igcse art coursework topics

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Art Themes to Explore in GCSE & iGCSE

If you are looking for art themes to explore in GCSE or iGCSE lessons, the huge list below is a great starting point.  Thank you to art teacher Annie Chapman who started this list and to other teachers for making suggestions which I’ve added.  I also have an ‘ Artists Listed by Theme ‘ page, which lists lots of artists under a huge range of themes. Some words link to art teaching resources on this website.

Aboriginal and native art

Abandoned places

Advertising/Consumption and consumerism, Rich world vs Poor world

Ageing, old and new, decay and change

Art & Words

Beauty.The beauty myth, Self-image

Beautiful vs Ugly

Book illustration and text

Casting Shadows

Colour and mood

Carnival and Celebration

Culture Patterns, objects, traditions:  eg: Africa, Asia. Japan

Collections

Dream/ Surrealism

Design eg. clothes/ shoes /campaign poster

Depression/Fragility

Fear and Nightmares Environment

Faces and features

From natural to abstraction

Fragile things

Flowers and plants

Game Design

Graffiti/murals/Protest messages

Insects/butterflies in nature

In The News

Impressionism /light in painting

Illustrate a story

Landscapes of the mind, loneliness, loss

Magnification and macro

Mirrors/reflection

Money /inequality

Metamorphosis/change

Myths and Legends/Magic

Natural Forms

Out of Place

Ordinary vs extraordinary

Pattern eg. patterns in nature/repeat patterns/rotational patterns

Planets/Save the planet/Space

Pop Art and Comics

Rich world-vs-poor world

Reflections

Realism/Surrealism

Refugees/War

Stories and storytelling

Seven Deadly Sins

Self-portrait

Secrets/a secret place

Time and Space

Time-lapse/freeze frame/movement

Transformation

Tropical vegetation/Jungles

Trash and/or treasure

Through a Window

Ugly/beautiful

Under water

Vegetables and Fruit

Washed-up, things found on a beach

World within a world

Women in Art

Zoom-in/Close-up

This website is for art teachers.  I’m pleased that art students also enjoy it, but I am not able to respond to individual students who want help with ideas for their GCSE projects.

Please comment below if you have more art themes to explore in GCSE & iGCSE lessons and I will add them.

There is also a fantastic list of artists listed by theme on The Arty Teacher.  Click the link below to find out more.

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The Arty Teacher

Sarah Crowther is The Arty Teacher. She is a high school art teacher in the North West of England. She strives to share her enthusiasm for art by providing art teachers around the globe with high-quality resources and by sharing her expertise through this blog.

95 responses to “Art Themes to Explore in GCSE & iGCSE”

Hello arty teacher, I am grateful for your website, I’m an Igcse student and I was wondering whether it is ideal to have small sub-themes per prep for my Igcse especially if all the sub-themes are under the same main theme.

I’m unable to give individual advice due to the number of email I recieve, but you may find this useful: https://theartyteacher.com/is-this-a-good-theme-for-art-gcse-or-igcse/

Hi arty teacher! I have two art topics and I’m kind of stuck about which one to choose… the topics are Light/ Reflections or Home/Family. I think I’m more stuck because I don’t quite know what subtopics that I can explore under each title. Could you possibly give me some advice?

Hi Amiran, Thanks for your comment. Those two topics really are very different but full of potential. The best advice I can give you is to create a mindmap for each. You could see what you think of and also ask your friends and family what they think of when you say those themes. The word ‘ideas’ appears in 3 of the assessment objectives, so showing that you can come up with lots of ideas it a great help when your teachers assess your work.

so um, my theme is “Connection”, but honestly i dont really have a solid story. when i search up artworks of connection, its mostly just artworks consisting of hands, sometimes abstract stuff, and well humans. dont get me wrong, i am in awe when i see those artworks, and i can totally see the connection that’s being displayed there. but i think my art style is more of like of “Hassane art” or “Efrain Malo’s pencil sketches”. (you can search those up, basically more leaning towards simple and not abstract.)

but, is there a way where i could display connection without humans? like connection with certain objects, or places. im not really sure how to display connection in those kinds of things, since if id try to draw it, it would just be a random object/place, you know what i mean? and plus, i have to gather a bunch of different primary resources for the project, and in my opinion i dont think drawing humans all the time would be that sustainable. all the different precise proportions would make me overwhelmedd!!!

you can ask me more questions if you want to, i really dont mind. but pleasee tell me if you have some kind of stories or ideas that i can link, or i guess “connect” between my theme and my artworks. thats basically it, thank you!!

There are many things you could look at that represent connections that don’t involve humans. For example: religious or politcal connections tie people together, beliefs connect, physical connections such as bridges, planes connect countries and people, stitches connect pieces of material, stars are connected in constellations, animals are connected by genus, trees are connects by their roots in the soil, there are lots of connections in math.

Can you help me brainstorm a new architecture art gcse theme. My original theme was called ‘deconstruct’ based on the deconstructivist movement of architecture which valued creativity and experimentation and emphasized breaking down the fundamentals of architecture. However, i am in the middle of my mini-finals and have gotten out of topic. One of my projects featured uneven and scattered buildings; the other was inspired by mandarin calligraphy.

I want a theme which can easily be built upon for future mini-finals but also unique and insightful. Thanks.

I love deconstructivist architecture – I can see why this has made a good project in the past. I’m also a fan of brutalist archecture, with it’s angular, minimalist, concrete style. Is that something you could explore? It was often built for social housing, so there could be meaningful conversations there. It is also connected with ‘Art Brut’, so there are lots of possibilites for research and individual responses.

Hello Arty Teacher! Thank you for your suggestions. I’m taking over IGCSE art next year and the students I am teaching are quite literal and struggle with using their imagination. I really want to teach them to step outside of their comfort zone and be creative. However, I’m worried I’ll confused them too much. Do you think the project title “once upon a time.” Is a good starter project to introduce igcse? After this, I was thinking about doing altered nature or identity for their actual component 1 coursework.

Hi Chloe, Thanks for your question. ‘Once upon a time’ makes everyone think of childrens stories. I think you would have to have ways to interpret it much more broadly and creatively than that. If you did, and those ideas made your students think laterally and creatively, or taught them to do so, then it sounds like a good idea. I love identity as a theme for students of that age. It’s easy to find many artists who have explored it in a huge variety of ways. I also love natural forms – so many possibilites. I hope you have discoverd my ‘Artists Listed by Theme’ page here: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/

hi, thanks for your big heart, I’m grateful for your blog. I’d love to know if broken is a good theme for my igcse and if yes how can I build it up.

Hi Kako, Yes, I think ‘Broken’ is an excellent theme. I’d start by producing a mind that explores all the different sorts of broken. Broken objects, windows, mirrors; broken emotions, broken hearts, mental health. There has been a ‘fragments’ question on the GCSE paper before, so there are sure to be boards on Pinterest to inspire you. I’d explore a few ideas at the start of your sketchbook and then either combine some or narrow it down to your favourite idea to push further.

hi i wanted to ask if leaves are a good theme and how can i start with it?

Hi Lisa, I think leaves are a great starting point where you could really get involved in a variety of ‘recording’ e.g. drawing with different media on different surfaces, painting, photography, digital drawing. I’m not sure I’d describe ‘leaves’ as a theme, it’s more a subject matter. Perhaps drawing leaves could take you in the direction of themes such as aging or decay? Could you photograph the leaves as they wither and then do more recording?

Hi, I hope there is a theme for Rebirth, can that be included in the work?

You can choose anything for your theme as long as you feel you can fulfil the assessment objectives. Rebirth sounds interesting. Start by creating a mindmap, noting down all the things you think of when you think of rebirth. Hopefully this will give you lots of ideas for things you can research/draw/photograph.

Hi, my teacher told us to develop our ideas and make some painting over the holidays. I was wondering whether “mythology and art” was a good topic to explore, or is it too broad? I would love any help or suggestions for similar topics!

Mythology is an excellent theme. It’s good to start broad and then narrow your research down as your work progresses. Hopefull there will be something within mythology that you find particularly interesting.

Hi Arty teacher, i am learning the first year of igcse, i am wonder that would you consider cyberpunk a theme? there’re a lots of topic that I want to do but I was hesitate to choose. I want to choose something that stick with hobby and enjoyable. what would you recommend ? Here is some of my choice: fantasy, game design, cyberpunk, decay and change, memory. can you recommend some of the artist that I could research for these theme. thank you so much🫶🏻.

