GCSE Photography

OCR examining board

For GCSE Photography, students will need a good eye, creativity and should a passion to expand their learning through a visual route. They will learn the necessary technical skills to produce high quality and personal images in response to given themes, as well as basic camera skills to capture a range of subject matter in different light settings. Digital manipulation through computer software allows students to further enhance their work and develop ideas.

Topic areas covered

Unit 1: Portfolio of work on a set theme (internally set, externally moderated – 60% of final grade)

  • Investigations into the work of artists and photographers, taking inspiration to develop ideas in own work
  • Photography showing technical competence and originality of ideas
  • Experimentation with a wide variety of approaches and techniques, evaluating work as it progresses
  • Produce a final piece of work which links the above objectives together and also refers to the work of other photographers, artists or other relevant sources.

Unit 2: Externally set project (marked by the school, moderated by the exam board – 40% of final grade)

  • After making a choice from one of the given starting points, students must respond by producing a body of work similar to their portfolio which must again show evidence of coverage of all four objectives.

Teaching staff

Mrs O’Hara – head of faculty
Miss Goodwin – teacher of photography