Programme of Study & Syllabus
Contents
The Syllabus, Examinations and Assessment
How Your Work is Assessed on the Course
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Welcome to your Wolsey Hall Cambridge A Level History of Art course. Please take the time to read carefully through this page as it explains how the course is structured, how to get the most out of your studies and how your work will be assessed. At the end of this page, you will find details of the reading you will need to do from your textbook and set texts and also how each module links to the Edexcel syllabus and the final examinations.
This course will lead you step-by-step through the syllabus by way of resources, video and audio links, assignments and, of course, the textbook, so that by the end, you will be confident and fully prepared for your final examinations.
Are you exhilarated by Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’ on the Sistine Ceiling? If so, you may well be responding to the artist’s “Proof that there's a purpose set | Before the secret working mind: | Profane perfection of mankind”, as the poet W. B. Yeats put it. Likewise, Martin Heidegger understood that “The artwork opens up, in its own way, the being of beings.” On this course you will confront such mysteries in art and perhaps even find yourself and your world transfigured in the process. But you will also learn how to speak the language of art and architecture in order to substantiate, through detailed analysis and interpretation, your judgements of specific paintings, sculptures and buildings. You will study the very materials and methods involved in making these works and you will accumulate knowledge of their various historical contexts. For William Blake “Prayer is the study of Art” and “Praise is the practice of Art”. On this course you will learn how this engraver-painter-poet-prophet came to make these claims at the beginning of the nineteenth century and you can assess the significance of his words for yourself. You will also learn about the very technique used in his engraving of these stirring aphorisms.
The Edexcel A Level History of Art course is designed to allow you to cultivate your powers of visual analysis and to explore different themes and periods. You will learn the requisite technical terms to analyse architecture, sculpture and painting, surveying chronologically the history of art and architecture in Europe as well as significant examples outside of that tradition in the process. You will explore and research significant examples from these traditions in terms of their historical contexts and the themes of nature and identities. As you do so, you will learn about different media, techniques and processes involved in the making of these works. Specific critical texts will be introduced along the way. After your synoptic and thematic survey of art and architecture in the first part of the course, you will be in a good position to start your in-depth research into Renaissance Italy and then the British and French Avant-Garde of the late ninenteenth century. Building on essential art historical knowledge and refining your powers of visual analysis, you will make detailed studies of significant works from these exciting periods, using different kinds of critical texts to navigate your way. The arguments of your essays will come to reflect and substantiate your own well-informed judgements of different themes and periods in precise visual analysis and nuanced interpretation of specific works of art and buildings.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate actve and independent engagement in the historical, theoretical and critical study of art;
- Research and investigate art through first-hand experience of works of art or recommended websites;
- Understand the relationship between society, culture, technology, politics and art;
- Understand the ways in which art has been used and interpreted by past and present societies;
- Describe key art historical terms, concepts and issues;
- Understand how visual language is used by artists to communicate ideas, including formal characteristics, materials, techniques, and processes;
- Analyse and make critical judgements about art;
- Use evidence to substantiate structured arguments about art;
- Understand a sufficient range of artists and works of art to ensure an appropriate depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding of specified movements/periods and themes.
The Syllabus, Examinations and Assessment
This Wolsey Hall course is designed to prepare you for the Edexcel A Level History of Art examinations which you will sit at a Edexcel exam centre. It is vitally important that you become familiar with the syllabus which can be found below:
READ – Syllabus 2019+ Download READ – Syllabus 2019+
The examination code for A Level History of Art is: 9HT0
For the A Level in History of Art, you will sit two papers:
- Paper 1: Visual Analysis and Themes (paper code 9HT0/01) – This paper is worth 50% of your A Level grade. Length: 3 hours.
This paper carries 110 marks. In Section A, you will answer a single compulsory question that requires you to comment on an unseen photograph of a painting, a sculpture and a building.
In Section B, for the Wolsey Hall course, you will answer a single compulsory question in two parts on the following two themes:
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- B1: Nature in Art and Architecture
- B2: Identities in Art and Architecture
- Paper 2: Periods (paper code 9HT0/02) – This paper is worth 50% of your A Level grade. Length: 3 hours.
This paper carries 110 marks. You will be studying the following two periods and will answer a single compulsory question in four parts on each period. With Wolsey Hall, you will be studying the following two periods:
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- C1 Invention and Illusion: The Renaissance in Italy (1420–1520)
- C3 Rebellion and Revival: The British and French Avant-Garde (1848–99)
All components are externally assessed.
The syllabus is examined in the May/June examination series only.
Assessment Objectives
The assessment objectives (AOs) for A Level History of Art are as follows:
- AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the contexts of art
- AO2: Analyse and interpret artists’ work, demonstrating understanding of visual language
- AO3: Make critical judgements about art through substantiated reasoned argument
The weighting of these assessment objectives across the whole A Level is as follows: AO1 (30%), AO2 (36%), AO3 (34%).
Wolsey Hall offers a unique model of offline and online resources to our homeschooling students – a model which we have developed based on our many years’ experience of providing homeschooling courses to students.
