OCR A Level Art & Design: Fine Art specification (H601)
Understanding the exam specification is key to doing well in your OCR A Level Art & Design: Fine Art exam. It lays out exactly what you need to learn, how you'll be assessed, and what skills the examiners seek. Whether you're working through the course for the first time or revising for your final exams, the specification helps you stay focused and confident in your preparation.
We've included helpful revision tools to support you in putting the specification into practice. Wherever you're starting from, you'll find everything you need to feel prepared, from the official specification to high-quality resources designed to help you succeed.
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In the next section, you'll find a simplified summary of the official OCR A Level Art & Design: Fine Art specification, along with a breakdown of key topics, assessment structure, and useful study resources. We've also included links to topic-level guides and revision tools to help you put the specification into practice.
Contents
Disclaimer
This page includes a summary of the official OCR A Level Art & Design: Fine Art (H601) specification, provided to support your revision. While we've made every effort to ensure accuracy, Save My Exams is not affiliated with the awarding body.
For the most complete and up-to-date information, we strongly recommend consulting the official OCR specification PDF.
Specification overview
The OCR A Level in Art & Design: Fine Art (H601) enables learners to develop their creative, intellectual, and practical capabilities through specialisation in Fine Art. It promotes independent thinking, aesthetic understanding, and critical judgement by encouraging a personal exploration of themes and ideas. Learners are expected to investigate a wide range of media, refine their skills and techniques, and understand the contexts—historical, cultural, and social—that shape artistic practice. The qualification nurtures a deep engagement with the subject and supports progression to higher education or careers in the creative industries.Subject content breakdown
2c(ii). Content of Art and Design: Fine Art (H601)
- Explore, research and acquire techniques in various Fine Art media.
- Study relevant images, artefacts, and resources, using traditional and/or digital techniques.
- Show specialisation in chosen media or processes to ensure depth of study.
- Drawing is essential for recording and communicating ideas, emotions, and intentions.
Areas of Study:
- Portraiture
- Landscape
- Still life
- Human form
- Abstraction
- Experimental imagery
- Narrative
- Installation
- Working in a genre
Techniques may include:
- Mark making
- Mixed-media
- Casting
- Glazing
- Collage
- Intaglio
- Photographic printing
- Digital manipulation
Skills:
- Apply understanding of pictorial/real space, composition, rhythm, scale, structure.
- Use formal elements (colour, line, tone, texture, shape, form).
- Develop ideas with selection/editing and visual language.
- Understand conventions/genres (figurative, abstract, symbolic).
Knowledge and Understanding:
- Use appropriate traditional/digital processes and media.
- Recognise continuity and change in genres, styles, and traditions.
- Convey and interpret ideas, meanings, and emotions.
- Understand cultural and social contexts of artefacts.
- Use specialist vocabulary accurately.
Assessment structure
Component 01: Personal Investigation
- Internally assessed, externally moderated.
- 60% of the qualification.
- Includes:
- Practical portfolio responding to a theme or brief.
- Related study (minimum 1000 words) exploring contextual connections.
- Evidence must meet all four Assessment Objectives.
Component 02: Externally Set Task
- Paper released on 1 February.
- Includes themes with visual and written stimuli.
- Preparatory period followed by 15-hour supervised session.
- Work must show personal and meaningful outcomes.
Assessment Objectives (25% each)
- AO1: Develop ideas with contextual and analytical understanding.
- AO2: Select and refine media, materials, techniques.
- AO3: Record ideas and observations, reflect critically.
- AO4: Present resolved and meaningful outcomes.
Marking
- Component 01: Total 120 marks (96 for practical, 24 for related study).
- Component 02: Total 80 marks.
- All internally assessed, externally moderated via centre visit.
Key tips for success
Doing well in your OCR A Level Art & Design: Fine Art isn't just about how much you study, but how you study. Here are a few proven tips to help you stay on track
- Start with a clear plan: Break the subject into topics and create a revision schedule that allows enough time for each. Start early to avoid last-minute stress.
- Focus on understanding, not memorising: Use our revision notes to build a strong foundation in each topic, making sure you actually understand the material.
- Practise regularly: Attempt past papers to familiarise yourself with the exam format and timing. Mark your answers to see how close you are to full marks.
- Be strategic with your revision: Use exam questions by topic to focus on weaker areas, and flashcards to reinforce important facts and terminology.
- Learn from mistakes: Whether it's from mock exams or practice questions, spend time reviewing what went wrong and why. This helps prevent repeat mistakes in the real exam.
- Stay balanced: Don't forget to take regular breaks, eat well, and get enough sleep, a healthy routine makes revision much more effective.
With the right approach and consistent practice, you'll build confidence and improve your chances of exam success.
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