Do you think Art GCSE and Art A-level are overlooked in society?

Hello, I am doing some research as part of my GOLD arts award. For my 'get political' section, I had to think of a hot topic/ question. Hence, I decided to pick the question above. So what are your views on the aforementioned question? (all comments are welcome)

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1

Rosiewalrus

Definitely, people into the sciences don't realise how much work and effort is involved in getting a good grade in A level art. Also, people don't realise that pretty much everything involves some form of artists whether it be architects, game art designers , all forms of advertisement, furniture design , product design and basically just anything that will be sold to the public. It is very important to have someone to design something just as it is to have someone manufacture and make it. There are so many jobs in the art field and people that arent involved in it seem to think that it is only about painting simple pictures when there is actually so much variety

Reply 2

Plainview

2

Yeah. You have to work very hard to attain good grades in art, in my opinion. I don't know about degrees though.

Reply 3

alexgr97

3

I think they are overlooked - the same with other similar subjects like Drama and Music. People don't realise that these subjects are really hard to be 'taught' in - most people that take the subjects are naturally gifted and if you aren't, it's very, very hard to do well. The fact that grade boundaries are incredibly high (something like 98% for an A* in Art) just proves how hard it is. I admire anyone who does well in them.

Reply 4

contradicta

16

Yes, I'm quite academic and skating through my other GCSES, but GCSE Art is so time consuming and the grade boundries are so high, yet despite the difficulty people are still like "You're taking Art. That's an easy A" :angry:

I plan on doing Graphic Design at Uni, and whenever I tell people this they start to look down on me ...

Reply 5

EXTREMEninja

11

Original post by alexgr97

I think they are overlooked - the same with other similar subjects like Drama and Music. People don't realise that these subjects are really hard to be 'taught' in - most people that take the subjects are naturally gifted and if you aren't, it's very, very hard to do well. The fact that grade boundaries are incredibly high (something like 98% for an A* in Art) just proves how hard it is. I admire anyone who does well in them.

It is certainly true that subjects such as art, involve a lot of work. People often say media is a soft subject, but you do have to do quite a bit of work to get good grades. However, wouldn't high grade boundaries suggest that the subject is quite easy, so you need to score high to get an A*?

Reply 6

alexgr97

3

Original post by EXTREMEninja

It is certainly true that subjects such as art, involve a lot of work. People often say media is a soft subject, but you do have to do quite a bit of work to get good grades. However, wouldn't high grade boundaries suggest that the subject is quite easy, so you need to score high to get an A*?

Perhaps that's the case, but it could be argued that the standard is so high so the grade boundaries are higher because everyone is doing well.

Reply 7

The Wild Youth

13

Original post by EXTREMEninja

It is certainly true that subjects such as art, involve a lot of work. People often say media is a soft subject, but you do have to do quite a bit of work to get good grades. However, wouldn't high grade boundaries suggest that the subject is quite easy, so you need to score high to get an A*?

It might suggest that if it were another subject, yes, but art IMHO is very different. I got an A* this year in my art A level - the first in my college to get one. I have never worked so hard for anything in my life before. The grade boundaries are so high to get the A* because it takes a certain level of work and way of thinking to attain it. The boundaries for the other grades (A, B, C etc) are pretty much similar to other subjects BUT I honestly believe that they are harder to get.

Art is definitely overlooked. Far from being a soft subject, once you reach A levels in particular it becomes something you have to really pour yourself into in order to get a good grade. I easily worked double the amount this year in art compared to my other A level subjects but came out only one grade higher than both my other A levels.

and oh my, am I proud of what I achieved in my art a level :biggrin:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 8

EXTREMEninja

11

Original post by alexgr97

Perhaps that's the case, but it could be argued that the standard is so high so the grade boundaries are higher because everyone is doing well.

That makes sense, good point.

Reply 9

smile:D

16

People often think art is an 'easy' subject and that it is simple to get A/A* grades (especially people with no experience of the subject), but in reality it's much harder to master than say science, as I would say it is something that is harder to get full marks in.