Hi Arty Teacher, could “song lyrics” be part of a theme?

Hi Gilbert, Absolutely, song lyrics are a great starting point to stimulate art. I’d suggest ‘Art & Words’ as a theme as this was actually on a GCSE exam paper in the past. You could then look at song lyrics. I have a list of artists under the theme of art and words on the following page: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/

Hi im doing my first sketchbook for my igcse course.Im really struggling on finding a subject.At first i thought of teenages. And thought to talk about depression , social media and etc.But i have noticed that many people choose this subject so i dont really want to do it now.I have in my mind now social media impacts.Or even artificial intelligence.I believe its something unsual and not really talked about in art topics.Although im struggling on what photoshoot and some artists references.Could you please give me some ideas

Hi Yolanda, It’s good to choose a topic that no one else is doing. This shouldn’t be too hard: just look at the list above! It sounds like you like issues rather than something that is purely asethetic. At the following link are artists who have created artwork about interesting topics like the environment, social issues, isolation, death, emotions, identity and more. It might inspire you: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/ What ever you choose, make your life easier by connecting it to something that is easy to photograph in an interesting way. e.g. If it is about death you could photograph churches and graveyards, if it is about social media photograph someone all alone and people in a group having a great time.

Hello, Is childhoon a good topic for igcse art and what subtopics can we explore for this theme and the reference artists?

Yes, childhood is an excellent theme. As for a subtopic, perhaps you could look at your own childhood to help you. What was significant? Toys? Place? People? Make it personal and think of something really good to photograph to make your life easier. The section on nostalgia on this page may help: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/

Hi, I am grade 10 student and i am struggling to find a suitable topic. I have tried 3 to 4 topics and created many art works for them but I end up not liking them or feel like the topic is boring.What should I do also the topics i find interesting are hard to take pictures for.I mostly stay at home so can’t get pictures easily.Is there any topic i can explore which is interesting and easy to take pictures for?

Hi, If you have already tried 3 or 4 topics and created many artworks, you really need to pick a theme and stick to it. Choose a topic where it is easy to take inspiring photographs. Why pick something hard? Fantastic photos can be an inspiring starting point. There are so many good starting points in the blog post above. You need to think about what you are interested in and what you enjoy. Sometimes finding an inspiring artist can be a good starting point if you can’t find a topic that excites you. Only you know what you find interesting!

I want to do islamic architecture as a topic but I don’t know if it can be used as a topic, can you tell me if it can be used and what type of different panels I could make with this theme? , I have a feeling that it might be too broad and not very precise?

I think Islamic architecture is an excellent starting point. Start by researching it broadly and create work based on your findings. Then really think about what it is that you find appealing about it and narrow it down to that. Is it the colours, the patterns, the gold leaf, the domes? It is the religious aspect? A particular geographic area? Explore it further.

hi the arty teacher, i am a year 11 student taking igsce art and our theme is identity, however we need to choose a “sub-theme” sort of to explore along with that in regards to identity. would it be alright to explore something like ghosts or media (as in film, devices, internet, etc) ?

Yes, but it would be good if you could say why Ghosts is identity or what aspect of media you see as identity. Also, find some artists who explore identity through these sub-themes.

i understand what you mean, thank you! would something like the theme of confusion/belonging (not sure what’ll work better) in identity using ghost symbolism be better then?

I think you are exploring some interesting ideas. Why and how would a ghost symbolise confusion or belonging?

Hello Arty Teacher, I am an A-level student and I’m doing Art & Design. The theme given to us is “Observe, Seek and Challenge” but I am struggling to find any ideas, and I also don’t know many artists who have done paintings related to this theme. Would you please suggest any ideas that I can use and talk about so I can create an individual response to this theme? Thank you very much!

Hi Lili, I have a useful page on this website of artists listed by theme which is great for researching: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/ “Observe, Seek and Challenge” is nice and broad. All artists observe. Seek, is interesting. What is the artist seeking? ie trying to find, desiring? I think artists seek ways to communicate, seek inspiration, seek to explore their own identity and that of others, seek to explore natural and manmade environments. Artists challenge us with their ideas all the time. They raise our awareness about climate change, social issues, race, gender, fears, prejudices, and stereotypes, ethical dilemmas and mental health challenges.

I think I’d pick a challenge first, find some artists, see what they are seeking to say and how.

Hi, the theme I’m exploring for my final GCSE piece is the power of love but I’m struggling to find inspiration and an artist. Any suggestions? Thanks

If you are struggling to find inspiration, it may not be a good theme for you. Try choosing a question from the paper that gives you lots of ideas. The word ‘ideas’ appears in 3 out of the 4 assessment objectives and you should be the one who is having the ideas. Lots of artists have been inspired by love. Jim Dine painted hearts. You could use them as a symbol of love. Make sure to include in your annotation why Dine used them. He was responding to a close friends mental breakdown. You can read more here: https://cranbrookartmuseum.org/artwork/jim-dine-the-heart-at-sea-in-a-non-secular-way/#:~:text=Dine%20felt%20the%20paintings%20were,Dine's%20is%20a%20compassionate%20one . The Pre-Raphalites painted about nature and religion but also literature and poetry, particularly text that dealt with love and death. Many of their painting depict beaufiul women. Rob Ryan creates paper cut outs. Many of them are romantic. If you google ‘paintings about love’ or ‘artists who depict love’ lots of things come up. I hope these suggestions help.

The aqa exam paper released and I want to do portraiture theme would faces and features be a good theme?

Hi Ayesha, I don’t think faces and features are a theme, they are simply part of portraiture. Themes could be: family, loniless and isoltion, cultural and ethnic identity, Intamcy and connection, time and aging, spirituality and faith.

Hi! I was wondering which to do between war and the Japanese imperialism and how it still seems to affect future generations or the role of beauty in horror. I have many many points for both but the first is much more personal but it seems to be quite controversial. What would you recommend i do?

These all sound like good themes. I would go with the most personal one. Controversial can be exciting when you explore it through art.

The edexcel exam paper has been released early for 2024 and the theme is power. I’m thinking of doing the power in oppression /war/genocide but I’m unsure of how to take a photoshoot/portray these ideas. I do have other ideas like discrimination (islamophobia, racism) , medicine, drug addiction , etc. I’m just not sure what to do that will be easy and fun?

What pops into your head when you think of oppression, war and genocide? I think of old rusty chains, blood stained cloth, dirty old hands, tattered flags, gas masks. These are all things that would make a powerful photoshoot. Could your drama department help? Do they have any war-appropriate costumes? Do you have a museum near by with artifacts? (War museum in London or Salford) Start with a broad photoshoot showing lots of ideas and then after you have worked from these photos, do a second more specific photoshoot to ‘develop your ideas’.

Hi there, this site is really helpful well I wanted to ask that can I go with the topic Indian gods

I think Indian Gods would be an excellent topic. You could look at how lots of different artists have drawn/painted them and then perhaps focus on an artist that you particularly like.

Thanks so much for your assistance Sarah. Please can Game design be considered as a theme?

Hi Liz, Great idea; I have added it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Hello I am called Robert from kenya any new themes for IGCSE exams for November and June exams 2023/24?

Hi Robert, No one will know the themes that will be on the exam papers until they are published.

my son is doing GCSE coursework but wanted to do it on African culture but he has to choose famous artists to tie in with that theme any help please

Hi Billie, You can look at a culture instead of an artist. GCSE specification states that you need to look at ‘contextual sources’. These could be artists, cultures, films, animation, or anything that inspires creativity. If I had a student who wanted to look at African culture, i would want them to narrow it down to a tribe or country within Africa. He could do a page in his sketchbook on ‘African Art’ to start with, but then look at Maasai Clothing or Senufo Masks. If his art teacher insists upon an artist, and hey, they are running the course, there are some great choices here: https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/10-african-artists-you-absolutely-must-know/

Fantastic resources, I appreciate you making them available to us. The extensive list below is a wonderful place to start if you’re seeking for art-related topics to cover in GCSE or iGCSE classes. This incredible collection was compiled by Annie Chapman, a teacher of art. A few of these words are clickable links to useful pages for art teachers. Keep writing, I really enjoy reading your posts. Come across Joshuacreekarts.com and hope you can visit this too to get more information.

