What are Assessment Objectives?

Your work will be marked against four different Assessment Objectives (AO) to ensure that you are developing the full range of skills and knowledge required for your Art and Design International GCSE.

AO1 - Develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating critical understanding of sources.
AO2 - Refine work by exploring ideas, selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes.
AO3 - Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions as work progresses.
AO4 - Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language.

Each of these assessment criterion is worth 25% of the marks available across the two components.

Assessment Objectives: the Detail

AO1: Develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating critical understanding of sources

AO1 is about developing ideas from a starting point to a final piece. You can do this by:

mind-mapping and making drawings and sketches and mood boards;
artists studies linked to your theme;
taking photographs;
collecting images;
annotating your ideas.

AO2: Refine work by exploring ideas, selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes

AO2 is about exploring and experimenting with materials and techniques linked to your theme and artists studies. You can do this by:

trying different techniques;
showing your experiments with materials;
evaluating and annotating your experiments.

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions as work progresses

AO3 is about recording your ideas. You can do this by:

presenting your collected images to show your inspiration;
making mind-maps, mood boards, drawings and sketches;
showing photographs and your experiments with materials and media;
annotating your work and explaining how each piece links to your chosen theme.

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language

AO4 is about presenting your personal, unique, informed/explored response to your chosen theme. You can do this by:

planning for your final design;
practicing your final piece until you are happy that it shows your best work and links to all your development studies;
creating your final work as a drawing, painting, print, sculpture, or mixed media piece.