Textbooks
Each subject specialist team carefully selects the best textbook for you to use as you study. The textbooks for your A Level History of Art course are as follows:
A World History of Art, by Hugh Honour and John Fleming, 7th edition, (Laurence King Publishing, 2009). ISBN: 9781856695848
This is a required critical text for Paper 1: Visual Analysis and Themes – B1: Nature in Art and Architecture. It is also an excellent general guide to the History of Art and will be useful for both periods in Paper 2.
Throughout the course, we recommend that you read relevant sections of A World History of Art to wider your understanding of the works of art in each topic, their genres, styles and contexts. The module pages will highlight which pages you should read. Please also note that there are excellent bibliographies for each chapter at the back of Honour and Fleming and we cannot stress enough how vital it is that you begin to read books on the topics you will be covering beyond Honour and Fleming.
Ways of Seeing, by John Berger, (Penguin, 2008) ISBN: 9780141035796
This is a required critical text for Paper 1: Visual Analysis and Themes – B2: Identities in Art and Architecture. The module pages will highlight which pages you should read.
Art in Renaissance Italy, by John T. Paoletti and Gary M. Radke, 4th edition, (Laurence King Publishing, 2011) ISBN: 9781856697972
This is a required critical text for Paper 2: Periods – C1 Invention and Illusion: The Renaissance in Italy (1420-1520). The module pages will highlight which pages you should read.
Nineteenth Century Art: A Critical History, by Stephen F. Eisenman et al., 5th edition, (Thames & Hudson, 2020) ISBN: 9780500294895
N.B. If you began studying for this qualification before, or in early 2021, you may be using the older edition of this text (see below). In the course, you will find page numbers for both editions.
Nineteenth Century Art: A Critical History, by Stephen F. Eisenman et al., 4th edition, (Thames & Hudson, 2011) ISBN: 9780500289242
This is a required critical text for Paper 2: Periods – C3 Rebellion and Revival: The British and French Avant-Garde (1848-1899). The module pages will highlight which pages you should read.
Resources
In addition to your textbook and set texts, we have sourced a range of additional resources to support your learning. You should make use of these alongside your textbook to ensure that you get the very best out of your course.
You will also find a range of key resources in the General Resources section of the course. These are items which relate to the course as a whole, rather than to specific modules, and as such, you should make regular use of them. For A Level History of Art these are:
- Some Questions About Nature in Art and Architecture
This document contains questions by the exam board to guide you through analysing works of art for Paper 1: B1: Nature in Art and Architecture. Make sure you read it carefully and answer the questions as you proceed through the relevant modules.
- Some Questions About Identities in Art and Architecture
This document contains questions by the exam board to guide you through analysing works of art for Paper 1: B2: Identities in Art and Architecture. Make sure you read it carefully and answer the questions as you proceed through the relevant modules.
- Sample Assessment Materials
These are questions and mark schemes for all papers provided by the exam board and are what your tutor will use to mark your work. Use them to check you have included all of the assessment objectives in each assignment before you submit each one. This is a key factor in scoring high marks in History of Art.
- Optional Further Reading List
This document provides a list of additional texts you may wish to read to expand your knowledge of the subject. You are not obliged to purchase any of these texts, but if you are seeking extra help, the list is a good place to start. It must be stressed that these lists are compiled by the exam board and it is highly recommended that you consult a range of resources in this subject. You may find many of them in your local library. The more titles and reputable websites you consult, the better.
A list of websites recommended by Edexcel for History of Art students can also be found in General Resources.
Four further documents go into greater detail about the wider reading recommended by the examination board:
- Critical Texts for B1: Theme Study – Nature in Art and Architecture (Paper 1)
- Critical Texts for B2: Theme Study – Identities in Art and Architecture (Paper 1)
These are lists of critical texts and websites recommended by the exam board. Although you have two textbooks for this paper, it is vital that you consult some of these critical texts as you proceed through the course, making notes as you go. These texts will also be useful when you come to make notes on individual examples of works of art.
- Critical Texts for C1: Period Study – The Renaissance in Italy (1420-1520) (Paper 2)
This document contains a list of critical texts and websites recommended by the exam board for Paper 2: Periods – C1 Invention and Illusion: The Renaissance in Italy (1420-1520).
- Critical Texts for C3: Period Study – The British and French Avant-Garde (1848-99) (Paper 2)
This document contains a list of critical texts and websites recommended by the exam board for Paper 2: Periods – C3 Rebellion and Revival: The British and French Avant-Garde (1848-99).
Although you have a textbook for this paper, it is vital that you consult some of these critical texts as you proceed through the course, making notes as you go. These texts will also be useful when you come to make notes on individual examples of works of art.
You should also make use of the extensive exam preparation material at the end of the course to help you to prepare for your final examination.
All the files required for your course are uploaded onto our Learning Management System, Canvas. Once you have read through this page and downloaded the Programme of Study (POS) then you are ready to begin the course.
The key course content is covered in 20 core modules, each of which has an assignment at the end of it. These modules will help you to get the most out of your textbook and set texts.
Module Twenty-One, at the end of the course, is focussed on revision and exam practice. It contains tips and tasks for you to work on once you have completed the course.