Hi! Thanks for your positive comment. I’m delighted you like the list. I’m happy to keep adding to it, so if you have any ideas, do let me know. I do mention Annie at the top of the post! I’ll check out your website.

Greetings, may you please advise what aspects are considered irrelevant and ‘out of topic’ when choosing a starting point?

Hi Klavier, I think you can pick any theme as long as you can see how you can fulfil the assessment objectives for your course. Choose a starting point that really excites you as you will be working on that theme for a long time. Pick something where you are inspired to record in a variety of ways. (Photography, drawing etc) Most of all, be creative and make a personal response!

I am an IGCSE teacher from Ghana. I have 5 learners and I am currently preparing them for the exams. However, I am a bit lost with the kind of themes to make available to them to choose or help them choose. Kindly, share some possible themes with me. It will really be helpful.

Hi Elizabeth, Thank you for your comment. You could choose any of the themes in this post but I always think it is a good idea to choose a theme that makes it easy for students to photograph something and to easily find artists. For examples ‘Natural Forms’ is a good theme as learners could choose from a huge range of items that would photograph well. There are also lots of artists that cover this theme. You may find these links useful: Artists listed by theme: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/ Natural Forms Artists: https://theartyteacher.com/downloads/list-of-natural-forms-artists/ List of Natural Forms: https://theartyteacher.com/downloads/list-of-natural-forms/ You may also find these complete units of work useful: https://theartyteacher.com/category/arty-students/

This is so helpful and very relief. Thank you.

Hi Elizabeth, I’m so pleased you found it helpful 🙂

hello art teacher, is it true that we can choose to draw whatever we want in igcse art? or is there a subject for igcse art every year?

Hi, Different art teachers run their GCSE courses in different ways. They may give you a theme to start with at the start of the first year. If you are a self-motivated, confident learner they may well let you plot your own course but it is up to your teacher to guide you and do what is best for the whole class. When you get the exam paper in the second year, there is a broad range of starting points and often you can fit in what you would like to do into one of the questions (but not always!). I hope this helps.

Hi, this blog post is really helpful to me. But is art a good subject to take for pursuing engineering or design?

If you are thinking of persuing engineering or design, I would think that art would be the perfect subject to study. Think of polymath Leonardo da vinci, he found that recording his observations and ideas through drawing was essential. Many of his drawings were engineering designs! Many design courses would expect your to have studied art.

is art a good career choice? im 15 and haven’t actually decided a career choice, I used to just draw any image that I liked, but recently I have started learning art, practicing anatomy for example I have got a sketchbook that I actively use and, I also have another one which I am working on a comic in. i love drawing, but is it a good career choice? and if so, what opportunities are there abroad that I can look into *for the future*.

Hi Huzaifa, If you love being creative, studying art at a higher level can lead to all sorts of interesting jobs. It might help you to look at all of these art related careers here: https://theartyteacher.com/art-careers-written-for-kids/

Hiii, is it ok to do a fictional character as a theme?

Hi Jordan, Yes, that would be an interesting theme. I would strongly advise you to find an artist who has created artwork about the fictional character you choose. Or an animator or has created artwork, or a theatrical set designer who has made sets or costumes about the character. This would make your life easier!

Hi! i’m a gcse art student and i was just wondering if something about old fashioned clothes or something like armour would be a theme. i currently don’t have an art teacher :/ do we have to do the same theme as everyone in our class

Hi, Thanks for your message. Yes, both ‘old fashioned clothes’ and ‘armour’ would be excellent themes. Choose a theme where it is easy to photograph something. You don’t have to do the same as everyone in your class, you can all do your own theme. I would start by photographing either old fashioned clothes or armour, and then draw from your photos in a range of different media. Think about working on different surfaces and different sizes. You then need to find an artist that links with your theme in some way. Create a beautiful artist research page. Good luck!

Would surrealism be a theme ?

Hi Vishva, Surrealism is a movement rather than a theme. I’m trying to think if movements have ever come up on the exam papers and I can’t think that they have. I don’t see why you couldn’t research into Surrealism if that was something of interest. There are themes within Surrealism such as ‘Dream Like Scenes’, ‘Illogical juxtapositions’, or ‘Distorted figures and biomorphic shapes’.

Hi, my son his in his 1st year of art gcse. He is a good little drawer but that’s it really, not particularly good at painting or using different textiles. we are a little confused as to the structure of the course…. I do need to speak to his teacher but so hard getting to do this! portfolio/theme idea he has thiught of is western/ cowboy….came from his love of an xbox game. We’ve had a little look at the ladscape artists for that era and he has favourite characters from the game that he can sketch etc just not sure how to make it into a portfolio….any help would be grateful. thanks.

Hi Mari, Hopefully his art teacher has shared the GCSE assessment objectives with him. You can see them on the following page: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/art-and-design/gcse/art-and-design-8201-8206/scheme-of-assessment If you scroll down to ‘Assessment criteria grid’, in bold you will see the 4 assessment objectives. The first reads ‘Develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating critical understanding of sources.’ ‘Sources’ can be artists, designers, film-makers, books, anything creative really, including the designers and artists who made the xbox game. I would suggest he created a research page all about the game, the publisher of the game, the artists. You can find all sorts of stuff online about the art in games. For example here I found some fan art on the Rockstar Games website: https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/51ka2k2819a1ak/fan-art-spindel-art-s-portraits-of-the-van-der-linde-gang After this research page, he could photograph someone dressed up as a cowboy. Make sure he considers background, lighting, focus. Present these photos in the portfolio. Draw from these photos. Draw in different media e.g. pencil, ballpoint pen, fine liners, markers, chalks, charcoal (what ever he feels comfortable with). Draw on different surfaces: white paper, brown packing paper? Cowboys drink coffee: coffee stain some paper and draw on that. Hopefully once he’s done this his art teacher will be able to tell him what to do next!

Hi, I am a teacher at a school in England. We have had our new brief for our y11 exam and the theme is ‘MAKE MUSIC DAY’. We are stuck for ideas on what the students could research into as well as artist who relate. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Chloe, I hope you’ve discovered my ‘Artists Listed by Theme’ page. There are some artists listed under the theme ‘Music’ that might be useful to your students. You can see it here: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/ I hope your school has a music department. I would be straight up there to borrow instruments as some students might want to start with photography as instruments are so photogenic. Other ways students might begin: Photographing a friend listening to music. Ask if anyone plays an instrument and use their own experience as a starting point. This article was interesting: https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/24-times-fashion-designers-got-their-beat-from-music They could pick their favourite band and promote them as if they were playing at ‘Make Music Day’.

Hello Mrs! I’m a current IGCSE art and design student, our school doesn’t have a art teacher yet. I have no idea what to do, should I start with making a portfolio on my own first? thank you! A topic I want to do is “behind the eyes” it’s a topic surrounding mythical creatures and mythology. would this be appropriate? thank you so much!

Hi, That sounds like a very difficult situation. I’m surprised your school is letting you do an art course without an art teacher. Are you in your first year of the course? What have you completed since September? I would first try and find a couple of artist that create artworks about mythical creatures and/or mythology. Produce some research pages on them in your sketchbook. Then try and think of something real that you could draw (a primary source) that relates to your artists. (This will depend on the artist you have chosen, but it might be something like animal skulls if your school has them) You could also work from secondary sources, perhaps images of lizards? Or could you get a real octopus from a fish mongers and draw and photograph it? (I’ve had students do this!) You could then use your drawings to create mythical creatures of your own. Make sure you work in a variety of media and on a variety of surfaces. Hopefully this would be a start. Let me know how you get on.

Hi The Arty Teacher, I am teaching iGCSE Art and Design for the first time. Just wondering as to what you would consider as an ideal number of themes that can be introduced to a class over the course of two years. Is it several or is it a matter of concentrating on one theme only throughout the entire course? Much appreciated, thank you.

Different teachers structure the course in different ways. At my school, we do one theme in Year 10 with two main outcomes. In year 11 they do another theme (we run this a little bit like a mock). Then they do the externally set task from January.

Great job! ” The Arty Teacher” The resources and responses you provided are very helpful and so inspiring. I teach Igcse Art and design in keystages 3,4&5 in Africa. Thanks!!

Hi Cletus, I’m so pleased to read that you find my resources useful and inspiring – thank you 🙂

Interesting and informative. I am an igcse teacher.would like to see the blog

Hi Ina, Thanks for your comment. You can see more blog posts here: https://theartyteacher.com/blog/

Have just come across this blog…. hope to gain more!!

