Photography GCSE: Fast Track

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

• Overview of the Fast Track Photography GCSE course and how it is taught
• At what age can my child begin Fast Track?
• What days of the week and times of the day are the lessons?
• What is the cost?
• What do I provide when your child becomes part of my GCSE Photography group lessons?
• What will your child learn in 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 onto the Fast Track course?

Overview of the Fast Track Photography GCSE course and how it is taught

The course is taught over the space of one year from April or July 2026 to March / April 2027 Your child will take their practical photography exam in March / April 2027.

The course will be taught with live online lessons on Zoom. It will be a combination of one-to-one and group classes. They will have 12 one-to-one lessons of one hour with me to catch up and create their coursework portfolio in a more intense way over the Summer term or Summer holidays and then in September 2026 they will join the group lessons which occur weekly.

The one-to-one lessons are weekly over a two to three month period in the Summer term or over the Summer holidays depending upon your child’s availability and when they would like to begin.

Over the period of these 12 one-to-one lessons, your child will be creating the majority of their coursework portfolio which is worth 60 percent of their mark. So over this period I will ask your child to take at least five planned photoshoots and to learn photography editing with me. So this period of learning is quite intense with weekly home learning of two hours each week expected. 

At what age can my child begin Fast Track?

Fast Track is a mode of learning that I generally recommend for children who are starting to be at least 14 years old and would be in the equivalent of Year 10 school year. I understand that every child is different, but to get higher marks in Photography, you must give meaning to your work which requires maturity in approach and thinking. Also, quite complicated editing in PhotoShop is required. 

In my experience, the Fast Track is too much pressure for children to begin in year 9.

What days of the week and times of the day are the lessons?

The 12 one-to-one lessons can be organised at a time and a day, Monday to Thursday, that is convenient for both of us

From September 2026 there is a choice of two group classes that your child can join:

• Tuesdays at 1pm – 2pm
• Thursdays at 11.15 am – 12.15pm.

Once you have enrolled on the Fast Track course then you can  choose and reserve one of these class choices to join weekly from September 2026.

Lessons are live online and recordings are available if you can’t make a class at the time and will have between five and eight pupils in each group.

What is the cost?

The total is £1020 payable to me for lessons over the year. 

The fee for the two day exam is separately payable to Tutors and Exams and is approx. £500 for two days and you get a ten percent discount booking through me as your tutor.

Break down of costs:

• One to one lessons from April or July 2026 are £45 per hour. You will pay £540 for 12 one-to-one lessons (12 x £45) over a period of 3 months. These can be paid for in blocks of 4 lessons of £180 per month. 
• Group online lessons from September 2026 are £17.50 each. It will be £420 for four half terms of group lessons from September 2026 until April 2027 paid for in half term blocks of 6 lessons costing £105 each.
• There will be a fee of £60 paid to me for the marking, standardising and submission of the coursework and exam work in April 2027.
• The fee for the two day exam is separately payable to Tutors and Exams and is approx. £500 for two days and you get a ten percent discount booking through me as your tutor.

What do I provide when your child becomes part of my GCSE Photography group lessons?

• Live online lessons.
• Access to online video tutorials made by me and tailored to their project.
• Lesson recordings.
• Weekly personalized feedback to each student.
• Artist research resources.
• Portfolio templates.
• Written resources and templates. 

I also email updates to parents and carers with action plans and photoshoot plans.

What will your child learn in Photography GCSE?

In the first term we begin on photography and editing skills – composition and camera settings and lighting experiments, plus photography editing skills. This will then lead onto developing your child’s personal coursework portfolio, the theme of which can be adapted to their personal interests.

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 primarily photography; it can also include 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.