GCSE Art and Design
The whole GCSE is NEA, and every pathway expects learners to experiment with digital technologies alongside traditional media, which is assessed through AO2. Digital demand is pathway dependent: it is high in Photography and Graphic communication (camera work, image editing, moving image, motion graphics, typography) and in Three-dimensional design (computer-aided design), and lighter in Fine art. The single biggest thing KS3 should build is confident, purposeful digital image making and editing, with pupils saving and annotating their development so it can become a digital portfolio.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Level 1 and Level 2
- First taught
- September 2025
- Amount of digital work
- Medium
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Portfolio: Non-examination assessment, internally set, marked by centres and moderated by WJEC, 60%, 120 marks
- Unit 2: Externally Set Assignment: Non-examination assessment, preparatory study plus 10 hours sustained focus, 40%, 80 marks
Skills that use Health and well-being
-
Taking and editing digital photographs
The Photography pathway is defined by creating still or moving images, including digitally, and Fine art lists lens based media. Learners must control camera operation and develop a visual language through their images.
DCF: Creating digital content, Digital rights, licensing and ownership, Identity, image and reputation, Online behaviour and online bullying, Health and well-being
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils use iPads to take close-up texture photographs around the school, then crop and adjust brightness and contrast to choose their best three.
- Year 8
- Pupils recreate a portrait photographer's lighting with a phone and a desk lamp, edit the image, and compare the edited and unedited versions.
- Year 9
- Pupils shoot a short photo series on a theme, discuss when editing becomes misleading, and check that no location data or faces of others are shared without permission.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Photography pathway, page 11; Fine art pathway, page 8
“creating static or moving images by recording light with light-sensitive materials such as photographic film or digitally by means of an image sensor”
Progression step 3
I can use a range of software to select, produce and edit a range of multimedia components for a purpose, such as:
- text and images, e.g. format text (bold, underline, italics, highlight); insert and edit text boxes; columns; use refine tools (spellchecker, find and replace); word wrap; crop; alter size and shape; alter images; add effects; trim and split sound and video clips; transitions; onion skin
- presentation, e.g. page orientation; animations; transitions; remove and alter images; use background; use action buttons to create hyperlink; embed objects.
I can understand that images can be edited digitally and can discuss rights and permissions associated with this.
I can think critically about information shared online, e.g. the impact of sharing images and videos, metadata of images and videos.
Progression step 4
I can select and use a variety of appropriate software, tools and techniques to create, modify and combine multimedia components for a range of audiences and purposes, such as:
- text and images, e.g. explore and use effectively image manipulation techniques; explore and use appropriately the many aspects of document layout; use animation, video and audio effects such as echo, tempo, envelope, layering, frame rate, key frames
- presentation, e.g. use design tools; adapt themes and colours to suit the purpose; create master templates.
I can understand that photographs, locations and tags can be tracked and can make informed decisions accordingly.
Progression step 5
I can use a variety of software, tools and techniques to create a professional, individual or collaborative project outcome incorporating a range of multimedia components.
I can think critically about the different purposes and contexts of digital image editing, e.g. explore the benefits and negative points of photograph manipulation, evaluate digitally edited images in terms of context and purpose.
Good to know
- Digital work is pathway dependent, not compulsory: the spec lists use of digital technology "as appropriate to the chosen pathway" (page 17) and marks Data and Computational Thinking as "Pathway dependent" (page 23).
- Fine art "offers a choice of traditional and digital media and processes" (page 8), so a learner can complete it with little digital work.
- Presentation format is open: "There is no restriction on content, format or scale of work" and a digital portfolio is one option among sketchbooks, display sheets and exhibitions (page 19).
- Unit 2 Part 2, the 10-hour sustained focus period, "must be undertaken with direct supervision" and learners can use "resources and/preparatory notes produced in Part 1 only" (page 20), so digital files and devices must be controlled.
- "Only work produced during the preparatory period can be used and taken forward to Part 2" (page 20).
- Submitted work must be the learner's own and "should be stored securely after submission" (page 19), which applies to digital portfolios as well as physical work.
Links with other qualifications
CAD and digital textiles overlap with Design and Technology, and photography, moving image and sound layering overlap with Film and Digital Media and Digital Technology.
Source: WJEC GCSE Art and Design specification, teaching from 2025, for award from 2027 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2024).