The Student Room Group

What is History of Art A-Level like? What does the average lesson/homework involve?

I am considering taking History of Art as an A-Level. There was an A-Level taster day at my school, in which I did the taster for it, but I didn't get to find out much about the subject and what exactly it would involve. Is it boring? Hardwork? A lot of facts to remember? Relaxed? What kind of homework are you usually given and is it a lot? What happens in the average lesson? Sorry about all the questions. I know it varies from school to school but I'm just trying to get an idea of what it would be like if I chose it.
(edited 1 year ago)
I’ve just done the Pearson/Edexcel course (awaiting results!). There’s a fair bit to remember, but it’s honestly not too bad as long as you get started trying to memorise dates/patrons/locations etc early on.

It was a quite relaxed subject - lots of time spent discussing individual works of art, with everyone in the set contributing to discussions. We got set a couple of exam style essays each week based off what we had done in lessons.

It was great fun and I would definitely recommend it!
i’ve also just done history of art a level and i’m waiting for my result on the 18th!
i really enjoyed the content of history of art and so much of what you learn is actually applicable in real life. it’s just as much an a level in culture as it is in art, with themes of feminism, patriarchy, society, environmentalism, technology and religion often being discussed!

something to note is that homework will depend on your school. in all honesty, while i loved my teachers, they would set so so much homework (30 mark essays etc) and it honesty drained me a lot.

when it comes to the actual exam there are 2 papers, both of which are 3 hours long. i had extra time so my exams were a staggering 3 hours 45 minutes, although it felt much shorter when i was actually doing the exam. there is definitely a lot of stress when it comes to the final exams, as even though they are 3 hours long, it never seems like there is enough time in my opinion.

but overall i would recommend taking the subject, at least take it as a fourth subject knowing that you could potentially drop it. i learned so much and mostly had a great time!!

if you have any questions, just ask

Quick Reply

Latest