Also I think that even with a people with a talent for art may be tempted to choose another subject at A-level or degree because of perceived employability

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 10

kmcg97

14

Personally, yes. Art GCSE requires structure and dedication, the coursework is fast-paced and there's a LOT to get through in two years. The final exam requires weeks upon weeks of preparation too.

I think Art is a subject that you (mostly) cannot be taught, similar to Drama/Dance and other arts subjects. If you are not gifted before you start, it's a hard job trying to get a good grade.

Reply 11

evening sunrise

11

Original post by alexgr97

I think they are overlooked - the same with other similar subjects like Drama and Music. People don't realise that these subjects are really hard to be 'taught' in - most people that take the subjects are naturally gifted and if you aren't, it's very, very hard to do well. The fact that grade boundaries are incredibly high (something like 98% for an A* in Art) just proves how hard it is. I admire anyone who does well in them.

Very good points reference art, music etc although mathematics meets the same criteria. One thing that confuses me though is that the higher the grade boundary for a given grade the easier the subject must be to score in. This is leaves a weird 'taste' given I agree with your points as I have already stated.

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Reply 12

alexgr97

3

Original post by evening sunrise

Very good points reference art, music etc although mathematics meets the same criteria. One thing that confuses me though is that the higher the grade boundary for a given grade the easier the subject must be to score in. This is leaves a weird 'taste' given I agree with your points as I have already stated.

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You raise a good point, although I mentioned in a later post that one reason for this is that the standard is higher because you have to be good, thus the grade boundaries are higher. However, I disagree for Maths. Whilst you do need to have some natural ability, it's much easy to teach someone how to do well in exams - technique, strategies etc.

Reply 13

myblueheaven339

19

I disagree somewhat about having to be naturally gifted to do well at art GCSE. I got an A in GCSE art despite not being very good at all. What I was good at however was all the written work that went with it all. My partner on the other hand is a very talented photographer, and during his a level photography his practical work was graded at an A while the written work was graded at an E. he came out with a C overall. I don't think talent comes into play as much as being able to tick all of the boxes to be honest. I will agree that art subjects are a lot of work and are very time consuming. They can also be very frustrating as they are very subjective.

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Reply 14

Rascacielos

19

Do you mean undervalued? In which case, I'd say "not particularly." I think subjects like Art, Technology, etc shouldn't need a qualification. They're skills-based subjects: generally speaking, you're either good or you're not, and I don't think an A-level should be used to represent that skill. As people have mentioned, someone who is a fabulous sculptor might be an awful writer and hence do badly in the A-level because it involves a written test.

Reply 15

alow

19

Original post by alexgr97

You raise a good point, although I mentioned in a later post that one reason for this is that the standard is higher because you have to be good, thus the grade boundaries are higher. However, I disagree for Maths. Whilst you do need to have some natural ability, it's much easy to teach someone how to do well in exams - technique, strategies etc.

I disagree with your point about maths, as there are plenty of people (some of whom I knew form my A Level Maths class) that spend hours upon hours working on the subject and still cannot get A/A* grades.

Although, for those who are naturally good at maths, you can get by with doing barely any work and still get close to 100% on every module when I understand that even if you are naturally gifted at Art you have to try hard to get the top grades.

Reply 16

alexgr97

3

Original post by alow

I disagree with your point about maths, as there are plenty of people (some of whom I knew form my A Level Maths class) that spend hours upon hours working on the subject and still cannot get A/A* grades.

Although, for those who are naturally good at maths, you can get by with doing barely any work and still get close to 100% on every module when I understand that even if you are naturally gifted at Art you have to try hard to get the top grades.

I think you misunderstood me. I'm not saying 'if you work at Maths, you'll do well'. I'm saying it's easier to be taught than Art if you aren't already good.

Do you think Art GCSE and Art A-level are overlooked in society?

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