Hi Brenda, That’s great to hear. I hope you enjoy more of my posts!

Hi Arty Teacher,

I am an art teacher in Africa Nairobi Kenya teaching IGCSE Art & Design. Just wondering if you still do this blog. Any materials would be appreciated including advice on Photography.

Kind regards. James

Hi James, Yes, if you go to the home page of the blog you’ll see I post every week. If you look under the category ‘Techniques and Processes’ there are some articles about photography. https://theartyteacher.com/category/techniques-processes/

Good day what ideas could I work on for Stories or story telling

I think you might find the artists listed on the following page under ‘Narrative’ inspiring. https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/

Hi Annabelle, That sounds like an excellent theme to me. Don’t worry about it – enjoy it. You could go in so many directions and make it personal. Within that theme, you can look at one aspect of it and then flow into other areas of it. Here is a list of artists you might like to look at: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/8-lgbtqi-artists-you-should-know/iQLiswH6mVfoJQ

‘Inside Out’ is a great topic. You could do a person without drawing a person e.g. A house on the outside where the objects in the house represent the person, or a jewellery box where what is in it represents the person. Both these could be 2D or 3D. Or make a book (or a box) where the outside is the personality you show to the world and the inside is what you keep hidden. You could take a more literal approach: You could do fish and fish skeletons. If you didn’t want to do a portrait, you could still do feet or hands and draw them and also the bone structure or x-rays.

This is really helpful thank you so much for sharing these I’ve already gotten an idea of what I want ❤️

That’s great to hear. Thank you.

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How to Approach the IGCSE Art Exam: Observational / Interpretative Assignment

Last Updated on April 2, 2023

This article aims to demystify Paper 1: Observational / Interpretative Assignment (0400/01), CIE IGCSE Art and Design. It outlines a clear process that Painting and Related Media students may use to create their preparatory work and final exam piece. This article has been written in response to the large number of questions the Student Art Guide has received and aims to assist teachers and schools who are new to CIE or who have received disappointing results in the past. It should be noted that this process is not an official recommendation from Cambridge, nor is it claimed to be the best or only way of approaching this paper (luckily, there are many, many ways of producing an excellent IGCSE portfolio): nonetheless, it is based on a strategy that has worked well for my own students and those of my colleagues, and is provided in the hope that it makes things easier for others.

NOTE: This article has not been updated to reflect changes in the 2015 curriculum . A new version of this article will be written later in the year, with more detail, in response to the changes to the 2015 CIE 0400 syllabus. The long term goal is that teachers of CIE IGCSE Art and Design can work together via the Student Art Guide to share ideas and approaches, culminating in the ‘ultimate’ set of recommendations – best practises – for completing the IGCSE Controlled Test / Exam.

An Overview: Paper 1

Paper 1 is described in the CIE 0400 2014 IGCSE Art and Design syllabus as:

An externally set, eight-hour assignment marked by Cambridge. The examination allows candidates to respond in either an observational or interpretative manner or a combination of both.

Students are required to submit:

• 1 x final artwork – a two or three-dimensional artwork, maximum weight 4.5kgs and maximum dimension in any direction of 750mm, completed within the 8 hour Art Exam. Painting and Related Media students are encouraged to submit a final work that is a maximum size of A2 (larger works must be photographed, prior to sending away for assessment).
• A maximum of 2 x A2 sheets (4 sides) of preparatory work . This is a body of work illustrating a visual response to one examination question, using any appropriate colours, tones, mediums, processes or techniques. The preparatory work is completed in the eight weeks before the examination and must include direct observation from primary sources, research, analysis and development of ideas.

Our recommendations for approaching the 8 week preparatory period are as follows:

Select your topic

Recommended time-frame: 1 – 3 days

As a class, brainstorm topic ideas based on the set starting points that are given within the examination paper. Use our article about how to select a good  Art project idea  and look at artist works (see our Pinterest Boards ) for inspiration.

Examiner Reports also provide great examples of how past students have interpreted topics. This is how examiners described responses to the topic ‘before daybreak’ (June 2013):

This question probably provided the most imaginative responses as well as the most cliched. The obvious, in this instance sunrise, was frequently the subject of very weak submissions. However, the very best candidates attempted more interesting interpretations including morning rituals such as Morning Prayer, brushing teeth, waking to alarm clocks and some interesting abstractions using media such as batik. Several other candidates sought inspiration in an urban setting; street scenes for instance. By far the best submissions were those who had actually photographed the event themselves and then made paintings entirely from their own images.

The following recommendations may also assist:

1. Brainstorm ideas quickly. Students often take far too long on this process (this is a  common mistake  made by high school Art students). While it is important to have quality first-hand imagery to work from, you need to use as many of the 8 weeks as possible to complete your preparatory work.

2. Select a topic that your Coursework has prepared you for . For example, if you have drawn still-life within your Coursework project, it can be beneficial to select an exam topic that allows you to extend upon these skills. While you are free to select any question from the exam paper that you wish, selecting an unfamiliar topic can be akin to writing an essay on Othello, when you have studied Macbeth. Some exceptional students are more than capable of answering any exam topic, but in general, you are best answering a question that you are prepared for. This does not mean you choose something which is exactly the same as your Coursework project (this would stifle and bore you), but rather that you should select something that builds upon your prior learning.

3. Select a topic which allows you to work from first-hand observation in the classroom . This is not always possible – particularly for landscape or figure topics – but there are certain advantages to being able to set up and arrange items within the classroom itself. (Teachers can also bring in a collection of objects to supplement those collected by the students – or used entirely by disorganised students – however entire classes should not be forced to draw from the same still-life). If you wish to work from a scene or subject that cannot be brought into the classroom, it is essential that you demonstrate very early on that you are able to take many high quality original photographs and can easily return to the scene if more are needed. Drawing from second-hand images taken by others – or drawing solely from your imagination – should be avoided at almost all costs. Examiners frequently comment that low grade work is characterized by a “ reliance on copying from secondary sources such as the Internet or magazine photographs”  (June 2013 Examiner Report), with the strongest work, on the other hand, “ always supported by excellent supporting studies with an emphasis on thorough investigation from primary sources” . Examiners go on to say that:

All questions are carefully selected to enable candidates to research from direct observation, but those who do not show any evidence limit their access to the higher marks ranges particularly in Assessment Objective 1 (AO1) and AO5.

Similarly, the October 2013 examiner report notes that often:

…lower level submissions worked purely from these images printed off the Internet and copied them without developing any ideas of their own. Some even worked only from imagination and demonstrated no recording from observation or second sources.

The examination paper itself makes this very clear:

Record and develop your ideas from direct observation and experience in order to meet all Assessment Objectives.

4. Ensure your subject matter is complex, interesting and varied . For example, three oranges is unlikely to provide sufficient variety to sustain an entire examination submission. Similarly, patterns on a flat surface (a brick wall, a sunrise, silhouetted forms or a cloudy sky, for example) do not offer you adequate opportunity to depict complex three-dimensional form. Look for a topic that is visually interesting and contains a variety of shapes, textures, details and forms. This is one of the requirements outlined in our guide to selecting a good Art topic .

 Take beautiful photographs

Recommended time-frame: 1-2 days

Find and gather all of the objects, scenes and background materials that you are contemplating including within your project, and take beautiful photographs of these using a high quality camera. Treat these as artworks in themselves. Take close-up details, as well as single objects and whole arranged scenes. Do not worry about your final piece at this point, simply observe and record your subject matter, noticing the shapes, proportions, textures and forms. Select items carefully, so that your work is imaginative and personal.

Once completed, have your teacher approve the photographs (and your topic) and offer advice.

The 2014 0400 IGCSE Art and Design syllabus  states:

Candidates may seek initial guidance regarding the selection of question and appropriate choice of materials and processes at the beginning of the preparation time. They should then be advised to work independently.

This is the time to gain confirmation from your teacher that you on the right track. If you have struggled to compose the photographs in a beautiful, well-balanced way, this might be an indication that you need to select a different topic. If you do, change quickly. Once you enter the next stage, a change of topic is almost always a mistake.

Produce the first prep sheet (A2 – side 1)

Recommended time-frame: 2 weeks

Treat the first preparatory sheet as an opportunity to identify your subject matter and explore this from a range of different angles and scales, using a range of different black and white mediums.

