AQA GCSE Art and Design (8201-8206)
Exam structure at a glance for AQA GCSE Art and Design: every paper with its time, marks and weighting, plus tiers, practicals and the links you need.
- Board
- AQA
- Specification code
- 8201-8206
- Tiers
- No tiers (one paper set for all)
- First teaching
- 2016
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
The national curriculum has no KS4 programme of study for art and design (KS1-3 only).
Papers and weightings
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight | What it is (our summary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component 1: Portfolio Non-exam assessment | not stated | 96 | 60% | Portfolio covering all four assessment objectives, including a sustained project; no time limit; marked by the school and moderated by AQA. |
| Component 2: Externally set assignment Non-exam assessment | 10 h | 96 | 40% | Response to one starting point from the board's paper; preparation period then 10 hours supervised time; marked by the school and moderated by AQA. |
Times are exam lengths; weightings are shares of the whole GCSE. Summaries are in our own words.
Good to know
- Non-exam assessment: 100% non-exam assessment (portfolio + externally set assignment).
- Titles (endorsements): Art, craft and design; Fine art; Graphic communication; Textile design; Three-dimensional design; Photography
Not yet confirmed by us: page did not map codes 8201-8206 to the six titles. Check the specification.
Key dates
Summer 2027 exam series
- Entries deadline: Sun, 21 February 2027
- First exam: Mon, 10 May 2027
- Last GCSE exam: Fri, 18 June 2027
- Contingency day: Wed, 23 June 2027
- GCSE results day: Thu, 19 August 2027 (from a provisional board timetable)
Sources: JCQ key dates June 2027 (final (JCQ key dates)); JCQ key dates and timetables; JCQ timetable commentary. Check each board's final timetable for paper dates. Last checked 2026-10-20.
Specification, past papers and grade boundaries
- AQA: Specification at a glance (board website)
- AQA: Past papers and mark schemes (board website)
- AQA: Grade boundaries (board website)
Facts checked against: aqa.org.uk.
More packs
Exam facts (paper names, times, marks, weightings, tiers, codes) are taken from each exam board's own specification pages and summarised in our own words; no specification text, papers or mark schemes 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 long are the AQA GCSE Art and Design exams?
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