Photography GCSE: live online classes
Photography GCSE: live online classes
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The way I teach photography is by encouraging children to make a portfolio about a subject that interests them and inspires them.
- This course is taught over one and a half years from September in year one to April in year two.
- This is currently the most popular choice of course.
- Your child learns in a small group of about seven students for one hour a week.
- The child develops their portfolio and creative style at a steady pace with weekly personalised support from a tutor in live lessons and through interacting with their peers.
- There are choices of the weekly groups on different days and times and your child will choose one of these to attend throughout the year so they are comfortable in their group and numbers remain small.
- Children are required to use their microphone and camera for the live Zoom lessons so they can interact with me as their tutor. I don’t require them to have the camera on all of the time, but being willing to discuss their work using the microphone in lessons is important to develop their work in these lessons.
- How will the course be taught?
- 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 course?
How will the course be taught?
- The course will be taught in live online lessons. Weekly online group lessons are with around six or seven pupils in a group.
- Lessons are live online on Zoom and recordings and support emails are available if you can’t make a class at the time.
What is the cost?
- Group lessons are £17.50 each paid for in half-term blocks of £105 for six lessons per half-term.
- For classes starting in September 2026 the course will typically cost a total of £1110.
- This cost of £1110 is for ten half terms over 18 months, plus a fee of £60 to pay for my marking, standardisation and submission of your child’s GCSE Photography portfolio.
- This price of £1110 is for my tutoring and course materials only and does not include the cost for the practical exam which is booked directly with exam centre Tutors and Exams.
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:
- Looking at other artists, photographers and sources for inspiration for your own work.
- Refining work through experimentation with techniques and processes.
- Capturing and recording your ideas through primarily photography; it can also include film, drawing and other media.
- 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:
- 60 percent of the mark is based upon your child’s personal coursework portfolio created over the first year of the course.
- 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.
Rough timeline of the course
Year 1: Sept 2026 – August 2027
Creating Coursework Portfolio which is worth 60 percent of your mark.
Year 2: Sept 2027 – March / April 2028
Sept 2027 – Dec 2027 (Winter term): Developing, completing and refining your coursework portfolio from year 1.
Jan 2028 – March 2028 (Spring term): You will be given the exam themes in January and then spend spring term preparing for the exam.
March / April 2028: The two day practical exam is taken in March or April of year 2 at a Tutors and Exams Centre in UK (exact dates for photography exam TBC).
May 2028: The work is then marked and moderated and you will receive your marks on the national GCSE results day.
How much writing is required?
Writing is part of the coursework portfolio for GCSE photography as you analyse other artists’ work, evaluate your own work about your aims, what your work means and how you can improve.
I provide writing frameworks for this and the portfolio is digital on Googleslides which means writing will be typed rather than hand written.
The practical GCSE Photography exam requires no writing as it is more practical in that you will be creating a piece of artwork (the exam prep will require some writing in the same way as the coursework portfolio when reflecting on work).
What equipment will you use?
- For your Zoom lessons please have a device with a camera so I can see you and a microphone so we can talk to each other.
- A phone or camera to take photos on during your lesson. DSLR camera is preferable – you can get one second hand as well. Please check this section below for more information on cameras: What kind of camera does my child need for the course?
- A laptop with wifi that you can use for editing photographs.
- A camera tripod.
- A cheap light with different colours.
- Photoshop to edit photos – I can advise you how to get a cheaper subscription for this.
I can email you links to equipment required.
What kind of camera does my child need for the course?
Your child will want a camera to take photographs throughout the course and occasionally during lessons.
Recommended camera type
- I recommend a DSLR camera with full manual settings.
- Manual control is important because it allows students to adjust focus, shutter speed, aperture and other key settings independently, which are essential skills for Photography GCSE.
Best value option: Canon DSLRs (second-hand)
- For ease of use and compatibility, I recommend Canon DSLR cameras. I use a Canon myself in lessons, so it helps students to have a similar model when following demonstrations.
- There is no need to buy new. A good quality second-hand camera will work perfectly and is far more affordable. Sites such as MPB offer reliable used options that age well and can be used with older, less expensive lenses.
- Recommended models include:
- Canon EOS 200D
- Canon EOS 750D
- Canon EOS 1200D
A note on mirrorless cameras
Mirrorless cameras are a newer type of camera, but they are usually more expensive and their lenses tend to cost more. They are also less compatible with older, budget-friendly lenses, so a DSLR is generally a better choice for this course.
Memory cards
- When buying a camera, check that it uses SD cards for storage.
- Avoid cameras that use Compact Flash cards, as these are outdated and more expensive.
Lenses
- Make sure any lens you buy is compatible with your chosen camera.
- To begin with, a standard zoom lens (18–55mm) is ideal for most coursework.
- As students become more confident, they may wish to explore additional lenses such as:
- Long lenses (80–200mm or 18–135mm) for photographing subjects at a distance
- Macro lenses for close-up photography of flowers, insects and other small details. Good starter macro lenses include:
- Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro
- Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1–5x Macro
How do I book onto the course?
Use the booking links below – there are three different days / times for this course: