AS/A Level GCE (for first teaching in 2008) Art and Design Suite - H160-H166 and H560-H566

FAQs

Please find below the most frequently asked questions for this qualification. If you have a question that is not answered here or elsewhere on the website please contact the OCR Customer Contact Centre.

Your regional Customer Support Manager is on hand to provide continued support, advice and guidance on what is happening with A Levels from an OCR prospective. This can include, an overview of our assessment approach or signposting to support and training to help you progress with our new A levels. To arrange a support call or visit, please email 14-19alevels@ocr.org.uk.

A. This specification has reduced from six units to four. In doing so we have taken the opportunity to modernise the specification.
There is now a coursework unit and an examined unit at AS and A2 level. The starting point(s) for the coursework units are still to be determined by the centres and the examined units run from an early release question paper (issued based on provisional entries for these units).
The qualification still offers choice and flexibility. Centres can use it to work to both their and their candidates strengths.

Question papers - There are now five sections in each of the question papers with more choice available and images are also used. The question papers for AS and A2 will now be different and they will be available to all endorsements. This means that for Critical & Contextual Studies there will no longer be two separate and different question papers.

A. The Assessment Criteria is out of 100 and covers four Assessment Objectives. The two AS units share the same Assessment Criteria and the two A2 units same the same Assessment Criteria. There is differing emphasis on certain Assessment Objectives at AS and A2.
All units are to be internally marked by the centre and then moderated by an OCR visiting moderator - the same process as currently happens. The moderation process will still be done by unit and by endorsement.
The new specification will only have one assessment session - this will be the Summer/June session - the January session will not be available for assessment purposes.

A. Yes the same endorsements are offered - however Graphic Design is know Graphic Communication and Textiles is know called Textile Design. Candidates are free to choose an unendorsed or an endorsed route and they are able to take more than one Art and Design GCE course. Some of the specialisms available for endorsements have been changed to fit QCA requirements and take into account developments within the subject.

A. Training - OCR offers a full range of INSET courses for both new and experienced teachers. There will be specific INSET available dealing with this new specification.
Resources - Exemplar work for all elements of the specification will be provided.
Website - View the Art and Design qualification section on the OCR website which has links for each endorsement and the Art and Design e-community members website.
Sample Assessment Material - Specimen question papers for the AS and A2 examined units will be available.
Teacher Guidance - A detailed Teacher's Guide will be produced and updated annually.

A. Yes. In response to centre demand, OCR will be publishing past papers for live specifications on the OCR website. These will be free of charge. Question papers from the June 2008 series will be available to download from OCR Interchange only. Further details are available from OCR Interchange.

A. OCR is working in partnership with individual publishers for different subject groups. Comprehensive resources are being developed by these Publishing Partners and others to support the specification and complement the support available from OCR. For details of our partners view the support page.

A. Schemes of work and lesson plans can be downloaded from the OCR website. The materials are available in fixed PDF format, for reference purposes, and also in Word format, so that teachers can adapt the materials for their own use.