Recommendations:

• Do not worry about forming ‘complete compositions’: instead record, draw or paint interesting objects, combinations of objects, parts of scenes or enlarged details , investigating a variety of appropriate items and background materials from different angles, viewpoints and scales. Try to include every object or scene that you intend to include within your project. D on’t worry about what your final work will look like. Consider this phase ‘visual research’ into your subject matter. Gather, record, research and investigate (through drawing and painting) a variety of appropriate first-hand sources, working from direct observation or your own photographs. This prep sheet helps you to gain the marks in AO1: Gathering, recording, research and investigation (assessment will be explained in more detail at the end of this article).
• Focus upon producing strong, realistic, observational drawings and paintings – accurately depicting shape, tone, proportion, perspective, surface/textural qualities and form. Even those who wish to move towards an interpretative or abstract should begin working from observation (if you struggle with this, please read our article with tips for improving your observational drawing ).
• Work primarily in black and white (or monochrome) . While this is not a requirement, eliminating colour in the initial phase of investigation simplifies this part of your project. It allows you to focus on accurately representing shape, proportion and tone, before moving onto more complex tasks in later prep sheets. Use black and white mediums that you are able to control well, while ensuring that you include sufficient experimentation and a wide enough range of different mediums. We recommend that students complete 4 – 12 artworks, using mediums selected from the list below:
• Graphite pencil on white cartridge drawing paper . These drawings may be partially incomplete – i.e. trailing out to become line only around the edges.
• Ink pen or biro pen on brown kraft paper or coloured paper that fits in with the colour of your subject matter (see our article about types of paper ). This might be a line drawing, such as a cross-contour drawing or a continuous line drawing or a more realistic piece that is shaded using techniques such as cross-hatching (see our line drawing article for ideas).
• Black and white colouring pencil on grey paper , with the paper showing through visible for the mid-tone.
• Indian ink and white paint or black and white pencil over a watered down Indian ink ground . This will create an awesome irregular blotchy ground to work over (if you are new to grounds, our article about painting and drawing on grounds is essential reading).  
• Graphite pencil, black biro pen and/or acrylic over a textured ground of collaged text or patterned or textured paper . This may be pieces of old wallpaper, or things specific to your topic, i.e. a page from an old recipe book for a food related topic – see this article about painting or drawing on something interesting for more ideas). You may also wish to use white paint for highlights.
• Black biro pen over a ground of splashed ink or smeared acrylic paint , with tone applied using the biro pen, possibly white paint or white pen for highlights. Ensure that any colours used tie in with the with the colours of your subject matter.
• Indian ink applied using a stick . This can be onto ordinary white paper, or something more exciting, such as a torn piece of cardboard box.
• Black and white charcoal on drawing paper.
• White charcoal on black paper.
• Black watercolours or ink on watercolour paper.
• Black and white photographic prints (do not cram your sheet with photographs as a space-filling mechanism, but a few high quality photographs, printed on matt paper, can make it clear you worked from observation and can help the examiners see and understand your starting point).
• Any other black and white drawings or paintings in another medium.

READ NEXT: How to make an artist website (and why you need one)

The examples in the diagram above show the first A2 pages of exam prep by:

• Tarika Sabherwal –  A Bunch of Keys  (100% /A* – Top in the World), ACG Strathallan College
• Nikau Hindin – Crustaceans and Natural Forms (95% /A*), ACG Parnell College
• Tingjian He (Jim) –  An Iron and a Pile of Washing (100% /A* – Top in the World), ACG Strathallan College

Before you begin, take a minute to plan the layout of the preparatory sheet (remembering that the label will be adhered top right) and prepare a series of grounds / drawing surfaces. Use pieces of paper that are slightly larger than necessary, so that they can be trimmed neatly and attached to your A2 sheet once complete.

Remember the emphasis is always quality. You do not need to demonstrate every technique on the above list. It is better to do less, well. Also, note that you do not need to be ridiculously creative: i.e. don’t glue on something absurd just in the effort of being ‘creative’. Always select something that is appropriate for your project and focus on creating awesome observational work (if you struggle with this, please read our article with tips for improving your observational drawing ). Ensure you e xplore, experiment with and use a wide range of appropriate mediums: this helps you gain marks for A04: Selection and control of materials, media and processes.

Finally, if colours are used at this stage, make sure they are considered carefully, following the guidance given below for Prep Sheet Two.

Annotation:  Marks are not given for annotation, but it may help you to note down some of your ideas / clarify your thoughts in the spaces in and around your drawings. Examiners comment that high achieving candidates often submit supporting studies that are annotated, with notes evaluating ideas, explaining thinking and “ clarifying the journey made “. However, this statement in the June 2013 Examiner Report is particularly valuable:

Some candidates spend considerable time writing about their intentions. There were instances where these descriptions of intent were more extensive than any actual visual research. Clearly, these candidates would benefit from spending less time writing about what they are going to do and more time on actually carrying out the visual research and developing their ideas in a visual form. Brief bullet points would suffice with the main thrust of the supporting studies being a visual and not literary form of communication. Such an approach would enable candidates to achieve higher marks for all of the Assessment Objectives.

To understand more about the sorts of notes that are appropriate in an Art project (if you choose to include any), read our article about sketchbook presentation .

For your inspiration, examples of additional black and white artworks produced by IGCSE Art students have been included below:

Drawings by Georgia Shattky, completed while studying IGCSE Art and Design (89% / A) at ACG Parnell College:

Drawings by Christine Lee, from Macleans College, awarded Top in New Zealand for CIE IGCSE Art and Design, Nov 2013 (98% /A*):

Drawings by  Abby Hope Skinner , completed while studying IGCSE Art and Design (A*) at the International School of Paphos, Cyprus:

Drawing by Tingian He from ACG Strathallan College, who gained Top in the World for IGCSE Art and Design (100% /A*), Nov 2011:

A drawing by Hania Cho , completed while studying IGCSE Art and Design (95% /A*) at ACG Strathallan College:

Drawings completed by Nikau Hindin , while studying IGCSE Art and Design (95% /A*) at ACG Parnell College:

Drawings by Rhea Maheshwari, completed while studying IGCSE Art and Design (A*) at ACG Parnell College:

A drawing by Claire Mitchell, completed while studying IGCSE Art and Design (A) at ACG Strathallan College:

A graphite pencil drawing by Jae Won Yun, completed while studying IGCSE Art and Design (A) at ACG Strathallan College:

Drawings by   Julie Zhu, who was awarded Top in New Zealand IGCSE Art and Design (98% /A*) while studying at Macleans College:

Black and white drawings completed by Emma Phillips, while studying IGCSE Art and Design (A*) at ACG Strathallan College:

Produce second prep sheet (A2 – side 2)

In the second prep sheet, introduce colour and start thinking about composition in earnest. As you begin to explore composition, ensure that you:

• Overlapping objects and including shadows to create a sense of depth and space
• Foreground, middle-ground and background
• Interesting viewpoints – perhaps looking down on things, through things, or from a worm’s eye view
• Perspective and scale – you might wish to create compositions that are focused on enlarged details and parts of compositions, and/or scenes viewed from a greater distance
• The positioning, interaction and balancing of visual elements , such as colour, shape, texture, space etc. If you have a red item at the bottom of your artwork, for example, you might balance this with a few smaller red areas towards the top. Similarly, if you have a busy area of an artwork, you might want to balance this with emptier areas. (Note: exact symmetrical balancing of an artwork is rarely successful). Composition is a big subject that will be discussed in more detail in an upcoming article – in the meantime, analyse your own work carefully and study the composition of artist works to learn successful strategies
• Communicate ideas, meanings and emotion (think about how colour selection and intensity, positioning of items, expressions on faces, dramatic contrasts and other components of your artwork communicate ideas to the viewer). Note: when it comes to colour selection, it is usually better to select a limited palette that supports the ideas and themes expressed, rather than to use every single colour (see the complete IGCSE Art Exam projects shown at the end of this article for examples).
• Learn from artists . Learning from artist models is the best and easiest way to learn new techniques and compositional approaches. You may find it easiest to learn from artists that are the same or similar to the ones explored in your Coursework project. This concept has been discussed in our article about the AS Art Exam:  

One helpful strategy can be for students to follow a similar development process to that used in their Coursework (i.e. using the same artist models and a similar pattern of developing composition), as this allows students to work much faster. It means students have to ‘think’ and worry less, and simply put all of their effort into producing stunning artwork within the short time frame given. As the subject or theme is of course totally different (because it is selected from the examination paper), students are thus excited and invigorated about their work, despite the processes being very similar to their Coursework, at least in the initial stages. As the work progresses, the new topic usually drives the work in a new and exciting direction, so the final pieces are quite different.

