How is WJEC GCSE Art and Design structured, and how is each unit assessed?
The two-unit structure of WJEC GCSE Art and Design for Wales (Unit 1 Portfolio at 60 percent and Unit 2 Externally Set Assignment at 40 percent), the fact that it is a wholly practical, coursework qualification with no written exam, that both units are internally set or marked by the centre and externally moderated by WJEC, and the endorsed titles such as Art, Craft and Design and Fine Art.
A clear guide to how WJEC GCSE Art and Design for Wales is structured: two practical units (the Portfolio at 60 percent and the Externally Set Assignment at 40 percent), no written exam, internally marked and moderated by WJEC, and the endorsed titles available.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point is the map of WJEC GCSE Art and Design for Wales. You need to know that it is a wholly practical qualification with no written exam, that it has two units (the Portfolio at 60 percent and the Externally Set Assignment at 40 percent), that both are internally marked and moderated by WJEC, and that the subject is offered as endorsed titles such as Art, Craft and Design and Fine Art. Knowing the framework lets you see how everything you make is judged.
The two units
How the units are assessed
The endorsed titles
No written exam: the work is the evidence
Try this
Q1. What are the two units of WJEC GCSE Art and Design, and how are they weighted? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Unit 1, the Portfolio, is 60 percent; Unit 2, the Externally Set Assignment, is 40 percent and 80 marks. There is no written exam, and both are practical coursework.
Q2. Explain what "internally assessed, externally moderated" means. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Your centre marks all of the work against the WJEC mark scheme and the four assessment objectives, then WJEC checks a sample of that marking against the national standard and adjusts the centre's marks if they are out of line, so a national standard is applied even though teachers mark the work.
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 Wales (technique)4 marksDescribe the two units of WJEC GCSE Art and Design and their weightings.Show worked answer →
A knowledge-check on the structure. Reward both units with their type and weighting.
Unit 1. The Portfolio, worth 60 percent of the qualification. A selection of practical work built up during the course, internally set, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC.
Unit 2. The Externally Set Assignment, worth 40 percent of the qualification. A response to a WJEC-set theme, made up of preparatory work and a final outcome produced in 10 hours of sustained focus under supervision, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC.
Top marks. Note there is no written exam: the whole qualification is practical coursework judged against the four assessment objectives.
WJEC Wales (technique)3 marksExplain what 'internally assessed, externally moderated' means for this course.Show worked answer →
A short explanation of how the marking works.
Internally assessed. Your own teachers mark all of your work against the WJEC mark scheme and the four assessment objectives; there is no examiner marking a script.
Externally moderated. WJEC then checks a sample of the centre's marking to confirm it matches the national standard, and adjusts the centre's marks if they are too high or too low.
Why it matters. It means the standard is set nationally even though your teacher marks the work, so the journey shown in your sketchbooks and on your sheets is the evidence that is judged.
Related dot points
- AO1, Critical understanding, develop ideas through investigations demonstrating critical understanding of sources: building a focused line of enquiry from contextual and first-hand sources, weighing and responding to each source rather than copying it, and letting the investigation keep deepening across the project. AO1 is one of four equally weighted objectives (25 percent each).
What AO1 (Critical understanding) rewards in WJEC GCSE Art and Design: developing ideas through investigation and critical understanding of sources, built into a focused line of enquiry that weighs and responds to sources rather than copying, and keeps deepening across the project.
- AO4, Personal presentation, present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language: producing a final outcome that resolves the project, connects clearly to the development that led to it, and uses the formal elements deliberately to carry meaning. AO4 is one of four equally weighted objectives (25 percent each).
What AO4 (Personal presentation) rewards in WJEC GCSE Art and Design: presenting a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language, resolving the project and connecting clearly to the development that led to it.
- How the four assessment objectives map onto the creative process (a cyclical record, develop, refine and realise journey rather than four separate tasks), the fact that the AOs are equally weighted at 25 percent each and applied to both units, that work is marked holistically against bands and totalled across the units, and that the qualification is graded on the 9 to 1 scale.
How the four assessment objectives map onto the creative process in WJEC GCSE Art and Design (a cyclical record, develop, refine and realise journey), how the equally weighted AOs are applied to both units and marked holistically, and how the qualification is graded 9 to 1.
- An overview of Unit 1, the Portfolio, in WJEC GCSE Art and Design: the 60 percent practical unit built up during the course on centre-set starting points, containing a selection of work that shows a sustained journey from a theme through investigation, recording and refinement to one or more finished outcomes, evidencing all four assessment objectives, internally marked and externally moderated by WJEC.
An overview of Unit 1, the Portfolio, in WJEC GCSE Art and Design: the 60 percent practical unit built up during the course on centre-set themes, a selection of work showing a sustained journey to finished outcomes, evidencing all four assessment objectives and moderated by WJEC.
- An overview of Unit 2, the Externally Set Assignment, in WJEC GCSE Art and Design: the 40 percent, 80-mark practical unit answering a theme from a WJEC-set paper, in two parts (a preparatory period of supporting studies and a final outcome made in 10 hours of sustained focus under supervision), evidencing all four assessment objectives, internally marked and externally moderated by WJEC.
An overview of Unit 2, the Externally Set Assignment, in WJEC GCSE Art and Design: the 40 percent, 80-mark unit answering a WJEC-set theme, with a preparatory period and a final outcome made in 10 hours of sustained focus, evidencing all four assessment objectives.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE Art and Design (Wales) specification (from 2016) — WJEC (2016)
- WJEC GCSE Art and Design: Qualification Outline — WJEC (2016)