Photography GCSE: pre-recorded

The way I teach photography is by encouraging children to make a portfolio about a subject that interests them and inspires them.

• How will the course be taught?
• What is the cost?
• What do I provide when your child becomes part of my GCSE photography online cohort?
• What will you learn and create for the Photography GCSE?
• What are the components of the Photography GCSE qualification?
• What does the Externally Set Task and exam involve?
• Where will my child take their two day practical exam?
• Rough timeline of the course
• How much writing is required?
• What equipment will you use?
• What kind of camera does my child need for the course?
• How do I book a place on this course?

How will the course be taught?

• The course will be taught in online written and pre-recorded lessons, with at least six lessons in each (some lessons will be recordings, others with PDFs or PDF instructions or a combination of both).
• Every half-term we will have a live Zoom tutorial which will be one-to-one between tutor and student in which we discuss your current work and the direction in which you are going. The parent can also be present for this one-to-one Zoom tutorial. After these tutorials an action plan and report will be given for the next steps and the next stage of pre-recorded lessons.

What is the cost?

• You will pay £83 per half-term block paid in advance. 
• This will cover six lessons per half term block and also the 30 minute one-to-one check-in each half term.
• There will be a one off charge of £60 for marking and moderation paid for at the time just before the exam in March 2027.
• This is a total of £890 over the five terms (or 10 half terms) to be paid to me as your tutor
• There is also an exam fee of approx. £500 to be paid to Tutors and Exams. You pay them directly for the exam and this is in addition to the £890 I charge.

What do I provide when your child becomes part of my GCSE photography online cohort?

• Pre-recorded online lessons.
• Access to online video tutorials on camera skills and editing skills.
• Artist research resources.
• Portfolio template.
• Written resources and templates.
• Personalised feedback each half term to each student.

In each half term we will have a 30 minute check-in which will be one-to-one between tutor and student. This is so I can authenticate your work and also discuss your work with you and give you feedback and ideas relating to your current work, as each child creates a portfolio which is unique to their interests. After each check-in an action plan for their portfolio will be sent to you.

What will you learn and create for the Photography GCSE?

Throughout the course you will be creating a coursework portfolio which is one project. It is a digital portfolio on Googleslides. We are starting on photography skills – composition and camera settings – followed by photography editing skills. This will then lead onto developing your portfolio. You will choose a theme according to your personal interests and will follow the online lessons from there.

GCSE Photography is about more than taking photographs – it is also about looking at the work of other artists and photographers and using that to inspire your own personal style.

There are four assessment objectives in Photography GCSE and your work will be marked using these Assessment Objectives:

1. Looking at other artists, photographers and sources for inspiration for your own work.
2. Refining work through experimentation with techniques and processes.
3. Capturing and recording your ideas through photography, film, drawing and other media.
4. Creating final pieces that are personal responses and developed using your own personal style and ideas.

What are the components of the Photography GCSE qualification?

There are two components:

1. 60 percent of the mark is based upon your child’s personal coursework portfolio created over the first year of the course.
2. 40 percent of the mark is based upon the Externally Set Task (EST) culminating in a practical two day exam at an exam centre. 

Both of these components are marked using the same four assessment objectives described above.

OCR will be the awarding body for the GCSE and the Coursework Portfolio and the Externally Set Task will be marked according to OCR guidelines, marking scheme and specification.

What does the Externally Set Task and exam involve?

In January of year two, children will receive a choice of themes to create a new project and this is called the Externally Set Task. From January to March they create a new project portfolio based upon this theme and all this preparatory work will also be considered in their Externally Set Task exam mark worth 40 percent of their overall mark. The photography exam will be a two day practical exam where they will make a final piece for their Externally Set Task themed project.

It’s not like what you might think of a normal exam with lots of writing; rather over a set period of two days children create a final piece of work from their photography. 

Your child will have a plan of what they are going to create before they go into the exam centre and they will have already taken the photographs before the two day practical. For example, in the two day photography exam, your child could be editing their photos or a film or creating a photo sculpture – basically creating a final piece that they will have been working towards for two months based upon their chosen theme for the Externally Set Task.

Where will my child take their two day practical exam?

Your child will take the practical exam at one of the ‘Tutors and Exams’ Centres in Doncaster or Coventry. Tutors and Exams require you to have your specialist photography tutor present and as I will be in Doncaster and Coventry for the exam then I will ask you to book it there. The fee for the two day exam is booked for and paid directly to the exam centre Tutors and Exams and is approx. £500 for two days and you get a ten percent discount booking through me as your tutor.