GCSE Programme Structure
This page sets out the full two-year structure of the GCSE Art & Design programme, for anyone wanting more detail. I offer the Art, Craft and Design specification, which allows more flexibility than some other pathways, letting each student's coursework be shaped around their own particular interests and strengths, rather than following one fixed brief.
The Two Components:
The qualification is made up of two components, both assessed against the same four assessment objectives:
Component 01 — Portfolio. 60% of the GCSE. Developed across Year One and the start of Year Two.
Component 02 — Externally Set Task. 40% of the GCSE. Completed in the Spring Term of Year Two.
Year One
Autumn Term — Foundational. Building core skills, materials knowledge, and an understanding of what GCSE Art actually requires, before starting formal coursework.
Spring Term — Introduction to coursework. Teacher-led development of the coursework portfolio. Projects begin with a broad, thematic starting point, giving each student enough scope to gradually narrow in on their own specific area of interest as the term develops.
Summer Term — Independent development. Building on that foundation with more personal, self-directed coursework, supported by ongoing guidance rather than close direction.
Year Two
Autumn Term — Finalising coursework. Completing and refining the coursework portfolio, and organising it ready for formal assessment.
Spring Term — Component Two: the Externally Set Task. Exam papers are issued from early January, giving students a preparation period to research and develop initial responses to the exam board's set theme. This culminates in the 10-hour supervised examination, sat at an approved exam centre over the Easter holidays.
How the work is assessed
All coursework and exam work is marked against four assessment objectives.
AO1 — Develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating critical understanding of sources.
AO2 — Refine ideas through experimenting and selecting appropriate media, materials, techniques, and processes.
AO3 — Record ideas, observations, and insights relevant to intentions, as work progresses.
AO4 — Present a personal, meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates an understanding of visual language.
Coursework (Component One) and the Externally Task (Component Two) are both assessed against all four objectives.