To understand ways that your work can be influenced by an artist’s work, please read our article about development and study the examples of student project at the end of this article.

When selecting artwork to study, it is worth remembering that:

• The artist does NOT need to use the same subject matter , but the work must be relevant to your project. For example, you might be inspired and learn from the way an artist communicates ideas, approaches composition or uses a technique. The June 2013 Examiner report comments that low achieving candidates often included an artist who did not inform their work but acted as a “ ‘bolt on’ addition in an attempt to satisfy the Assessment Objectives “. In other words, do not study an artist for the sake of it; instead, the artist work must influence and inform your own artwork.
• Long-winded written analysis is not required . As is mentioned earlier, annotation is not necessary. In the current 8 week format, every speck of your energy should be spent on producing quality original artwork. A small colour copy of an artist’s work, correctly referenced and credited, along with brief bullet-points analysing composition, technique and ideas is all that is needed (if any writing is deemed necessary at all). It is the integration of this learning into your own practical work that matters.
• Explore and experiment with a wide range of mediums . We recommend completing 4 – 8 works, selecting from the list below:
• Coloured pencil
• Coloured pencil with black biro pen
• Pastels on white paper or acrylic wash
• Carandache crayon over acrylic wash
• Watercolour on water colour paper
• Acrylic paint on an acrylic ground
• Acrylic painting on a variety of textured surfaces such as unstretched canvas or textured paper
• Colour photographs
• Any other coloured medium

Note: Due to drying times (and the issues with posting work away for assessment) oil paints should be avoided within the CIE IGCSE Art examination.

Examples of IGCSE Art and Design coloured prep pieces work have been included below for your inspiration:

Artwork by Christine Lee from Macleans College, awarded Top Equal in NZ, October 2013:

IGCSE Art and Design work from Marti Art and Design School (left) and an IGCSE exam piece by Kale :  

Part of an IGCSE Art and Design exam by Nefi Noufal :  

Produce final prep sheets (A2 – side 3 and 4)

Recommended time-frame: 3 weeks

The maximum quantity of work that an IGCSE Art and Design student can complete for the Paper 1: Observational / Interpretative Assignment is four x A2 sides (two A2 sheets). While more does not equal better (quality is always more important than quantity), a sufficient volume of work is required to develop your ideas and show breadth of exploration to the examiner. Three sides of comprehensive work can be a good target for many students, however two sides of exceptional work (with many smaller pieces adhered to each sheet) can also be acceptable. Those who work at a larger scale, with more gestural or abstract work, may benefit from submitting the full four sheets. Some students may begin with a target of three or four, and then edit this down for their final submission.

In the final sheets (or sheet) of prep work, your challenge is to take your best initial compositional ideas and develop these towards a successful final piece. By the time your prep work is complete, you must know exactly what you hope to produce in the exam and be confident that you can complete this in the given time.  Before beginning this part of your prep work, it can help to ask:

• Which mediums am I most skilled with? Which mediums can I use quickly and confidently? This is an important consideration, as you are likely to find it challenging to complete a great artwork within the 8 hour examination session (this article about how to work faster may give you some good strategies). The medium/s you choose for your final work can be black and white or coloured – or a combination of both. There is no hierarchy of mediums: students are just as capable of gaining an A* with an exceptional graphite pencil drawing as with an exceptional acrylic or mixed media painting. What matters is the quality of the work: your strength and skill with this medium and how convincingly you communicate ideas. If you are uncertain, or are torn between a few different mediums, continue to trial these subsequent works until you are sure – but do not leave this decision until the last minute. To be most useful, the final pieces of development work should be completed in the same medium that you intend to use within the examination, so that you have sufficient opportunity to practise and refine your skill. As noted in the June 2013 examiner report:

Some candidates chose to use a media for the examination that they had little experience with instead of using the media that they had created their strongest work with whilst producing their supporting studies.

• Which of my compositional ideas are the best so far? Look carefully at the work you have completed. Of your initial ideas, which ones show the most promise? Which drawings / paintings are most successful? Why? The examiners often make comments that final works are not as good as some of the prep pieces. Think carefully about the objects and scenes that have drawn, and how these have been successfully combined together so far. Establish what is working, and what can be improved.

Understanding development

Once you have decided which mediums and compositions hold the most promise, you need to produce new work developing these ideas (refining, trialling, exploring and improving your compositions, technique/s and use of media) showing the visual journey towards an original final piece. Your final piece may be completely abstract, surrealist, impressionist, realist or any other style or combination of styles, as long as your project begins with first-hand observation. ‘Development’ is a commonly misunderstood term (read more about what development means ). In essence, your work must show a coherent journey from an initial idea to the final piece – a journey that involves exploring and experimenting with mediums and techniques, refining approaches to composition and absorbing ideas from other artists, environments and cultures. These statements from the October 2013 Examiner Report help to explain this further:

A number of candidates did not understand the importance of ideas development choosing instead to present their supporting studies as a series of unrelated finished pieces which lacked a cohesive journey. In some cases it was a real pleasure to see sheets of research where one study had been linked to another across the whole sheet, clearly showing the progress of an idea or technique.

The best way to understand what develop means is to look closely at how the work in the IGCSE Art Exam projects below changes between the start and end of the project. (Viewing the other featured Art projects on this website can also help, as most show the same process of development).

In this final stage of your project, the number and quantity of works produced will vary considerably between students. At this stage you are likely to produce between 2-8 artworks developing ideas, primarily using your chosen medium, which may or may not be supported by photographs, composition sketches, media trials and (as described above) brief artist analysis. This very last segment of prep work should lead naturally to the work you complete in the exam. Note: Do not attempt to complete a whole ‘practice’ version in advance, but plan your final piece enough so that you don’t waste any examination time thinking about what to do. Your preparation work should allow you to practise all the different components of the final work (perhaps not in exactly the same way, but enough that you are confident you can execute every aspect of it). Trial setting up the still life you will draw from and/or pre-print high-quality photographs to work from. You should be able to walk into the examination, set up your equipment and still life if necessary and begin working immediately, without any ‘thinking’ about what you will do.

Final preparation

In the weeks leading up to the final exam, you need to:

• Decide what shape, format and kind of paper you will work on . The maximum size that can be sent away for assessment to CIE is A2, but you are able to work smaller than this – in fact, for many students, something closer to A3 is much more manageable. As noted in the October 2013 Examiner Report:

The majority of candidates produced final pieces which filled an A2 sheet; consideration could be given as to whether this format was appropriate as many of the supporting studies were more successful in either a different format or scale. A2 is the maximum size, smaller paper is perfectly acceptable.

• Prepare a ground if needed . If you specialise in Painting and Related Media, you are permitted to prepare the ground (the undercoat) in advance, which may also include patterned or textured paper. An undercoat must not include any outlines or preliminary drawing.
• Ensure all the equipment you need to use is ready and working – pencils sharpened / paint tubes full etc.
• Ensure that labels are correctly filled out with your Centre number, candidate number, name and question number and attached to the top right-hand front corner of each preparatory sheet (your teacher is likely to help you with this).
• Ensure all smudgeable work is sprayed with fixative or something similar!
• Organise the supporting work so that it shows the research, exploration of ideas, and experiments with media and materials, and shows the ‘development journey’. As noted in the June 2013 examiner report, “ candidates who simply pile the work up without any consideration for presentation are doing themselves a disservice “.

The final 8 hour IGCSE Art examination

These instructions are identical to those for CIE AS Art and Design students and are a modification of our  AS Controlled Test Guidelines :

Bring your supporting work to the exam ! If you forget to bring it to your first examination session, you will not be allowed to submit it later. This means it is  virtually impossible for you to pass the exam.

Immediately before the exam is to start, set up your work station . Approximately half an hour beforehand, you should be let into the room to set up your equipment, materials and still-life (if needed). You should set up everything you need and should not have to share basic equipment with anyone else. Put your supporting sheets of work neatly beside you to refer to. Note: You are not allowed access to any books, magazines or artwork of other artists. Artwork may be on the walls, but you must not access this, copy it or try to submit it as your own. 