Each module is subdivided into topics so that you can study the course in manageable chunks. The topics contain the following elements, as appropriate:
- Read and Make Notes – these sections include the page references for reading and note-making from your textbook and set texts.
- Tasks – these sections identify activities and exercises that build up your core knowledge and understanding as you learn new material.
- Consolidate – these sections points you in the direction of online resources to help you consolidate and deepen your knowledge of key works in the modules.
- Links – throughout the course there are links to a range of resources that will enhance your understanding of key works of art and architecture, key concepts and your set texts.
- Stretch Activities – these sections encourage you to make visual analyses of important examples of works of art and buildings covered in the modules for your own notes.
- Top Tips – these sections include advice to help you make the most of what you have learnt and to help you approach your assignments and exams in the most effective way.
- Terminology – you will keep track of key linguistic terminology by making flashcards for revision as you progress through the course.
How Your Work is Assessed on the Course
Your progress will be assessed by completing an assignment at the end of each of the 20 core modules. We recommend that you do NOT look at the assignments until you've studied all the topics in the module. This will ensure that you focus on everything you need to know for the exam. If you focus only on what you need to know to do well in the assignment, you will miss important elements in each module that you need to know and understand.
The assignments have been designed to help you prepare for your final examination – many of the questions are based on past exam papers. Answering exam-style questions is crucial in developing your exam technique, understanding exactly what the examiner is looking for in each case and ensuring you are confident when you tackle the real exams. We do not expect you to complete your assignments without referring to your notes or textbook, however, we encourage you to rely less on these as you progress through the course. By your final assignment you should be able to work without reference to any additional notes.
Please be aware that any assignment that requires you to analyse a photograph of a work of art or building does not require any research into that example for the essay to be written; you are expected instead to answer the two parts of the question, focusing on what you can see in the photograph and can learn from the accompanying label, in light of the concerns of the rubric. You will want to deploy technical terms as appropriate and you may show awareness of general art historical knowledge like characteristics of style, but you do not need to know specific details about the work beyond the information given. These assignments are designed to prepare you for the Visual Analysis component of Paper 1, which is ‘unseen’. All others assignments require you to undertake some research or draw on your knowledge of specific examples from the modules and in these essays you can demonstrate considerable contextual knowledge as appropriate. Do please read the rubric for each assignment carefully. If you are asked to refer to works before and after a certain date, then you should do so. If you are asked to refer to critical texts (that is, books like the course textbook and set texts and other resources you have read), then you should do so.
The assignments allow you to think critically about what you have learned and will enable your tutor to see how well you are progressing. Your tutor will mark your assignments and provide you with detailed feedback. Once you have had your marked assignment returned, you will be able to access the mark scheme and/or a specimen answer (an A-grade piece of work). You should always reflect carefully on your tutor’s feedback and apply it in your future assignments.
You should read the assignment questions carefully and answer them to the best of your ability, providing relevant examples where necessary. If you don’t do well in your first assignment, don’t worry; your tutor is there to provide advice.
We ask that you do not submit multiple assignments at the same time. For you to see a steady improvement in your marks, it is very important that you reflect on your tutor’s feedback before beginning each new assignment, so that you can incorporate their tips for improvement into each new piece of work.
To get the best out of your course, before submitting each new assignment, you must:
- Complete all the reading, notes and activities in the preceding module;
- Read carefully through all of your tutor’s comments on your last assignment;
- Use the mark scheme and/or any exemplar or specimen answers provided to help you plan for the next assignment.
We cannot guarantee that tutors will be able to mark multiple assignments within 3-5 days and your work may be returned to you to complete again in light of more recent feedback.
All assignments are submitted via Canvas – you should consult the Canvas Guide for more information.
Optional Mock Exam Service
At the end of the course, you will have the chance to use our Optional Mock Examination Service to complete a full set of A Level History of Art exam papers. These must be completed under examination conditions and will be marked by your tutor. They provide a good opportunity for you to test your subject knowledge and exam technique so you are well prepared for the examinations.
When you study a Wolsey Hall course, you are never alone. There are lots of people who are willing to help you. Everyone is on your side!
- Tutors: At Wolsey Hall, all our tutors are friendly and knowledgeable. They are subject experts and you should not be shy about asking them questions about your course. You will meet your tutor at the start of your course and you should contact them via Canvas messaging if you have any questions.
- Student Progress Managers: You have already been assigned a Student Progress Manager who can help with your Assignment Schedule.
- Exams Officers: Wolsey Hall’s Exams Officers are here to help students with any queries regarding exam centres.
- Canvas Help Desk: Canvas is a great virtual learning environment, but we understand that sometimes, even the best things can go wrong! If you have any problems with Canvas (e.g. uploading assignments or unable to access resources) you should submit a Canvas Help Ticket.
For information about how to create and submit a Help Ticket, please refer to the Canvas Guide.
We hope you’ll enjoy your course and studying at Wolsey Hall. We wish you the best of luck in your studies and success in your examinations. Please do let us know how you get on when you receive your examination results!
The Wolsey Hall Team