The National 5 Art and Design Course enables learners to plan, develop, produce and present creative art and design work, and to develop their critical understanding of a range of art and design practice. The Course also enables learners to understand the impact of external factors on artists and designers and their works. The skills that learners gain by successfully completing the Course will be valuable for learning, life and work.

The aims of the Course are to enable learners to:

• communicate personal thoughts, feelings and ideas through the creative use of art and design materials, techniques and/or technology
• develop critical understanding of a range of art and design practice
• plan, develop, produce and present creative art and design work
• understand the impact of external factors on artists and designers and their work
• develop creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and reflective practice skills

Attendance – Three periods each week

The National 5 courses consist of two mandatory units and the course assessment. The mandatory unit work is collated in pupil’s sketchbooks and retained by the school for verification purposes. A significant amount of the unit work will be undertaken in the S3 BGE course.

The National 5 the course assessment consists of a portfolio and a written examination. These are submitted to the SQA and form the basis for grading attainment in the full course award.

Unit 1: Expressive with Critical Activity – This Unit helps learners to develop their personal thoughts and ideas in visual form. In the Unit, learners will develop critical understanding of artists’ working practices and the social and cultural influences affecting their work. They will select stimuli and produce analytical drawings and studies. They will develop and refine their expressive ideas and artwork, experimenting with and using a range of materials, techniques and/or technology in 2D and/or 3D formats when responding to stimuli.

Unit 2: Design with Critical Activity – In this Unit learners will plan, research and develop creative design work in response to a design brief. They will develop their creativity, problem solving and critical thinking skills as they consider design opportunities, and work to resolve design issues and constraints. In the Unit, learners will develop critical understanding of designers’ working practices and the main social and cultural influences affecting their work. They will experiment with, develop and refine their design ideas, using a range of materials, techniques and/or technology in 2D and/or 3D formats.

Course Assessment- PORTFOLIO AND QUESTION PAPER

PORTFOLIO Section 1A: Expressive Project (80 marks)

• further developing the initial idea in 2D and/or 3D formats, demonstrating a considered response to the expressive theme/stimuli and the effective use of the visual elements
• creating a final piece of expressive art in either 2D or 3D, which maintains continuity with the original idea and development work and which shows the effective refinement and realisation of the idea
• an evaluation of the expressive art work, reflecting on the impact of their creative choices and decisions and the visual qualities of the work

PORTFOLIO Section 1B: Design Project (80 marks)

•  further developing the initial idea in 2D and/or 3D formats, demonstrating a considered response to the opportunities and requirements of the design brief and the effective use of design elements
• producing a final design solution in either 2D or 3D formats, which maintains visual continuity with the original design idea and development work and which shows the effective refinement and realisation of the idea
• an evaluation of their work, reflecting on the impact of their design choices and decisions and the effectiveness of the design solution, with reference to the design brief requirements

QUESTION PAPER Section 2: Examination (40 marks)

• The question paper allows learners to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of art and design practice in an extended response format. Learners will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the work of artists and designers with explicit reference to their use of visual/design elements, expressing justified personal opinions about the work.

Unit Assessment – All units are internally assessed. This involves sampling the skills, knowledge and understanding of pupils 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. Both these units must pass internal verification in order to be presented for the National course award.

Course Assessment – The course assessment is made up of two components. The main body of practical work (Expressive and Design portfolio) and a question paper which are both externally assessed by SQA. This portfolio is worth 160 marks and the question paper is worth 40 marks. This question paper will be set and marked by SQA, and conducted in centres under conditions specified for external examinations by SQA. Learners will complete this in 1 hour 10 minutes.

The practical marks contribute to approximately 80% of the overall marks for the course assessment. The Course will be graded A–D.

Prelim Examination – Pupils will have the opportunity to sit an Art and Design prelim written examination within the academic session. This test helps to prepare candidates for the written exam as well as generate evidence for the question paper if necessary in exceptional circumstances. Please consult the Prelim calendar for specific times and dates.

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 5 candidates will carry out a more formal learner’s conversation at various times within the year. This is an opportunity for pupils 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.