Yes, Year 9 students are allowed to focus on Photography for their IGCSE Art & Design course and it is not too late to start.
Do you love taking photographs and playing around with the images?
IGCSE Photography is for creative students who love photography and image manipulation. The photography coursework requirements are the same as the IGCSE Art.
This image was awarded 1st place in the Youth Section at the Huntly Artz Festival in 2012. (Credit: Photography by Melissa Kelsey, ACG Strathallan. NZ. From www.studentartguide.com)
These coursework pages are excellent examples of how to approach a project in a riveting and original way: combining local imagery to create breathtaking fantasy scenes.
Students are required to research photographers and develop their own ideas. They will learn how to experiment with cameras, studio lighting and editing. They are required to have an entry level SLR camera with a standard 18-55 camera and access to a colour printer.
Candidates are taught how to use traditional and new media processes to produce outcomes such as photomontage, printed photography, and digital photography. Their photographic artworks will be in colour and black & white.
The Photography curriculum guides students in responding to the influences and characteristics of the world around them in creating photographic artworks. They explore the traditional and contemporary genres of photography and a range of techniques.
The curriculum includes the study of:
- Shutter speeds
- Aperture
- ISO
- Exposure
- Depth of field
- F-stop
- Digital editing and postproduction with Photoshop
All Art Photography candidates complete two components:
Component 1
This coursework is completed in Year 9 and 10 and counts 50% of their total mark. There are two parts to the coursework:
- a portfolio and
- a final outcome.
Component 2
This component is done in exam sessions in a total of 8 hours. Component 2 is completed in the third term of Year 10 and counts 50% of their total mark.
The four Cambridge assessment objectives count 25% each.
The Assessment Objectives (AOs) are:
- Record, 25%: Record ideas, observations, and insights relevant to intentions as work progresses.
- Explore, 25%: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques, and processes.
- Develop, 25%: Develop ideas through investigation, demonstrating critical understanding.
- Present, 25%: Present a personal and coherent response that realises intentions and demonstrates an understanding of visual language.
Riaan Vosloo
IGCSE, AS and A Level Art and Design Teacher
