Assessment in art and design

At the end of a key stage, teachers should judge which level description best fits the pupil's performance. Each description should be considered alongside descriptions for adjacent levels. When making a judgement at the end of a key stage, you may wish to note the following points.

Making your judgement

• You will arrive at judgements by taking into account strengths and weaknesses in performance across a range of art and design contexts and over a period of time.

• A single piece of work will not cover all the expectations set out in a level description. It will probably provide partial evidence of attainment in one or more aspects of a level description. If you look at it alongside other pieces of work covering a range of contexts you will be able to make a judgement about which level best fits a pupil's overall performance.

Giving pupils opportunities to demonstrate attainment

• Your pupils will need to use a range of forms of communication to show what they can do.

• In planning units of work and classroom approaches, you will need to provide opportunities for pupils to display their achievements in different ways, and to work in a range of situations, for example, in practical work using a range of media, through discussion, through written evaluations, in paired or group work, working on a large scale.

Recording

Although you will want to be able to explain why you have awarded particular levels to pupils at the end of the key stage, there is no requirement for judgements to be explained in a particular way or to be supported by detailed collections of evidence for each pupil.

In art and design, the level descriptions show progression in:

1. exploring and developing ideas

2. investigating and making art, craft and design

3. evaluating and developing work.

Knowledge and understanding supports attainment in all three aspects.

Planning to help progression

Planning to help pupils progress in art and design involves the following.

Increasing the breadth of content by providing opportunities for pupils to:

• respond to personal, social, cultural and environmental issues within the broad themes of 'themselves and their experiences' and 'natural and made objects' and 'environments'

• participate in an increasing range of practical experiences of art, craft and design

• engage with contemporary art, craft and design and work from a variety of genres, styles and traditions.

Increasing pupils' depth of knowledge and understanding of:

• visual and tactile elements of line, shape, pattern, texture, colour, tone, form and space

• the materials and processes used by artists, craftspeople and designers

• the role and function of art, craft and design in different times and cultures.

Improving the quality of pupils' responses and the outcomes through the development of:

• practical and technical skills

• the ability to reflect on, adapt and improve their work and make independent choices and decisions about its purpose and meanings

• the ability to critically evaluate the work of artists, craftspeople and designers and to apply their learning in the context of their own ideas, methods and approaches.

Progression by aspect

Exploring and developing ideas

By the end of key stage 1, pupils:

• record what they observe, experience and imagine, and explore ideas

• ask and answer questions about the starting points for their work, and develop their ideas.

By the end of key stage 2, pupils:

• select and record from experience and imagination, record first-hand observations and explore ideas for different purposes

• make thoughtful observations about starting points and select ideas to use in their work

• select and record visual and other information in a sketchbook and use this to help them develop their ideas.

Investigating and making art, craft and design

By the end of key stage 1, pupils:

• investigate the possibilities of materials and processes

• try out tools and techniques and apply these to materials and processes, including drawing

• represent observations, ideas and feelings and design and make images and artefacts.

By the end of key stage 2, pupils:

• investigate, combine and organise visual and tactile qualities of materials and processes and match these qualities to the purpose of the work

• apply their experience of materials and processes, including drawing, developing control of tools and techniques

• use a variety of methods and approaches to communicate observations, ideas and feelings and design and make images and artefacts.

Evaluating and developing work

By the end of key stage 1, pupils:

• review what they and others have done and comment on differences

• identify what they might change in their current work or develop in their future work.

By the end of key stage 2, pupils:

• compare and comment on ideas, methods and approaches in their own and others' work and relate these to the context of the work

• adapt and improve their work to realise their own intentions, and describe how they might develop it further.

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of key stage 1, pupils will have knowledge and understanding of:

• visual and tactile elements

• materials and processes used in art, craft and design

• the work of artists, craftspeople and designers.

By the end of key stage 2, pupils will have knowledge and understanding of:

• visual and tactile elements and how these are combined and organised for different purposes

• materials and processes and how these are matched to ideas and intentions

• the roles and purposes of artists, craftspeople and designers working in different times and cultures.

The attainment target in art and design sets out the knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils of different abilities and maturities are expected to have by the end of each key stage. Attainment targets consist of eight level descriptions of increasing difficulty, plus a description of exceptional performance above level 8. Each level description describes the type and range of performance that pupils working at that level should characteristically demonstrate. The level descriptions provide the basis for making judgements about pupils' performance at the end of a key stage.

The majority of pupils are expected to work at:

• levels 1-3 in key stage 1 and attain level 2 at the end of the key stage

• levels 2-5 in key stage 2 and attain level 4 at the end of the key stage.

By indicating expectations at particular levels and by charting broad progression in the subject, the level descriptions can also inform planning, teaching and assessment. Please note, the level descriptions are not designed to be used to 'level' individual pieces of work.