Our Lady's Abingdon

Overview of the Art & Design – Textiles Design curriculum at OLA

Awarding Body – OCR

Specification code: J174

Overview:

Art & Design – Textile Design, is an exciting course that allows pupils to develop upon the skills they have already begun to acquire during Key Stage 3. They will have the opportunity to be creative and develop a range of designs and products using fabrics.

Pupils will foster a deeper understanding of fibres, yarns and fabrics through the application of a wide range of techniques and processes. They will explore the work of both historical and contemporary textile designers and artists, and analyse their work to inspire their own ideas.

Throughout their work pupils will constantly evaluate their processes and refine their concepts as their project develops.

The course provides pupils with the option to look at the following areas of Textile Design:

• Constructed textiles

• Digital textiles

• Dyed fabrics

• Printed fabrics

• Fashion design

• Installed textiles

• Soft furnishings

• Stitched and/or embellished textiles

Currently we explore the areas highlighted in bold, however this is not exclusive and pupils are able to develop their own projects in any direction they deem appropriate.

There are also a number of core activities that are explored throughout the course. Pupils will use drawing as a tool to present their ideas, however this can take the form of fashion sketches (using body templates) stitched sketches, digital sketches or collage. The course does not require you to be an outstanding artist.

Assessment

OCR’s GCSE (9–1) in Art and Design consists of two components.

Component 01:

Pupils must produce work in response to centre or a learner-set starting point, brief, scenario or stimulus and carry out a portfolio of practical work based on this brief. This work will be presented as a portfolio and will comprise of a selection of the pupil’s best work from various projects over the two-year course.
This component is a non-exam assessment (NEA). It is internally assessed and externally moderated using the marking criteria set out by the exam board. This component is marked out of 120 marks and contributes 60% to the overall weighting of OCR’s GCSE (9–1) in Art and Design – Textiles Design.

Component 02:

This is an externally set task – an early release paper will be issued to all pupils on 2 January in the year of certification.

Pupils will be provided with five themes each with written and visual starting points or stimuli. From these, one option must be selected by each pupil and they will then use this theme as basis for their personal response.

Pupils will have a number of weeks to prepare for the externally set task, this will be completed in a 10-hour supervised practical exam in the spring. The externally set task is internally assessed and then externally moderated using the marking criteria set out by the exam board.

This component is marked out of 80 marks and contributes 40% to the overall weighting of OCR’s GCSE (9–1) in Art and Design – Textiles Design.