Component One: The essay
As part of component one, it is a requirement that you complete a 1000-3000 word essay alongside your personal investigation.
Use the below as a guide to the structure of your essay. Make sure you use key photography terms and advanced language. Spelling, grammar and punctuation are essential to get right as these will impact on your grade. You may wish to use subheadings to help structure your essay and you must use appropriate paragraphs. Avoid repeating yourself or babbling! The word count is important and must be within the restrictions, however as this is your first essay, it is fine to be at the lower end of the word count. Be really clear about what you are saying. It needs to demonstrate to the examiner that your ideas have flowed effectively and that thorough reflections and analysis of your experiments and artist research they have led from one to another smoothly.
Write your essay on word, you will copy and paste over to your website when complete.
Use the below as a guide to the structure of your essay. Make sure you use key photography terms and advanced language. Spelling, grammar and punctuation are essential to get right as these will impact on your grade. You may wish to use subheadings to help structure your essay and you must use appropriate paragraphs. Avoid repeating yourself or babbling! The word count is important and must be within the restrictions, however as this is your first essay, it is fine to be at the lower end of the word count. Be really clear about what you are saying. It needs to demonstrate to the examiner that your ideas have flowed effectively and that thorough reflections and analysis of your experiments and artist research they have led from one to another smoothly.
Write your essay on word, you will copy and paste over to your website when complete.
Essay Guide
use it to help structure your essay...
Introduction
Approx. 150-200 words
Introduce your chosen concept.
- What is your theme and why did you choose it?
- How have you worked within the theme?
- What was it that interested you about your concept and why?
- What were your early ideas, initial thoughts, ideas for exploration etc?
Approx. 150-200 words
Introduce your chosen concept.
- What is your theme and why did you choose it?
- How have you worked within the theme?
- What was it that interested you about your concept and why?
- What were your early ideas, initial thoughts, ideas for exploration etc?
Getting started
Approx 300-400 words
Include small images of your best photos from these photoshoots set in the text so it is clear to see what you are talking about.
How did you start the project?
- photography skills you learnt,
- photographers and initial artist research, gallery visits (if relevant).
What did you learn from these early tasks? How did they help you with the project as it developed later?
Approx 300-400 words
Include small images of your best photos from these photoshoots set in the text so it is clear to see what you are talking about.
How did you start the project?
- photography skills you learnt,
- photographers and initial artist research, gallery visits (if relevant).
What did you learn from these early tasks? How did they help you with the project as it developed later?
Artist research and experiments for your final concept
Approx. 400-500 words
Include images of the photographers work you studied next to each artist
Include images of your experiments for reference.
How did artist research inspire your ideas for your chosen concept?
- Which artists did you look at and why? Include small pictures of their most inspiring work next to where you talk about them.
- How did you take inspiration from your artists? How did you combine elements of multiple artists?
- How did your ideas develop through experiments?
- What did you try? What did you learn?
Explain how you analysed things that didn’t work in order to move forward. Highlight the things that worked that you went on to develop later.
Approx. 400-500 words
Include images of the photographers work you studied next to each artist
Include images of your experiments for reference.
How did artist research inspire your ideas for your chosen concept?
- Which artists did you look at and why? Include small pictures of their most inspiring work next to where you talk about them.
- How did you take inspiration from your artists? How did you combine elements of multiple artists?
- How did your ideas develop through experiments?
- What did you try? What did you learn?
Explain how you analysed things that didn’t work in order to move forward. Highlight the things that worked that you went on to develop later.
Final experiments
Approx 150-250 words
Include photos of your development pieces.
Explain the idea behind your final series of photographs. What do you want the viewer to think about when they look at it?
What experiments did you do to refine your techniques to get the best possible photographs?
Which photographers have been most inspirational for photography/editing techniques and how? If you explored new photographers at this stage, why? What did you get out of it?
Final piece evaluation and project reflection
Approx 200-300 words
Final photographs presented as they would be in a gallery space. Eg. 3 photos in a row evenly or 4 photos 2x2.
Finally evaluate your final series of photographs. What works well visually and conceptually? How clear is the idea? Perhaps you could get some feedback from peers and include quotes about how they see the work… is there anything you could do differently? How would you develop the project further from here? Be reflective.
Did you meet your intentions? This is one of the criteria in AO4 - did you achieve what you set out to at the start of the project? Did your project flow from one thing to the next etc.
What has interested you most about this project? Do you feel you have begun to develop your own style if so what is it? What have you learnt about your way of working?
Approx 200-300 words
Final photographs presented as they would be in a gallery space. Eg. 3 photos in a row evenly or 4 photos 2x2.
Finally evaluate your final series of photographs. What works well visually and conceptually? How clear is the idea? Perhaps you could get some feedback from peers and include quotes about how they see the work… is there anything you could do differently? How would you develop the project further from here? Be reflective.
Did you meet your intentions? This is one of the criteria in AO4 - did you achieve what you set out to at the start of the project? Did your project flow from one thing to the next etc.
What has interested you most about this project? Do you feel you have begun to develop your own style if so what is it? What have you learnt about your way of working?
Bibliography on a separate page
Title – bibliography, have a line space between each reference
Harvard style referencing
Include a list of the websites you used when researching artists and ideas. Organise them in alphabetical order of the author’s surname.
Write them exactly like below (this is good practice as at uni you get marked down for bad referencing!)
AUTHOR IN CAPITALS (date published) title in italics. [Online] Available from www.websitehere.co.uk [accessed: the date you looked at it]
EXAMPLE:
BBC NEWS (2008) Damien Hirst. [Online] Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7681569.stm [Accessed: 21 October 2008]
Title – bibliography, have a line space between each reference
Harvard style referencing
Include a list of the websites you used when researching artists and ideas. Organise them in alphabetical order of the author’s surname.
Write them exactly like below (this is good practice as at uni you get marked down for bad referencing!)
AUTHOR IN CAPITALS (date published) title in italics. [Online] Available from www.websitehere.co.uk [accessed: the date you looked at it]
EXAMPLE:
BBC NEWS (2008) Damien Hirst. [Online] Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7681569.stm [Accessed: 21 October 2008]
Checklist
When finished, please check the following:
- You have a minimum of 1000 words, maximum of 3000.
- Font size is 12-14
- Your name is in the headers
- Page numbers are added
- You have a title 'Component One Reflection'
- You have used sub headings (optional but a clear way to lay out your essay)
- You have photographs by yourself and your artists and they are in relevant positions – next to where you are discussing them.
- You have set 1.5 line spacing (go to paragraphs)
- Page borders (optional)
- Bibliography page is at the back – referenced Harvard style. All websites and books need to be included. Go back and find them if you can’t remember! The bibliography is a formal requirement from the exam board and is therefore essential.
- You have a minimum of 1000 words, maximum of 3000.
- Font size is 12-14
- Your name is in the headers
- Page numbers are added
- You have a title 'Component One Reflection'
- You have used sub headings (optional but a clear way to lay out your essay)
- You have photographs by yourself and your artists and they are in relevant positions – next to where you are discussing them.
- You have set 1.5 line spacing (go to paragraphs)
- Page borders (optional)
- Bibliography page is at the back – referenced Harvard style. All websites and books need to be included. Go back and find them if you can’t remember! The bibliography is a formal requirement from the exam board and is therefore essential.
Further guidance
For further guidance, this is a pretty good website! https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/writing-the-a2-art-personal-study