState what the A2 Personal Investigation comprises, its marks and weighting, and the written element it must include.Show worked answer →
A recall task. Award marks for the structure, the figures and the written element.
The Personal Investigation is A2 Unit 2: a sustained, candidate-led practical project on a theme the learner chooses. It is worth 36 percent of the A level and 160 marks.
It must include an extended written element of continuous prose, between 1000 and 3000 words, which explores the contextual sources behind the practical work and is integrated with it. The practical and written work together evidence the objectives.
A strong answer adds that it is assessed against all four objectives (AO1 to AO4), is internally assessed and externally moderated, and that the written element is part of the unit rather than a separate exam, contributing especially to the analytical and contextual side of the marks.
WJEC A2 Personal Investigation8 marksExplain why the Personal Investigation must be candidate-led and sustained, and how that shapes a strong project.Show worked answer →
An explanation task rewarding understanding of the unit's nature.
Candidate-led. The learner chooses the theme and drives the enquiry, so the work shows independence and genuine personal investment. A teacher-set, uniform task does not meet the purpose of a Personal Investigation.
Sustained. The project develops over an extended period, deepening rather than producing a handful of disconnected pieces, which is what lets it evidence all four objectives at the depth A2 demands.
How it shapes a strong project. A strong Personal Investigation shows a clear personal theme, a focused line of enquiry that develops across the project, even evidence of all four objectives, and an extended written element genuinely integrated with the practical work. A top answer links the independence and sustained development to the balanced coverage of AO1 to AO4 that the marks reward, and to the greater specialism expected at A2.
Related dot points
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The extended written element of the Personal Investigation is a piece of continuous critical prose, between 1000 and 3000 words, exploring the contextual sources behind the practical work and integrated with it.
What the extended written element of the WJEC Personal Investigation requires: continuous critical prose of between 1000 and 3000 words exploring the contextual sources behind the practical work, integrated with it, illustrated and referenced, with guidance on writing a strong personal study.
- 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.
- 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.
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)