Applied General Award & Extended Diploma in Art and Design (UAL Level 3)
What is the Course About?
The course includes a stimulating range of art and design-based subjects and projects, some of which are ‘live’ for gallery exhibitions or design briefs for clients.
From the outset, we aim to improve your existing creative skills and introduce you to many new and innovative approaches to creating art. You will experiment with lots of new materials and processes and this will allow you to build your technical skills whilst developing research skills and growing your awareness of critical and contextual issues.
The course has been designed to provide you with a strong foundation for progressing to a broad range of creative subjects at university or employment. It provides you with a vital bridge between school and university, helping you to become more independent thinker and practitioner.
During the second year you will be given the opportunity to take a week-long educational trip to London. The trip gives you the chance to visit/explore galleries, museums, media studios, and current major exhibitions. There will also be an opportunity to research university options in and around the London area and to visit the UCAS Fair.
What subjects/units/modules* will I study?
This course is made up of 1 Unit in the first year and 1 Unit in the second year.
Year 1 – You will be introduced to the principles of Art, Design and Media Theory, plus technical and practical skills. You will explore and experiment in relation to design briefs, to help you choose a specialism. Areas covered could include:
• 2D (drawing, painting, illustration, graphic design, photography and printmaking)
• 3D (ceramics, 3D design, fashion, textiles and sculpture)
You will finish the year with a final major project set by UAL but run by you based on your interests and strengths and supported by your tutors. The result of which will determine your final grade for the year.
Year 2 – You will be stretched and challenged as you extend your knowledge and experience of the disciplines within which you are working. You will prepare for degree level study or employment by becoming increasingly independent. You will be fully supported by your tutors when preparing for application interviews to higher education or employment, whilst producing a portfolio or work. You will be working with subject specialist briefs through the year and will produce a self-identified final major project which you will exhibit in an end-of-year-exhibition.
Will I need a DBS check for this course?
No
Will I need any specific resources, uniform and/or kit?
Starter pack information
Listed below are the requirements for the course in Art & Design, you may well already have several of them and can therefore build on your existing kit. All the items are available in a variety of shops in Douglas or you can buy them on-line.
Suggested local stores are:
WH Smiths (Strand Street), Creative Shop (Strand Street), The Artist (Nelson Street),
Dealz (Strand Street), Bridge Bookshop (Ramsey and Port Erin), Joan’s Wool & Crafts (Onchan), The Stationery Shop (Ramsey).
The specialist photography equipment supplier we suggest is ‘Morrison Photos’ located in 3 Tynwald Street, Douglas.
Electronic supplies: Isle of Gadgets (Douglas), Gadget Man (Douglas), PC World.
Basic Art and Design equipment
1 A1 art portfolio carry case/poly folio
A4 sketchbook (available from College reception, good price and excellent quality. You will need one per project, approximately every 6 weeks)
1 External Drive of at least 500mb
4 GB SD digital memory card – for use with College Digital DSLR cameras
1 quality USB card reader (Sandisk imagemate all-in-one is very good)
Pritt Sticks
Pencil sharpener
Rubber
Masking tape
Blue Tack
Sellotape
Black fine liner pens
Permanent black markers (Sharpie)
Large pair of scissors - marked or labelled with your name
Pencils HB-6B
1 graphite stick 6B
1 charcoal pencil
Chalk pastels
1 mixed pack of different size bristle brushes
1 tube of ‘uhu’ glue
2 tubes of superglue
1 craft knife with blades
1 box of good quality watercolours
4 Ilford HP5 135-24 Film
1 Ilford 5” x 7” Multigrade Pearl or Glossy Photographic Paper -100 sheets-DO NOT OPEN IN DAYLIGHT!
What are the days and hours of the course?
Please see below an example of a previous year's timetable. All students will be given their timetables on the first day of the new academic year.
Level 3 Art & Design Example | 9-12 | 1-4 |
Monday | Fashion | Fine Art |
Tuesday | 3D | Visual Communication |
Wednesday | Photography | Tutorial 1-2 |
Thursday | Textiles | Directed Study |
Friday | Directed Study | Digital Media |
Will I undertake work experience as part of the course?
None
What are my progression and career options?
You could progress to university, after which there are many career options, which include becoming: a graphic designer, photographer, fashion designer, interior designer, exhibition designer, ceramicist, jewellery maker, illustrator, fine art artist, animator, visual merchandiser or a web designer.
This course is included in the UCAS tariff and attracts tariff points for each final grade: Pass 72, High Pass 96, Merit 120, High Merit 144 and Distinction 168. You should be advised that some university degree courses require students to have gained GCSEs at C or above in Maths and English, and you may be advised to complete these qualifications to ensure that you have the best possible chance to progress to higher education.
How will I be assessed?
The course is based on continual assessment, approximately every six weeks, which can be in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, and/or an exhibition of the work completed during this period. At the end of each year, you will produce a final project which demonstrates your skills and creativity in your chosen specialist discipline. This body of work is displayed in the end-of-year-exhibition.
Assessment takes the form of one external assessment taken at the end of the first year/unit, which is set and marked by the UAL Awarding Body, and one internally assessed project taken at the end of the second year/unit, which is marked by the centre and moderated by UAL Awarding Body. Both units of the Extended Diploma are graded as Fail, Pass, Merit, or Distinction. Unit 1 and Unit 2 are aggregated to provide the final overall grade for the Extended Diploma qualification of: Fail, Pass, High Pass, Merit, High Merit and Distinction.
Entry requirements
• A minimum of four GCSEs, at grade C or above (or grades 9-4), at least one of which should be in an Art and Design subject or the equivalent Level 2 qualification in an appropriate subject e.g. Art & Design (BTEC or UAL) with a Level 2 profile at merit and distinction grades.
• Suitable evidence of your learning and achievement, ideally in the form of a portfolio of Digital Media, Art and Design, or Design Technology work, to be presented during your interview.