Is this level of GCSE Art homework normal at secondary school?

My daughter did GCSE Art and it was constant work and her room was just a mass of art work (she also did Graphic Design). She has dyslexia and struggled with all the writing and analysing but did get a 9. To get a top grade you definitely have to work outside of school to build your portfolio but also use other sources to critique your work or show how you took inspiration from something. If you draw an apple, for example, you need to redraw it in different mediums and then analyse it and compare styles to other artists. Every little sketch and bit of planning needs to be included and analysed in sketch books. It doesn’t matter how good you are at art, they mark on reflection and analysis. My daughter left a lot of the writing out and really had to work hard in year 11 to catch up. Little and often makes it easier to cope.

Why not ask the tutor? Most of them appreciate sensible questions from parents and it’s probably better to check now (but ask DD first of course).

I think you are expecting the teacher to set 'homework', when the reality with art is that she just needs to be doing lots of art, at home. Experiments, sketches, rough idea, all needs to be in the book. Maybe take her to a gallery to find an artist who she loves, and she can start to explore that.

This is my experience of art gcse as well. The workload for my DD was insane. She would spend days drawing seemingly the same things. And the endless annotation FFS.

I think all art subjects are like that tbh.

Some people take design subjects as an easy win. As someone who works in a creative job this always makes me laugh because good design takes forever and its never 'finished' until you (or your client) decide it is.

My DD did art GCSE and is now doing a level. There has to be a passion in it as the home work is relentless. She doesn't see it as a chore or homework as she has the passion for art and gladly sits all day doing it. Whenever she is not doing her other two subjects she is doing some sort of art work/portfolio work/research etc. it really is not a subject to be taken lightly.

Our’s did GCSE and is now doing A’level and there’s been a huge amount done outside of class. The amount of homework is almost the same as the other subjects combined.
Their art teacher did warn, prior to making subject choices, that in their experience if you want to get the grades you have to put the hours in to build the portfolio (it was all very passionate).

What year is your DD? Is she staying late to complete work at school?

I think the homework is a red herring. Mine is doing art textiles, has her exam this week and They tend to set a a topic /piece of work that spans weeks and the expectation is you spend a lot of time on it researching drafting planning and then doing it. i suppose you could have it done in an hour rather than ten if you wanted to? You are getting higher marks for detail, working at greater depth I think.

Mine are mostly finishing stuff at home that's set in class, they can't do their mock/exam pieces at home but portfolio stuff they can, it did ramp up in yr11 finishing off any bits they missed, ours start GCSEs in yr9 so may have longer than those that don't start till yr10.

Mine did it a while back, got 8 or 9. She did quite a bit at home. But until recently I worked at the school and covered lots of art. The art rooms were open at lunch and after school for work, after Christmas pe wasnt a thing so students could catch up on lots of work in all subjects. BUT sketchbooks did not go home. They could take loose work home, but there was too much if a risk of losing two years work. If you're worried contact her art teacher.

My DD is in year 9 and doing Graphics GCSE (basically art). They start GCSE's a year early at her school, her Y9 sketchbook is included in her grade.

She spends about 5 hours a week doing homework, which is typically one double page spread in her A3 book, something along the lines of an artist research page (but which includes her doing a lot of her own artwork).

She says they are given the opportunity to work on it in class but she never gets anything done because there are too many distractions and she doesn't have the right equipment. I think she just prefers to use her own paint/pens/pencils etc and doesn't take them into school because they'd get stolen/lost, and her bags are so heavy as it is (she walks 45 minutes each way.

DD is a perfectionist, so I'm sure it's quite possible to spend less time on the work or to get a lot more done at school, but I do think it's typical to have quite a bit of work to do at home each week.

Both tbh. She did a lot at home, especially during A Levels as there’s no way she could have fulfilled all the content she needed to in the 5 hours at school a week for Art

Are you sure your DD has understood the instructions? Art often doesn't have set homework per se, but they have to fulfil the broad requirements for the assessment. There is usually a lot of work to be done to fill the portfolio in the way expected.

I had 2 DC do GSCE Art.
DS always did loads at home..but he was slow. He spent hours on it. And the bloody sketch books argh...
DD was not really that pushed until the run up to the exam in year 11, I remember days of driving around so she could photograph stuff! Other than that she did it mostly at school.
DS got a 9, A star at A level and is on track for a 1st in his Fine Art degree.
DD got an 8 and didnt takw Art any futher.
Both approaches can work!
I would not worry and enjoy this time!

My sister did art GCSE and I think the workload was quite heavy. But that was nothing compared to the workload when she did a degree in illustration. It was absolutely ridiculous. She had far more work than I did and I was doing nursing!

Mine did art at GCSE and A Level, and then went on to do it at uni, and I agree that the level of work really ramps up in years 11/13 as deadlines loomed. There’s also a lot more writing than I think students realise when they take the subject, which can be just as time consuming as the creative side.

No message just a hello from a newbie

Some kids are a lot faster than others. My daughter's friend is super quick doing her sketchbook and is always way ahead of others. Maybe your daughter is just very fast and efficient at school?

My daughter is in Y11 and Art has been her favourite GCSE. Nowhere near as bad work wise as people say.

Is she in Year 10? My daughter spent hours and hours on Art GCSE but the volume of work did ramp up in Year 11. I suspect she may have done too much though :)

We were told as a rule of thumb that if you worked consistently in lessons and attended both of the after school sessions (1.5 hours each) that you could probably get away without doing too much at home. So sounds like your school has the same approach. (DD preferred to work at home; partly because her work featured embroidery so she did in front of the tv).

My DD did art many years ago, there was alot of work, people who think its an easy subject are wrong. She had to work very hard its not just doing an odd painting. There were many sketchbooks to be honest it was a nightmare, but she went on to a uni degree in fine art and really enjoyed it.

My DD did art GCSE (and A level and now at art collage) and I would say there's no way you can get a high grade just working at school. My DD got a 9 and kept saturday as her art day - she would literally spend a full day working on her portfolio and that was in addition to in school work & homework.