Should I take GCSE Art?

I was in a similar predicament to you. I did well in Year 7 to Year 9 art and wanted to do GCSE Art. But I eventually decided not to, because I didn't think there was as much value in the job market with GCSE's/ A-Levels in art compared to other GCSE's. I also think that you can still draw in your spare time - I continued to do some drawing during my A-Levels until I pretty much stopped during and after I completed university.

You make a good point. I’m just not sure what else I would take if I didn’t take art. My current options are History, French and Spanish. Originally, I had Computer Science down as well, but the more I think about it, the more I think that I would just end up not enjoying it at all, so that’s why I was thinking about taking art again. Sorry if I’m just making this more difficult😅

If you are looking for 7s, 8s, 9s, then think first - are you actually any good at it?


When it comes to the Sciences, Maths and English, you can revise for these subjects and improve your grade. For comparison, I got 9, 8 in English Language and Literature, and then 9,9,8 in Chemistry Biology and Physics.


When it came to Art, I got a 5.
To be honest, this 5 hasn't stopped me from doing what I want, but again, if you want a clean sheet of amazing grades then make sure you actually are good at art. It's very subjective and time-consuming. The worst thing is I don't think you can revise for it either.

So yeah, make sure you are actually good at art.

Sources: me, found out I'm no good at art

Goodluck with your choices!

I am in year 11 and I can say it is a greate subject in the good day and bad.If you desire is and want to do it the no one can tell you no.One important thing I have learned is balance quality and quality as you whould need certain amount of pages and experimenting with mediums but you will Lean fast like everyone. In my opinion :Yes(I am horribly at English so I apologise for spag and the cohesiveness of this)

Thank you! Currently, my art teacher has said to me that she’d think I would do well in art, and many of my classmates also thought I was good at it. I’m just not sure whether my art would be up to the standard it needs to be for GCSE’s.

I was in a similar situation to you and was torn between art and history. I chose to do art but the problem is that art is so so subjective. I was told the whole way through the course I would get an 8, I put so much work into my coursework and exam project. It was incredibly stressful and despite all that after moderation my whole class got moved down two grades (our teacher had had an amazing track record for predicting grades and had been teaching gcse art for over 15 years). I was really disappointed as I got mainly 9s with two 8s, so the 6 was rather shocking. However the grade hasn’t affected me in anyway despite that as I take sciences and maths at a level.

It’s a lot of hard work so be prepared for that and it’s not very easy to get an 8/9 due to how differently your work can be perceived by teachers and moderators, but if you love it you’ll find it rewarding despite that!

Thank you for all of your replies on my previous question! They all really helped. Right now, I’m in another dilemma on whether I should take GCSE Art or not. Originally, I was interested in doing it as I really do enjoy art, but now I’m not too sure. My older sister, who is in Year 11 is currently doing art for GCSE’s, and finds it relatively stressful. I’m a very academic student, and want to achieve the higher grades (7/8/9) in all of my subjects I’ll take, but I’m not sure whether I would be able to balance all of the workload, especially when it comes around to the actual GCSE exam. I’ve spoken to my art teacher about it, and she said as I’m a hardworking student, I should have no problem with completing the coursework.

Oh okay! That does help calm my worries a bit, as I do have high expectations of myself. I know I wouldn’t pick art for any higher education (A-Levels, Degree e.t.c) but I would still use it if possible when I’m older, as I want to be an author when I’m older and want to illustrate my own books. Usually, I have a mindset that I have to get exceptional grades in everything, but if getting a lower grade didn’t affect you badly, I think I would be alright. (I would just have to deal with a blow to my ego, but that’s unrelated😅)

Depends how many GCSEs you do tbh. I did 10 and found art by far my most stressful and time-consuming GCSE. However, even though my lowest grade was in Art I don’t regret doing it. It improves your skills so much, and gives you a chance to do it regularly when otherwise you probably wouldn’t have time with your GCSE workload. It didn’t help that I was among the bottom three slowest workers in the class; if you work quickly and to a high standard you will find it a lot easier. The exam itself is nothing to worry about really, it’s a piece that you plan extensively beforehand and do over a couple of days. You just have to decide if you will be able to balance all the coursework with your academics.

