Assessing Art and Design Skills, Knowledge and Understanding at KS3

Assessment within Art and Design, at its most basic level, is about gauging how much a student knows or understands about a particular topic and how this knowledge is used to experiment with materials to create technically skilled artwork.

The underlying principles of Art and Design aims to provide opportunitiesfor students to make work, investigate ideas and reflect on their own work and that of others. In the Art and Design department we aim to provide a method of assessment that recognises, values and rewards creativity and imaginative responses. AfL style assessment is embedded into every lesson, combining both formative and summative assessment opportunities to provide the best overall indicator of student progress.

At CFGS we use four distinct strands to assess Art and Design; this provides an appropriately broad framework for the subject. There is a strong line of development from KS3 into GCSE through characteristics developed within each of the four strands therefore the creative process can be made progressive and continuous.

The four strands focus attention on the different kinds of achievement and progress students can make in Art and Design. The constant reference to the strands reaffirms the importance of the whole making process and of the full range of values, skills and attributes relevant to a good art education.

Students will respond differently to these strands according to their different abilities, experiences and interests and their progress in each of them is likely, as a consequence, to be different.

Art education is about:

Exploring and Developing Ideas (Understanding Art and Researching Ideas)

  • Record from experience and imagination
  • Develop and select ideas
  • Collect visual and other information to help develop ideas
  • Research artists, craftspeople and designers in the wider world

Investigating and Making Art, Craft and Design (Experimenting)

  • Investigating qualities of materials and processes
  • Design and make images and artefacts

Evaluating and Developing work (Making)

  • Discuss, review different ideas and methods
  • Adapt and develop own work

Knowledge and Understanding (Technical Skill)

  • Visual and tactile qualities
  • Develop control of tools and techniques

KS3 Assessment in Art & Design

Although assessment in Art and Design is holistic, drawing upon each of the strands, it is helpful in assessing pupils to reflect on the four strands separately. This ensures assessment is always focused and specific. Each project will be assessed both formatively and summatively based on the four strands.

Formative assessment will take place during lessons and will inform teaching and learning and monitoring of student progress. Strategies include:

  • Develop student’s skills in peer and self assessment
  • Student’s assess own progress objectively using the strands and increasingly become independent learners
  • Teachers share objectives and success criteria with students and allow for and plan assessment conversations
  • Teachers model assessment for students using a language and process which illustrates how assessment seeks to interpret and apply criteria

Summative assessment will take place at the end of a project and will contribute to monitoring student progress toward end of key stage targets.

Art and Design KS3 assessment overview

Task / % Weighting / Total
Year 7 / Me as a Beast – Drawing and Sculpture / 33.3% / 100%
Natural Form – Ceramics / 33.3%
Objects and Meaning – Formal Elements / 33.3%
Year 8 / Bodies – Painting and Sculpture / 33.3% / 100%
Structures and Mapping – Mixed Media and Print / 33.3%
Alternative Portraiture – Painting and Textiles / 33.3%
Year 9 / Peace and Conflict – Mixed Media and Paint / 33.3% / 100%
Skins and Layers – Print and Textiles / 33.3%
Skins and Layers – Sustained Response / 33.3%