Once the exam starts, you may move around the room as needed, to empty your water jar / get additional materials etc, although this should be minimised to reduce disturbance of others.

Tracing is rarely allowed and only in specific situations, for example, when incorporating a repeat pattern or motif that. It is not acceptable for a Painting and Related Media student to bring an enlarged photograph to the exam and trace it.

Technical assistance is allowed if you need it, such as assistance firing ceramics, welding metal sculptures or pouring out photographic chemicals, however at no stage can you ask for any advice about your art or design work. Painting and Related Media students are unlikely to need technical assistance in the exam.

All decision-making that occurs within the examination session must be your own. Any conversation between you and the invigilator must be minimal and be restricted to that which is essential. Students must not communicate with each other. It is often preferable that it is not your Art teacher supervising, to prevent subconscious grimaces by the teacher when a poor colour choice is made, for example! It can also put the students at ease to have a ‘non artist’ in the room – so they don’t feel pressure from an art specialist watching and ‘judging’ their efforts as they work.

At the end of the examination, place the final examination piece on top of the supporting studies and fasten all your work together in the top left-hand corner.

Outstanding examples: CIE IGCSE Art & Design Paper 1

Christine Lee 98% – Macleans College,  Top Equal in New Zealand,  2013:

Nikau Hindin 95% – ACG Parnell College, 2007 (read more about  Nikau’s IGCSE Art exam ): 

Tingjian He (Jim) 100% – Top equal in the World, ACG Strathallan College, 2011 (read more about Tingjian’s Art Exam ):

Julie Zhu 98% – Top equal in NZ, Macleans College, 2013:

Tarika Sabherwal 100% – Top equal in the World, ACG Strathallan College, 2011 (read more about Tarika’s IGCSE Art exam ): 

Assessment criteria

The IGCSE Controlled Test is worth 50% of your final grade. It is externally assessed (meaning that it is marked entirely by CIE examiners). Most countries send examination work to Cambridge University to be marked; other counties, like New Zealand, have the examiners travel to them.

The final exam work and supporting sheets are assessed together and are given a single mark out of 100.

We have listed the assessment criteria below. Underneath each of these we have added some questions to help you encourage you to meet these criteria. These questions are provided as informal guidance only and are not official questions provided by Cambridge University. Answering yes to these questions does not guarantee that you will gain an outstanding mark, however we hope that it points you in the right direction!

AO1 Gathering, recording, research and investigation (20%)

(a) Investigate and research a variety of appropriate sources

• Does your project including drawings and paintings of objects and scenes that include a variety of different shapes, sizes, details, patterns, textures and surface qualities?
• Have you investigated your subject matter in-depth, exploring things from different angles, different scales and arranged in different ways?
• Have you chosen an appropriate collection of objects / scenes which are personally relevant, interesting / complex and indicate a perceptive response to a theme?
• Have you undertaken research of relevant artists and is this reflected in your own work?

(b) Record and analyse information from direct observation and/or other sources and personal experience

• Is your project based upon things that you can see and touch in real life?
• Have you produced high quality observational drawings and paintings, accurately representating shape, proportion, detail, perspective, tone, space (through overlapping, inclusion of shadows, perspective etc)?
• Have you used a range of appropriate mark-making techniques to replicate interesting surfaces and textures, such as shiny metal, transparent materials and/or hair?

AO2 Exploration and development of ideas (20%)

(a) Explore a range of visual and/or other ideas by manipulating images

• Have you come up with a range of different compositions throughout your project, arranging your objects / scenes in different ways?
• Have you thought about how images are cropped?
• Have you chosen colours thoughtfully?
• Have you used composition as a tool to test, explore and communicate ideas related to your topic?

(b) Show a development of ideas through appropriate processes

• Is your project cohesive (visually connected) and based upon one topic? 
• Have you arranged your work in an organised way so that it shows the journey of how you got from start to finish?  Is it clear how you arrived at your final piece, and how this relates to earlier work? 
• Does your work morph and change, with your compositions becoming more resolved / refined towards the conclusion of your project?

AO3 Organisation and relationships of visual and/or other forms (20 marks)

(a) Organise and use visual and/or other forms effectively to express ideas

• Does your artwork convey emotion or communicate something about the world?
• Have you chosen colours / shapes / lines / textures / forms etc intentionally, with thought about how these affect the mood and message or your work?
• Are your compositions imaginative and creative, expressing ideas in an original and personal way?

(b) Make informed aesthetic judgements by recognising the effect of relationships between visual and/or other forms

• Are the shapes, lines, textures, spaces, colours, tone and other visual elements in your work positioned and used in such a way that the work appears well-balanced and pleasing to the eye?
• Have you selected appropriate mediums?

AO4 Selection and control of materials, media and processes (20 marks)

(a) Show exploration and experimentation with appropriate materials

• Have you conducted a wide range of appropriate exploration and experimentation with materials? For example, h ave you used mediums in creative ways,  painted on different materials, used lots of different mediums, and mixed these in different ways?
• Are the mediums you have chosen appropriate for your topic? 

(b) Select and control appropriate media and processes, demonstrating practical, technical and expressive skills and intentions

• Replicate fine detail if required?
• Create sharp, tidy edges if needed?
• Blend tone smoothly or with control?
• Dash, splash and spray paint etc, if required, in beautiful and purposeful ways?
• Have you selected mediums and techniques that showcase your strengths and present your ability in the best light?

AO5 Personal vision and presentation (20 marks)

(a)  Show personal vision and commitment through an interpretative and creative response

• Is your work personal and creative?
• Is your project extensive, comprehensive and thorough – suggesting that you are a committed, dedicated student with personal vision?
• Have you taken time and care with your work?

(b) Present an informed response through personal evaluation, reflection and critical thinking

• Has your work been informed / influenced by relevant artists and/or creative practitioners?
• Did you continually evaluate your own work in order to work out how to proceed (and is this obvious from your practical work)? In other words, is each new piece the result of critical analysis of the work that has come before?

Please remember that this article does not reflect changes to the 2015 curriculum – it will be updated shortly.

If you have found this helpful, please share using the social media buttons below!

Amiria has been an Art & Design teacher and a Curriculum Co-ordinator for seven years, responsible for the course design and assessment of student work in two high-achieving Auckland schools. She has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching. Amiria is a CIE Accredited Art & Design Coursework Assessor.

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Please click the link below for the Updated: Art & Design IGCSE 0400 syllabus 2024-2025

BLOG INFORMATION

Friday, october 7, 2022, sharing the guideline of component 1 (coursework) - art & design igcse 0400.

Dear art educators, art students and parents,

I hope you are fine and safe wherever you are.

Thank you again for visiting my blog.

I hope my sharing here helps you prepare the work for the Art & Design IGCSE 0400 subjects.

I need to emphasize again that I don't teach As or A-Level IGCSE, and so sorry I can't help you much with that syllabus. You can always go to the Facebook page of  Cambridge Art / Design AS/ A 9704, 9479 & IGCSE 0400 For Educators <--  many experienced teachers can help you there. 

Here, I would like to share my guideline on HOW TO PROCEED WITH  'PAINTING AND RELATED MEDIA'  art style for the  COMPONENT 1 - COURSEWORK  (again, for the syllabus Art & Design IGCSE 0400 / syllabus 2020-2022).

Okay, let's say your student wanted to do something related to Nature and she/he would want to capture all the Nature such as plants or flowers around her/his house. You absolutely can say yes to that idea. Recording nature and carryout nature Art Coursework is one of the easier and the best because you won't be struggling in getting the First-hand studies (Primary Resources) at all!

My recommendation for this topic is that you might want to choose another name, other than 'Nature'.

There is nothing wrong with using the topic of 'Nature', but you might want to name it with other words and make it interesting for the whole set of work. Let's call it 'Alive' for this guideline. I would pretend I give this guideline to a student named 'Megan'. 

Firstly, Megan needs to share with me her Primary Sources as many as she could. For example, she sent me about 35 mixture pictures of plants and flowers around her house. For your information, my students usually will share with me about 30-60pictures for their Subject Matter Pictures (SM Pictures) for the topic I approved, and we agreed. The more pictures your students present to you is the better for the ongoing discussion.

