How can we get round this problem in gcse art?

One of my GCSE art projects (many years ago) was based around my hands. My final piece was a sculpture. Could he maybe do something around his hands and how they relate to his identity?
Alternatively, I did a project where I photographed my face with light from below. Used tracing paper to draw around only the dark parts of the photograph and did a pop art style screen printing project.
I would never have used a clear picture of my fave but didn't mind this as it was so obscured.

How about he could explore an alter ego? He could look at artists who might do this...even comic book artists if that might appeal?

He might feel more comfortable with an abstract approach. I've noticed with my students self referential work seems to be harder for many of them with anxiety and various conditions. We tend to steer away from it nowadays.

DD is also studying GCSE Art. She's also working on the theme of identity.

some things she's done to get photos.

• put both hands over face with fingers spread (one on lower face; one on upper face)
• wearing a Covid face mask so you can pretty much only see eyes
• selfie in mirror (like they do on TikTok) so you can see mirror image of her face but partially obscured by phone.
• phone behind her taking a photo of the back of her head (she produced a tonal sketch of her head and hair)

Hope one of these may work for you.

Also, look at the artist Vilhelm Hammershoi - he did many paintings showing a figure from behind, eg www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hammershoi-interior-n04106

There are no set themes or artists that have to be studied, it's totally up to the teacher what is done on the course.

If I had a student like this, I'd offer the teacher that he could find images of icons, family members, people important to them. Either taken by him or by someone else, as if they're expected to have photos of themselves, then it can't be the photographs that are important as that assumes someone else takes them..
Portraits and having the whole class do the portrait is a great way of bring able to compare and rank order the work for a mock exam, but personally I'd rather set a personal project or a project where they choose from a number of themes for a mock exam, as this more closely mirrors the actual exam, component 2. The final piece only really covers about 2 of the assessment objectives, and drawing is only a tiny part of the course. It's not holistic in the way a proper project is, which is what the grade is based on.

However, with the year we've had, I'm not surprised they're going for something simple.

I'd ask exactly what criteria they're marking on, if it's observational skills, portraiture and working in a timed way, then a photo of anyone would do, can't see how it needs to be him.

Or, photos as a child/baby? Although this can be more difficult for proportion...babies faces are tricky.

Get a great big watermelon. Hold in front of his face...maybe with a hat on. Take photo. Paint in exam. Hommage to Magritte.

Would he be comfortable with photos taken of the back of him?

Portraits don't have to be front view or side on, or even have a face. I once had a conversation where I expressed surprise that I was able to identify someone from behind, who I had only met once or twice before. The person I was talking to said his wife had had her portrait painted by an artist who specialised in painting the back of people's heads and not their faces. It's quite an interesting phenomena to explore - how we can recognise people from all angles and not just from their faces.

Can he take a picture of his feet? Or his favourite shoes? Or dress a teddy in his favourite T-Shirt? Or get all of his favourite things together and arrange them in a creative way? This is what identifies him so should be allowed.

If it really has to be a photo of him, can he take a mirror into the exam? A SENCO might be able to make this accommodation if he has these issues with his own photograph?

How about he works towards a more abstract kind of portrait... footprints/ fingerprints/ etc

I wonder why gcse art has had this same brief for like 20+ years given that teenagers hated it then and hate it now ?!
Photo of reflection in a distorting mirror or other contorting reflective surface?
Photo with face covered?
Photo on full face paint?
Could be anything.

Could he use a photo of his younger self/toddler age?

Take it from side or back of head, items which interest him? The finished work does not need to be literal portrait.

Ps re a final mark, everything for Component 1 gets marked together holistically using 4 assessment objectives. So it does go towards the “final” mark, but as part of a project.

nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/still-life-self-portrait-frances-hodgkins

The teacher could change the brief, that hasn’t been set by AQA. It sounds like a school set C1 mock exam theme. (I teach AQA art too.)
Could he draw something that represents him? The teacher needs to be flexible due to his ASD. (My yr 10s are doing a mock soon and all their themes are different, as are their outcomes!)

Could he use a photo of himself when he was a baby, toddler, young child etc?

Also does he have any Access Arrangements authorised officially? If so the SENCO will know and it may be that his AA can be considered. As it’s Mocks the school can literally do what they want so it’s fully up to them.

Could he use someone else’s face? A closed eye, hands over face etc. The art would still be the same.

No a mock won’t count unless we have assessed grades next year and who knows if that’ll happen. So it could be important.

As it’s a mock exam it’s entirely up to the school how they structure it. It is not externally modified nor is it governed by AQA.

You need to talk to the SENCO and head of curriculum at your school.

In terms of “getting around it” what he needs to do is explain the photo he wants to take rather than take a photo with a conventional explanation. So he could take a photo with his face covered either physically (hold a magazine in front of it) or digitally manipulated and write some waffle about how tribal identity in youth culture both celebrates and erases individuality. He can distort his face with pretty much the same explanation. Or he recreates a face using objects that he can pretend are part of his identity. It could be anything.

I’m wondering that should say. No clue where the drink came from

I’m so drink if school are going their own assessments and following guidance that students need to be assessed on the sand pieces of work. Therefore assigning a theme as it were. If they are they have misunderstood how things are to be assessed. Parents can ring AQA too OP. There’s an option on the main number if you’re a parent.