Moving from GCSE to A level in Art and Graphic design

[kilmuir]

Daughter is predicted A/ A* at GCSE for graphic design and Art. She needs to have A level or level 3 in these to get on college course. How big a jump is it to A level

This mightn't be exactly what you're asking, but is the college course she's talking about a Foundation Diploma in Art? And then she would go on to university to do a degree?

If so, is she aware that is she goes on to do a BTEC national diploma at instead of A levels, she wouldn't need to do the foundation diploma before going to university?

DD had a B in Art GCSE but felt she was a lot better than this. I agreed with her because her Art GCSE teaching was non existent. Lots of experimentation and no technique. She changed schools for A level and we chose one with a strong record in Arts subjects. There she flourished with fantastic teaching and got an A at A level Art. The key, therefore, is the quality of teaching. It is not a big jump if you are super talented. If you have to work on technique, like my DD, it is seriously hard. I am proud that she knuckled down and did it.

She went straight onto a degree at the University of the Arts, London. However, depending what degree, a foundation is often the best way in, especially if you do it at the institution where you wish to take the degree. Most Art based degrees have several ways to access them, but going to an open day gives you the best, specific, information for the course she wants but A level to degree is perfectly possible and the course will specify grades if they take A level students. The portfolio is the big thing though and many students use their foundation to put this together. My DD did it at school and it was very, very, time consuming. You have to be dedicated to do it!

The portfolio is the big thing though and many students use their foundation to put this together.

This is really the only reason to do a foundation. Doing a btech enables you to skip that stage if you want. Definitely go to open days to see which is the best route. Don't assume a levels plus foundation is the only route. If your daughter wants to work as an artist or designer (rather than a teacher) then she may find the A level syllabus is a bit old fashioned and lacks commercial focus. Same with photography.

My daughter didn't choose GCSE Art. However, she decided overnight at 15 that she wanted to follow an art discipline as a career! She managed to create a portfolio of work in her own time and was offered a place to study BTEC Level 3 at a College of Art. She completed this with the maximum grade (as triple distinction star) and was offered an unconditional place on a competitive Uni course in February, many months before she finished the BTEC.

If she can, I am very sure an able artist would manage the transition!

I also concur with the previous poster that mentions BTEC versus A level. For Art degrees, the entrance UCAS points might be considered relatively low. That is because the main hurdle to being offered a place is the interview and portfolio - my daughter received interview invites for all her applications and the shortest interview was 30 minutes. BTEC - being full time Art. allows the candidates to have the quantity of quality work needed to go through this process but A level does not necessarily. Some Unis will take students straight from A level but some ask for a foundation course to be completed first, so bear that in mind.

I think it probably depends on the student. My daughter was C grade across the board profile so was better suited to BTEC anyway. If she had been an A* GCSE student then I might have said it would be better to go the A level route and add on a foundation year if necessary as that extra two years of academic study would perhaps give the student the better overall education at the end of the day.