So let say Megan discuss with me her selection of SM Pictures for her nature Coursework called 'Alive'. From her observation, while capturing the Subject Matter (SM) with her gadget, she did the AO1 Record while taking the pictures, selecting the images, and choosing the best SM for her work. She investigates the various Art Elements and Art Principles that she could capture while selecting her SM for her work. This experience will help her a lot in the upcoming creative progress on each prep work. 

- You must have a brief 'Introduction' of your idea for the whole Coursework that you plan to venture with. 

- You can write about your idea and content. However, make it as brief as possible.

- You can print your SM pictures and paste a few at this prep as well

- Topic has to be cleared, and you have to do mind-mapping. Early ideas using mind-mapping are always good to generate ideas, and with mind-mapping, you can write in points of suggesting artists, objects, or items to research. You can organise your early ideas better with this method. Also, it's always good to present your early ideas to the examiners.

- Then, you can start to select your SM Pictures and proceed to SM Studies at this prep. You can develop, explore and experiment with primary media at this prep. 

- When I label SM Studies, it means, using your SM Picture, you plan, select, and make a decision of which SM Picture you want to draw or paint and what media you think that you want to explore first at this prep.

- You might want to choose dry media first, or you might want to sketch-and-draw first. It's up to your final decision, and of course, you should consult and discuss with your art teacher first. Discuss which media best to show at your Prep 1.

- You may want to do 4 SM Studies, or 2 small sizes and 1 big size of SM Studies or you would like to do 2 big sizes of SM Studies at this prep. The suggestion layout above is not compulsory to follow, okay. Above is the visual outline layout that could help you as a teacher (to guide your students) and to help you as an art student to plan your layout and propose to your art teacher for further discussion. 

- You can rearrange the position of the mind-mapping. It is not necessarily to be placed as the sample above.

- The small boxes are for the Recording of your media used at SM Studies. 

- Annotation is essential. However, my recommendation, you don't need to annotate too long. Enough to write about the process of the SM Studies you did. 

- Some of you might want to plan, such as Artist Reference at Prep 1, Prep 3 and Prep 5. That will do too. 

- For today's sharing, I planned to put Artist Reference (AR) at Prep 2, Prep 4 and Prep 6.

- Artist Reference could be any established artist that the student researched, finalised and the students should know why they choose the artist in the first place. The AR work can be related to their SM or be different from their SM as long as they know why they choose the artist's work.

- I don't advise my students to take an artist from Instagram, TikTok, unless they extend the research about the artist. The artist should be one established artist and had years of experiences and number of art exhibitions. 

- At this Prep 2, again, the layout arrangement above is one suggestion, and please explore more for the layout arrangement. I arranged 2 with the frame, and 1 is frameless. If you want to present 4 of SM Studies at this prep, you can do so. The students should develop, organising ideas and discuss the Artist Reference here with the teacher and what media and techniques suitable for each study presented at this prep. 

- Dry media or wet media, or even collage techniques. The students should be able to develop ideas - in term of the size of the SM Studies and show the insights relevant and the intentions as their working with the work from one part to another part.   

- A few SM Pictures can be pasted here.

- Again, the layout arrangement is up to your creativity. Above is just a suggestion for you to generate more ideas.

In this prep, you might want to guide your students to select media, materials, techniques, and processes. 

- At this stage, all the studies should show the depth in understanding in visual and tactile in art. Students should produce results (from the media selection, materials, etc) that suit their work style. 

- The process of each exploration can be presented in a simple process, with tiny studies to the larger scale of the work. 

- Also, the students might want to keep on relook and select the impactful SM Pictures (e.g plant with more precise Texture, petal with contrast colours etc) for the detailed studies.

- It could be from an essential media exploration to the complex ones. From this process, we can include the AO3, which demonstrates critical understanding by selecting media on structured SM studies, exploring specific techniques, and making an outcome comparison for some of the exploration.

- Again, annotation is essential. Find a slot/space to annotate your creative process at the side of the work. 

- Here, we include another research and studies of Artist Reference #2. 

However, in a similar process as AR #1, you may want to choose the artist from a specific Art Era/Movement. E.g artist from Impressionism, Cubism, Pop Art (to name a few)

- From the same process of recopying the artist's work, the student should imitate the same technique in the SM picture. 

- Above is the suggestion for the layout, and again, you can come out with your layout arrangement. As long as it shows your ideas' flow, together with the continuous creative process and manipulation in media used at each study.

- You can repeat the same SM Picture, let say, from Prep 1 or Prep 2 and try out using different media, technique or style, you can do that too.

- Doesn't mean you have to capture, record, explore and experiment with all-new SM Pictures at each prep. You can repeat some of the earlier SM Picture, and you might want to adjust the size and manipulate the different techniques from the previous prep. 

- Another layout arrangement for the Prep5. 

- You can explore the size of the SM object, you can do collage, or you can explore with certain Apps and show the evidence of your creative process in this prep.

- Some students might ask you whether they can use a filter in certain Apps. I would say it's fine as long as they know why they want to do the filtering and what they want to achieve by doing that process.

- It is important to know why you do what you do. 

- You can experiment with the mixed media work too. 

- I quote this from one of the art reference books,

Your investigation must show visual continuity with your development work, so do not include anything which does not link with your subsequent development. 

- For the annotation, it would be great to annotate with appropriate art vocabulary as you describe your creative process for the studies. 

- The similar AR exploration as AR#1 and AR#2. 

At this prep, you can plan to combine particular SM objects or studies and explore the Composition for each of them. For the half of the larger frame (as above), you might put SM Picture of plant with Texture and half of it you can place the smooth Texture from petals and observe the outcomes from your media exploration for both.

- Another idea, you can do half of the study with collage style and another half with traditional painting style. 

- You can also take the plant and paint detailed studies, but you explore the pointillism art style for the background—just some suggestion for you.

- You can explore a close-up study as well. Using wet or dry media. 

- You can crop the studies and fill in the small boxes as part of the media recording.

- Annotate as usual. 

Prep 7 & 8

- For Prep 7 & 8, you can consider emphasising the Composition/Arrangement or Proportion or use of space towards the Final Piece.

- To quote one from the book I referred,

There is no minimum or a maximum number of studies, but you should try to produce several developments.

Quality is more important than quantity, but your work should effectively demonstrate the process you went through to develop your idea towards your Final Piece. Include your best work. Adding poor-quality development to fill up space may affect your mark. 

You should also consider the inspiration you studied from the ARs in the previous preps. You may not take the 3 ARs into our Final Piece idea arrangement, but somehow you may want to take some aspects from one or two ARs and apply/manipulate them into your work or can be part of your work for the Final Piece.

- Well, that is why Prep 7 & 8 are the prep that you could explore your idea development towards the Final Piece. This, including your best media, explored and experimented in previous preps. 

- You can annotate why you choose this and that SM Studies for the Final Piece ideas.

- You can 'tell' the examiners which media you would want to use and which Final Piece draft ideas you won't use for the Final Piece. You can state why as well. 

IMPORTANT INFO

PREP 2 is at the back of PREP 1

PREP 4 is at the back of PREP 3

PREP 6 is at the back of PREP 5

PREP 8 is at the back of PREP 7

Total : 4 sheets with back to back studies

17 comments:

Thank you! Very clear and easy to follow.

You are welcome!

Thank you. It's really helpful for the freshers who started teaching in IGCSE.

You are welcome. :)

Hi, this was really helpful! could you do one for component 2 please?

what does sm stands for ? btw amazing , it's really helpful

SM - subject matter (your pictures; item/object/model you refer to for your studies, exploration) :)

Very helpful Feeda, thanks a ton!

Thank you so much, your blog is a constant help for me as a new IGCSE teacher.

Glad to know. Thanks all!

Thank you Feeda, so helpful! For much time does it take to work on the coursework over the two years?

Thank you Ms. Feeda, so helpful. I recommend you to be the WORLD'S MINISTER OF ART AND DESIGN. You are a good ambassador.

Thank you Feeda,Awesome plan that actually has everything from A to Z Toufique

Waoo just came across this today. So fantastic and lovely. I'll follow the steps whenever I have student. Thank you

You have no idea how much this helps me! Thank you so much

Good morning I hope this letter finds you in good health I'm Art & Design teacher teaching different curriculum. At present IGCSE thanks a lot lot for sharing your experience it's in depth n detail guide line. I can imagine how much TIME & PLANNING it might have taken though it's a blog. Thanks a lot Regards.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Glad this sharing helps.

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