If you enjoy it go for it! I’m in my first year of sixth form and currently applying for summer schools/ residentials and despite my slightly lower grade in art I’ve still got a place on a maths residential at cambridge. Art isn’t an academic subject so it definitely won’t be looked down on if you don’t do quite so well in it as other subjects, if anything it makes you seem slightly more well rounded
Good luck in whatever you choose!

Thank you for all of your replies on my previous question! They all really helped. Right now, I’m in another dilemma on whether I should take GCSE Art or not. Originally, I was interested in doing it as I really do enjoy art, but now I’m not too sure. My older sister, who is in Year 11 is currently doing art for GCSE’s, and finds it relatively stressful. I’m a very academic student, and want to achieve the higher grades (7/8/9) in all of my subjects I’ll take, but I’m not sure whether I would be able to balance all of the workload, especially when it comes around to the actual GCSE exam. I’ve spoken to my art teacher about it, and she said as I’m a hardworking student, I should have no problem with completing the coursework.

Ah okay. I’m doing I think 7 GCSEs-English, Maths, Combined Science, History, Spanish, French +last choice-which is the standard for my school. However, I think you get another GCSE from Combined Science, but I’m not 100% sure.

Your art teacher knows you are very hardworking, you love art and you are academic, so why not take art if you want to? I am in year 10 doing art GCSE and let me tell you for me it was very hard to draw something, for example, a skull as you have to draw it by hand and guess what it did look like a skull because of my art teachers help but I still got a grade 3+. I really am upset about taking art as it is not for me because I did not want to take history, which I should have taken, but instead, I chose art. If you can draw your face with proportion then take art GCSE.

I'm in year 11 and I am currently doing GCSE fine art (AQA). Yes, the workload is intense, but it's also fun and rewarding! It's not impossible to do an art GCSE and also do well in your other subjects, however it does require some organisation. It is really about how you manage your time. If you organise yourself correctly, the workload won't actually be that bad and you will have loads of time to relax and work towards your other subjects, especially if you take advantage of school holidays. Last summer and I worked on my sketchbook for approximately an hour a day (which means collectively I got a lot of work done although I was not stressing myself out due to how little I was doing daily). This will take a lot of pressure away during term time as you will already be in a strong position in terms of your coursework, so you can focus more on getting homework in for other subjects.
Don't worry about the workload. Instead of worrying about how it is going to work out, think about how the course is going to benefit you. If you aren't sure that you have the organisation to balance the workload, doing GCSE art will surely teach you how to be organised better and you will emerge a more organised person. Think about what you can gain from the qualification!

Here are some things to consider
1. Do you get on with your teachers in the art department? It seems trivial, however you will be spending a lot of time with these teachers. For my art GCSE, I did a lot of extra work after school in the department, and the fact that the department felt like a close-knit and supportive community was absolutely pivotal. It makes you want to put in the extra hours and ultimately enjoy the experience

2. Do you need it for your career path? This may seem like a stupid question, because if you wanted to go into art/design then you wouldn't be considering not taking it, however careers like dentistry which require dexterity actually require a GCSE in art.

3. Do you enjoy art?
If you enjoy art, the coursework shouldn't feel so laborious and you will actually enjoy doing it, which will likely be a different experience to working for your other GCSEs.

In year 10, I was so disorganised (min. 3-4 pieces of homework late/not done per week) and I struggled a little bit with getting my artwork done too. However a little resilience and guidance from my teachers got me through, and now my organisation is 100x better than it was previously, this change partly caused by the need to change, so art actually really helped me in the end to get my life together.

I'm predicted 9999999988 in my GCSEs (including a 9 in art), and I am certainly no genius, so don't worry about it detracting from your other topics. Just take it in your stride, and I promise the workload won't affect your other subjects
Best of luck!!