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A level Art and design: Exam Structure by Board

Your Teacher Information Pack for A level Art and design: how it is assessed for each board, key dates for summer 2027, and links to specifications, past papers and grade boundaries.

Learn how – Exam course packs: watch the 1-minute video · print (PDF) · also Teacher Information Packs

Qualification
A level (linear, two years)
Years
Year 12 and Year 13
Ages
16–18
Boards covered
AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC Eduqas
Entries 2026 (England)
40,015 (no. 10 A level by entries)
Last checked
2026-10-20

Entries: Ofqual provisional entries, summer 2026 (rounded to the nearest 5).

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Exam structure by board

Pick your board to see every paper with its length, marks and weighting, plus practicals, booklets and links.

AQA A-level Art and Design (7201-7206)

First taught 2015

PaperTimeMarksWeight
Component 1: Personal investigation Non-exam assessmentnot stated9660%
Component 2: Externally set assignment Non-exam assessmentnot stated9640%

Full AQA pack · specification on the AQA website

Pearson Edexcel A level Art and Design (9AD0, 9FA0, 9GC0, 9TE0, 9TD0, 9PY0)

First taught 2015 · first exams 2017

PaperTimeMarksWeight
Component 1: Personal Investigation Non-exam assessmentnot stated9060%
Component 2: Externally Set Assignment Non-exam assessmentnot stated7240%

Full Pearson Edexcel pack · specification on the Pearson Edexcel website

OCR A Level Art and Design (H600-H606)

First taught 2026 · first exams 2028

PaperTimeMarksWeight
Component 01: Personal investigation Non-exam assessmentnot stated12060%
Component 02: Externally set task Non-exam assessmentnot stated8040%

Full OCR pack · specification on the OCR website

WJEC Eduqas A level Art and Design (A650QS-A656QS)

First taught 2015 · first exams 2017

PaperTimeMarksWeight
Component 1: Personal Investigation Non-exam assessmentnot stated12060%
Component 2: Externally Set Assignment Non-exam assessmentnot stated8040%

Full WJEC Eduqas pack · specification on the WJEC Eduqas website

Key dates

Summer 2027 exam series

  • First exam (GCSE and A level): Mon, 10 May 2027
  • Contingency day: Wed, 23 June 2027
  • Special consideration deadline: Wed, 30 June 2027

A levels are linear: all exams are sat at the end of the two-year course. Source: JCQ key dates June 2027. Check each board's final timetable for paper dates and results day.

More packs

Before this: GCSE Art and design exam structure. Other Level 3 packs: A level Mathematics, A level Psychology, A level Biology, A level Chemistry, A level Economics, A level Business, A level History, A level Physics, A level Sociology, A level English literature, A level Geography, A level Politics, A level Media, film and TV studies, A level Further mathematics, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), Core Maths (Level 3). Find another TIP

Exam facts (paper names, times, marks, weightings, codes) are taken from each awarding body's own specification and summarised in our own words; no specification text, papers, mark schemes or booklets are reproduced. Exam details checked against the board's specification on 2026-10-20. Always check the current specification on the board's website.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (Ofqual and DfE pages on GOV.UK). Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department for Education, Ofqual, JCQ, AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR or WJEC Eduqas.

Questions teachers ask

How many exam papers are there in A level Art and design?

AQA 7201-7206: 0 exam papers plus non-exam assessment; Pearson Edexcel 9AD0, 9FA0, 9GC0, 9TE0, 9TD0, 9PY0: 0 exam papers plus non-exam assessment; OCR H600-H606: 0 exam papers plus non-exam assessment; WJEC Eduqas A650QS-A656QS: 0 exam papers plus non-exam assessment. Check the specification for options.