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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

GSCE Art yr 10 work load HUGE !

22 replies

Lambethlady · 17/03/2015 23:09

DS spent every night for at least 3 weeks prepping his Art project for a mock practice. Only yr 10 when does it end ! What is the balance, he has 11 other subjects ! Help!

OP posts:

hellsbells99 · 17/03/2015 23:15

Been there, seen it, got the t-shirt....
DD1 spent more time on art than all the rest of her subjects put together.
She has not taken it to A level!
The art teacher did keep telling her it didn't matter if pieces didn't get completed as long as what she did was to a high standard. But DD was a perfectionist when it came to art.
Try and keep a tight rein on how much time he spends on it and make sure the other subjects do not get neglected.

Alonglongway · 17/03/2015 23:17

Yes Ive withdrawn DD from textiles for exactly that reason. She loves textiles but couldnt manage the workload in among the rest and it was making her totally miserable. She does private study in the formal lesson time now and textiles for pleasure in the enrichment time

Sorry - possibly not the answer you were looking for but you have my sympathy

DoctorDonnaNoble · 18/03/2015 06:43

All GCSEs are not equal. The more 'creative' ones (at our school Tech, Art and Music) seem to have a heavier work load.

LikeIcan · 18/03/2015 06:54

Yep. My ds in exactly the same boat.
Tbh, unless you're absolutely brilliant at the subject ( which ds isn't ) & it really inspires you, then it really is hard work.

But he'll just have to get on with it now ( we did warn him it wouldn't be easy )

bermudashorts · 18/03/2015 09:18

We have lived GCSE Art and are currently living AS Level Art! The work load is huge. Gallery visits and attending Exhibitions are time consuming too.

PeaceOfWildThings · 18/03/2015 09:24

Yes, our artistic DC is always doing some art project or another. But then always has done! Probably not doing the A level.

Chopchopbusybusy · 18/03/2015 09:45

Both my DDs did art GCSE. DD2 is currently doing A2. It's definitely not the easy option.

Needmoresleep · 18/03/2015 11:18

DD did GCSE art. She loved it but it really dominated Yrs 10 and 11. Amongst other things it is really hard to get a top grade, something she might have done had she chosen another option.

Advice:

Keep on top of the course work.
Don't do AS!

fortifiedwithtea · 18/03/2015 11:38

Been there. DD1 took GCSE Art. The amount of work is so disproportional to the other subjects. I foolishly encouraged her to do art as I thought it would be relaxing and its not a subject you revise for, you either have the talent for it or you don't.

Its not true you can leave bits out. DD1 had bits missing from her course work as I had to nag endlessly for her to do the work. She did the bear minimum and that was still a lot. She was expected to get an A*, she got an A.

I put my foot down, she was not to do Art at A level. I couldn't have coped with the stress and I told her I was not prepared to nag for another 2 years.

switchitoff · 18/03/2015 11:49

I agree with all the others. I foolishly encouraged my DS to do Art GCSE, thinking it would be a nice counter-balance to all the other academic subjects. What a mistake! It's not just the massive amount of pieces they have to produce themselves, but also all the "critical studies" i.e. investigating other artists and writing about them, that eats into the time.

DS is coming to the end of Y11 and I will be delighted when it's over. Such a shame - the way it's structured now just sucks all the joy out of it.

FozzieMK · 18/03/2015 13:34

I remember the nightmare friends of my eldest DD encountered with GCSE Art and one of them telling me that they wished they had never chosen it. My youngest didn't even entertain it for her GCSE choices for this very reason :)

Runningtokeepstill · 18/03/2015 14:39

Yes, the workload is massive. My middle ds was regularly up until 5.00 am finishing work - but he is also a perfectionist and wants to work in illustration so it was worth it for him. I think it did impact on some other subjects as he dropped a grade from his predictions in a couple of exams.

