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GCSE Art & Design

Hi guys. I have been thinking about taking GCSE Art recently, but I have heard that it is very time consuming. So, to any people who have taken it- what is Art like?? Is it difficult? Do you have to be super good at art? Is it worth it? What are the pros and cons? What kind of materials do I need? What is the most important thing to keep in mind? Sorry for the questions, just wanted to get an idea. I would like to take it but I am unsure. Thanks in advance!!
I do GCSE Art as my 3rd option meaning I have to do it once a week after school for 1:30 hr. You definitely don't have to be extremely good at it but I guess a creative mind would help. Material wise I use anything that works the best. Mainly simple things like oil pastels, water colour, chalk, acrylic, ink, etc. In art experimenting with different materials get you more marks so you don't have to be afraid of doing so. If you feel like its not something you'd do at college or maybe there is another option that you are interested in then do consider them. In art you have different topics after few months, you are allowed to explore as much as you want around that topic. For example, my first topic was surrealism and I had to choose 2 artists for it and draw from their works. It's not that time consuming...I usually use my free time or saturdays to finish my work.

Not sure if I wrote too much but hope it helped!
Good luck deciding!
I took it for my GCSE's and can honestly say - it is VERY TIME CONSUMING.

If you can be well organised with your time, then go for it - don't need to be a Da Vinci - just have an open, creative mind. My sch provided all materials (just may need an apron), (used watercolours, acrylic paint, chalk/oil pastels, charcoal, pencil) but in retrospect, I think that it did affect my other grades, as I could've spent that time on my other subjects.

I got a high A at the end of it, so can't say it was a waste, but I could've done something like Food Tech. with less time spent and maybe a better grade..? (and of course, less shouting and repent from parents... -_-)

TBH I was really passionate in taking Art though and was adamant on taking it, as I was slightly talented from KS3-ish and it was what I wanted to do. But, it can become less of a pass-time and more of a chore if you leave HW to the last minute/ early morning of the deadline(!)

However, it's entirely up to you, If you can manage time, enjoy it, have no regrets - GO FOR IT. Decide carefully, and choose what right for you.

Gd Luck for ur Studies!!! :popout:
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 3
I took art for GCSE, got an A* and if you love art it's great, if you don't you will find it dull tbh, some of my friends took it and hated the amount of work we got set, but because I loved art I actually loved getting homework. It's not difficult, however it helps to be creative and have ideas, its more fun. Keep in mind there is a lot of work which could be a con, but if you love art you won't mind it. I would only recommend art if you enjoy it, if you don't enjoy art don't bother taking it. As long as you do all the work necessary and your creative you should get good marks, the good thing about art is you can do so many different ideas and i found it really fun:smile: People often take art because it's 'easy' i knew tons of people in my class who did that however they soon found out that it is not easy, and it takes a lot of hard work:smile:
Original post by traumatizing
Hi guys. I have been thinking about taking GCSE Art recently, but I have heard that it is very time consuming. So, to any people who have taken it- what is Art like?? Is it difficult? Do you have to be super good at art? Is it worth it? What are the pros and cons? What kind of materials do I need? What is the most important thing to keep in mind? Sorry for the questions, just wanted to get an idea. I would like to take it but I am unsure. Thanks in advance!!


It is time consuming compared to other courses, and you learn the very minimum from the actual course & teacher, most of the things you learn will be from self-improvement or watching youtube videos/reading books.
Original post by lilylf
I took art for GCSE, got an A* and if you love art it's great, if you don't you will find it dull tbh, some of my friends took it and hated the amount of work we got set, but because I loved art I actually loved getting homework. It's not difficult, however it helps to be creative and have ideas, its more fun. Keep in mind there is a lot of work which could be a con, but if you love art you won't mind it. I would only recommend art if you enjoy it, if you don't enjoy art don't bother taking it. As long as you do all the work necessary and your creative you should get good marks, the good thing about art is you can do so many different ideas and i found it really fun:smile: People often take art because it's 'easy' i knew tons of people in my class who did that however they soon found out that it is not easy, and it takes a lot of hard work:smile:


Hi I'm currently taking art for my GCSEs I have my exam in a few week. I was wondering if you were allowed to take your sketchbook home to complete things for your exam preparation?
Reply 6
Original post by farhan.khawaja
Hi I'm currently taking art for my GCSEs I have my exam in a few week. I was wondering if you were allowed to take your sketchbook home to complete things for your exam preparation?


I was, just ask your teacher and they should let you:smile: good luck in your art:smile:
Original post by farhan.khawaja
Hi I'm currently taking art for my GCSEs I have my exam in a few week. I was wondering if you were allowed to take your sketchbook home to complete things for your exam preparation?


We were allowed to touch things up in the run-up to the Final Exam...

Check with your school though to make sure... :happy2:

Good Luck!
Original post by traumatizing
Hi guys. I have been thinking about taking GCSE Art recently, but I have heard that it is very time consuming. So, to any people who have taken it- what is Art like?? Is it difficult? Do you have to be super good at art? Is it worth it? What are the pros and cons? What kind of materials do I need? What is the most important thing to keep in mind? Sorry for the questions, just wanted to get an idea. I would like to take it but I am unsure. Thanks in advance!!


It depends on a few things - if you are good at Art, what kind of Art is involved, the awarding body who accredits the GCSE to name but a few things!
I'm in year 9 now, and I am coming up to choosing my options.I already know three subjects I definitely want to take ( spanish, french and history)However, I am stuck between choosing drama or art.I love doing art because I can be creative, and I wouldn't mind finishing my work at the weekend. But, I also like drama and I think it would benefit me because I am quite shy and not confident when it comes to talking in front of people.
So...I'm asking you guys to help me on this one!!!!
Let me know which option I should chose!!!
Thanks Lilly:smile:
(edited 3 years ago)

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