The National 4 Art and Design Course enables learners to plan, develop, produce and present creative art and design work and to develop an understanding of the social and cultural influences on the works of artists and designers.

The aims of the Course are to enable learners to:

• communicate personal thoughts, feelings and ideas through the imaginative use of art and design materials, techniques and/or technology
• develop knowledge and understanding of art and design practice
• plan, develop, produce and present creative art and design work
• develop understanding of the social and cultural influences on artists and designers and their work
• develop problem solving, critical thinking and reflective practice skills

Attendance – Three periods each week in S4. (Six periods in S5 & S6)

The National 4 course consist of three mandatory Units. The mandatory Unit work is collated in learner’s sketchbooks and retained by the school for verification purposes. Learners following this course in S4 will undertake a significant amount of the Unit work during the S3 BGE course.

Unit 1: Expressive with Critical Activity – This Unit helps learners to develop an understanding of the factors that influence and inspire artists’ work. They will also consider how artists use art materials, techniques and/or technology in their work. Learners will research and develop their personal thoughts and ideas in 2D and/or 3D formats in response to given stimuli. They will produce observational drawings and studies and develop their expressive ideas and compositions by experimenting with and using art materials, techniques and/or technology in creative and expressive ways.

Unit 2: Design with Critical Activity – This Unit helps learners to plan, research and develop creative design ideas in response to a given brief. Learners will develop their creativity and problem-solving skills as they consider the design opportunities, issues and constraints of the brief. They will develop their understanding of designers’ working practices and the factors that inspire and influence their work. They will also experiment with and develop media handling skills when producing their design ideas in 2D and/or 3D formats.

 Unit 3: Practical Activity – In the Art and Design Practical Activity, learners will draw on and extend their knowledge, and apply practical skills when producing art and design work. They will develop problem-solving and reflective practice skills in the context of their expressive and design work. This will be assessed through a practical activity, which involves producing one piece of expressive art and one piece of design work.

Unit Assessment – All Units are internally assessed. This involves sampling the skills, knowledge and understanding of learners demonstrated through their sketchbook work. There are two opportunities within the year to sit the assessment. Assessment is recorded as a Pass/Fail by the school and moderated by the SQA. All three units must pass internal verification in order to obtain the National course award.

National 4 Courses are not graded.

Ongoing formative assessment will take place in the classroom. This continuous process of discussion of both practical and written work is an essential part of the learning and teaching process in Art and Design.

National 4 candidates will carry out a more formal learner’s conversation at various times within the year. This is an opportunity for learners to discuss with staff what their strengths and weaknesses are within the Expressive and Design course work. It allows them to formulate an action plan to raise their attainment and ensure that they meet the requirements for a full course award.

Reporting to parents is in line with the school calendar of tracking, reporting and parent evenings.