A-level Photography

The A-level photography course at Thomas Tallis School is linear. We do not offer AS level. 

The reasons for this are as follows:
  • The AS course no longer counts towards the full A-level. Therefore, preparation for the AS will not benefit students (as it did previously) who want to achieve a full A level in photography.
  • Very few of our existing students tend to drop photography after AS level
  • Many students begin photography A-level having not studied the subject at GCSE. This can mean that getting up to speed with knowledge, understanding and skills takes some time. Preparations for the Externally Set Task begin on 1st February. We don't believe that entering students for an exam at this stage is appropriate.
  • We welcome the opportunity to work with students over two years to prepare them for assessment. We believe this will be better for students, supporting the development of their knowledge, understanding and skills.
We have made this decision very clear to all our candidates. We think it is in their best interests.

Here is the new Art & Design specification with details about the course:

AQA Art & Design specification (from 2015)
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A Level Photography Programme of Study Yrs 12-13
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A summary of the course

The full two year A-level course has two components (see diagram opposite). We have decided to structure our course as follows:
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Year 12:

September - December:
​An introduction to photography. Students will be introduced to or reminded of the Threshold Concepts in photography. They will explore the work of key practitioners and be introduced to important historical trends. They will develop a good understanding of photographic technology, both conventional and digital. They will develop their ability to research and analyse, both orally and in writing, important examples of photography from its origins to the present time.
January - April:
Students will begin Component 1 - The Personal Investigation (Part 1: The Photobook). They will identify an area of photography practice that interests them and begin to conduct strategic research. They will experiment with making relevant responses of their own, developing stronger ideas over time and refining and developing their work. They will research the history of photobooks, thinking about why photographs have been disseminated in printed form throughout the history of the medium. They will design and produce a photobook and/or zine.

April onwards:
Students will move on to Component 1 - The Personal Investigation (Part 2). They will continue to develop a body of work on a theme, topic or subject of their own choosing. They will continue to conduct strategic research, exploring ideas and images within and beyond photography to enrich their experiments. They will begin their critical study essay. This work will continue during the summer holiday and into Year 13. 
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Year 13:

September - January:
Students will continue to develop their Personal Investigations, resolving outcomes related to their research and considering various display strategies. They will also complete the accompanying 1000-3000 word critical study essay.

February - May:
Students will select one of the prompts from the exam board's Externally Set Task. They will use the assessment objectives to guide their working process and complete a response in a 15 hour controlled assessment. An external examiner will visit the school in June to see an exhibition of students' work and to moderate the marks given to them by the centre.
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Documentation

Students will choose whether they wish to document their learning in a book on or on a website. We will share outstanding examples of both so that they have a good understanding of the standards expected of them and the potential of each form of document. All students will be supported by a dedicated A-level photography exemplar website which contains details of assignments and examples of responses. In addition, we will use the new PhotoPedagogy site created by colleagues at Tallis (in partnership with others across the country) as a source of guidance and inspiration.