Exam Board: AQA
GCSE Fashion and Textiles is a creative course that will inspire all budding designers. It is a fast and furious intense two years, full of new techniques and ideas inspired by interior and fashion designers. Textile design involves an arrangement of different disciples embracing both contemporary and traditional technologies. These involve the specialisms of Constructed Textiles, Dyed Textiles, Printed Textiles, Fine Art Textiles and Fashion Textiles.
Course break down:
In Year 10 you will explore and understand all types of techniques described above. You will learn how to use a sewing machine as well as important skills such as drawing, researching into creative makers and responding to the work of others. You will begin the coursework which will be submitted for your GCSE. The theme is selected to be broad and allow a lot of sub themes and interpretations. You will build on the skills learnt in Year 9 focusing on your areas of strengths but still including drawing, photography, artist research, responses, and developmental studies.
In Year 11 you will continue your body of work from Year 10. You will develop your ideas to create independent, personal work. In order to gain examination experience you will complete a 10 hour mock exam and produce a final outcome. This will count towards 60% of your final controlled assessment grade.
Year 11 Externally Set Assignment: This project, which is worth 40%, is directed by the examination board but will be similar, in structure, to the sketchbook completed in Year 10 and 11. At the end of this, you will produce a final piece in examination conditions, you are given 10 hours for this assessment.
The course is assessed in 2 components.
Component one: Portfolio – weighting 60%
Students must produce work in response to a centre set starting point, brief, scenario or stimulus to create and develop a portfolio of work which will also include an outcome.
Component two: Externally set task – weighting 40%
Students will receive an exam paper at the start of January of year 11. Students will create a response to one of the 7 titles given in the exam paper. Students will then create an outcome in an extended supervised session/s. (10 hours)
A GCSE Fashion and Textiles qualification can lead directly to several higher level courses as well as create routes to many creative careers such as Art directors, Fashion designers, Graphic designers, Special Effects make-up artists, Interior designers, Jewellers and Precious Stone and Metal workers, Craft and Fine artists, Floral designers, Set and exhibition designers, Teacher, Art Therapist, Photographer, Animator, Illustrator, Ceramics designer, Game artist, Medical Illustrator, Museum/Gallery exhibitions officer, Product designer, Theatre director, Theatre manager, Web designer and many more. Having a qualification in an Art and Design course can also give you the edge in a competitive job market and make you stand out from the crowd.