For him it has all worked out well. He is currently finishing the final year of his Btec and not having to cope with other subjects (as he would if he'd done A level) has made the workload more manageable. He's got an offer for the Uni of his choice to study Illustration next year and is very happy with his choices. However, if someone just quite likes Art but doesn't want to take it further, it may not be the best GCSE option.

bigTillyMint · 18/03/2015 15:05

Yep!
It is a heavy workload, but obviously not as academically challenging as say Maths - DD probably ends up spending a similar amount of time as she needs to do lots of maths practice!

DD (Y11) spends a lot of time on hers, but does seem to enjoy it too. Their teacher is very organised and ensures that they keep up with all the bits they have to do as if you don't keep up, it would be a nightmare! The 3-day final practical exam is looming...

Needmoresleep · 18/03/2015 15:18

The big difference though Tilly, is that maths, like languages, can be done on the bus home. Art cannot, so really eats into your weekend.

Lancelottie · 18/03/2015 15:24

Well, not unless you decide to illustrate the pressures facing teenagers today by life-drawing of other anxious students on the bus, with shaky linework as a reflection of speedbumps the rough times in their lives, Needmoresleep!

Or as DS might have done choose an artist who liked to work with the chancy nature of 'found' objects to inject an element of total bullshit refreshing unpreparedness into the final outcome, rather than preparing every detail in advance...

Marlinspike · 18/03/2015 15:26

Oh yes, I feel your pain! DD was grounded all over the Easter hols in her GCSE year (illicit party at home; carpets still showing the evidence...need I say more?), and that was a godsend in a way, as she spent the whole holiday (and I mean all day, every day) getting her portfolio up to scratch and preparing for the exam piece. And it was a family effort, as I was put to task cutting up bits for the exam piece, which included some decoupage. I thought her work was excellent, both in terms of the extent of her portfolio and the quality of her pieces, and she ended up with an A, because she hadn't done enough work for the A*! Bonkers!

Needless to say she steered well clear for A levels - such a shame, she had lost of aptitude, but committing the time for a top grade wouldn't have been feasible what with eating / sleeping / working and all!

perrycourt · 18/03/2015 16:14

this is interesting as my dd is year 9 and I've just encouraged her to do Graphic art as a 'relaxation' from academic subjects!! assuming this also has heavy workload??

choccyp1g · 18/03/2015 16:23

When did it change? I did O level Art in the 70s and it was a complete doss, got a 2 which would be an A now, and I am not particularly good at drawing or anything. We had no course work, no art analysis.. just a few completed pieces under exam conditions.

dottygamekeeper · 18/03/2015 16:25

My DS did GCSE Art and GCSE Textiles - he ended up with A*s in both, but the workload was tremendous, much more than for any of the rest of his subjects. He started off doing AS Art and AS Textiles - he ended up dropping the Art in favour of Geography (in hindsight he should have dropped French and kept on with Art but thats another story). He achieved 100% in both elements of his AS Textiles and is hoping to do well at A2 as he is aiming for a career in Design but it still takes up a proportionately huge amount of his time.

Ironically, he has a place to do a Foundation course, and all they require is that he pass some A levels - no grade expectations it is all on portfolio from now on really.

Unless they see Art as a career, I would be encouraging less time spent on the art and more on the other subjects - my DD also took Art at GCSE and Resistant Materials (which was a lot less time consuming), spent a lot less time on them, but still got A grades.In the long run her art grades will be pretty irrelevant for her as she is doing Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry with a view to doing Maths &/Science as a degree.

bigTillyMint · 18/03/2015 16:25

Needmoresleep, I dint think DD has ever attempted to do any homework on the bus - way too busy on a crowded London bus and she has to change twice!

Anyway, she obviously doesn't mind too much as she has put it down as a potential A level next year!

bigTillyMint · 18/03/2015 16:27

Wow dotty, 100%! He must be seriously talented

Hulahaha · 18/03/2015 18:38

My DD did art last year - her A* was gained at the expense of other more preferable subjects . Although I sm proud of her achievement -I wish I had told her to stop working so hard on I and concentrate on her other subjects . Apparently the more books you fill well , the better the mark . None of my other DC will be attempting it !

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