Art at A level?

I study art at GCSE level and as I do enjoy it to an extent, am considering taking it as an A level subject next year. ( I am in Year 11)
I guess my questions would be how much work load is there compared to at GCSE? I’ve heard there’s a lot but is it manageable, considering I won’t take any other coursework related subjects? I am okay at art but not the best; my coursework is at a grade 6, B equivalent however will it be overly difficult if i don’t excel in it? I know art at A level is difficult and very time consuming , and maybe wouldn’t be worth it for me.

Reply 1

TSR Jessica

Sorry you've not had any responses about this. :frown:

Are you sure you've posted in the right place? :smile:

Here's a link to our subject forum which should help get you more responses if you post there. :redface:

Reply 2

Study With Myk

Dont take art unless you wanna fail....its not about creativity you know

Reply 3

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

I did IB, not A-level, but in general - Art in 6th form is a considerable workload, requiring pretty consistent work throughout the year. It is rewarding however, but I found it challenging at first as it took a long time (most of the first year) to find my preferred media and work style. It's a lot less prescriptive than GCSE, and requires more personal commitment and involvement, which can be a difficult leap.

I got a C in GCSE art, and a 5 (a B) in IB HL Art, so I imagine it's certainly in your ability. The main difficulty for most people as I saw (and personally experienced) was getting to grips with the academic side of it - properly documenting your work in your sketchbook, doing background research and so on. If you approach it as an experimental subject, and your sketchbook as your logbook then you probably won't go far wrong. But you certainly can't "only" rely on technical ability, or creativity to get a top grade.

Don't take this as a negative "review" though - Art, while one of the most challenging subjects in terms of workload and personal commitment, was definitely the most rewarding to me in the long term. That said I'm doing nothing related to it and don't even really do art in my spare time, but take that as you like :tongue:

If you are able to commit to the course and enjoy it, it's a decent option (this may depend somewhat on your other choices and long term plans though - if you want to go into Physics then you may want to focus on making sure you pick up Physics, Maths, and ideally Further Maths!).

Reply 4

Betsy_Lou

I love A Level Art. I nearly didn't take it, but at the last minute I swapped Drama for Art. Like you, I was thinking "it's too much hard work! I'm not good enough, etc, etc".
I got a good grade at GCSE, but I don't think your grade will impact how easy you find A Level, as as long as you are explaining your ideas and developing them, you will get marks. Personally, I don't find Art too much work (it is BY FAR my easiest subject) - I'm in Year 13 and I finished my coursework back in October/November, so now I'm just creating whatever art I like in class to expand my portfolio, until February.

With the new A Levels, your course should be even easier than ours, because you have 2 years to do all your work - not try to squash 2 loads of coursework and exam work into both years!

I say go for it - if you don't like it, just swap. You'll probably change your mind about which subjects you're going to take 50 times between now and then, if you're anything like me, anyway.