A Level Photography Topics by Exam Board: Full List

Topics for A Level Photography (part of A Level Art and Design) include different areas of study or disciplines, such as portraiture and film.

AQA (opens in a new tab), Pearson Edexcel (opens in a new tab), OCR (opens in a new tab) and WJEC (Eduqas (opens in a new tab) in England and CBAC (opens in a new tab) in Wales) all offer A Level Photography. This article includes an official and complete breakdown of all A Level Photography topics by exam board. We’ll show you exactly what you need to know for the exam, and how you can use topic lists for effective revision.

Key Takeaways

• AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC (Eduqas in England and CBAC in Wales) all currently offer A Level Photography as part of A Level Art and Design

• Avoid revising unnecessary content by only looking at your exam board’s specification

• Use topic lists to create a revision plan and organise your research

Why It's Important to Know Your Exam Board

Although subject content often overlaps, each exam board has a different syllabus. The same subject can therefore be taught very differently from one exam board to another, with varying topics, skills and assessments.

Knowing which topics your exam board covers means you can create a focused revision plan. You won't waste time studying content that won't be tested, and you'll know what to expect when it comes to exams.

AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC (Eduqas in England and CBAC in Wales) all offer A Level Photography. If you’re not sure which exam board you’re using, check with your teacher.

AQA A Level Photography Topics (7206)

Work in one or more areas of study from the following:

• Portraiture

• Landscape photography (working from the urban, rural and/or coastal environment)

• Still life photography (working from objects or from the natural world)

• Documentary photography, photojournalism

• Fashion photography

• Experimental imagery

• Multimedia

• Photographic installation

• Moving image (video, film, animation)

The table below shows what comes up in each component:

Pearson Edexcel A Level Photography Topics (9PY0)

Work in one or more of the following three disciplines:

1.Film-based photography

• Film types and speeds, specialised films, pushing/pulling films, reciprocity failure

• Viewpoint, composition, focus, aperture, shutter speed, exposure, through the lens metering

• Darkroom techniques, appropriate paper types, developing and printing, emulsions, exposures, tone and contrast

• Techniques such as polarisation and solarisation when printing, photograms, photomontage

• Image acquisition, manipulation and distribution through computers, scanners, photocopiers and computer software

2. Digital photography

• Digital photography principles, including pixel and digital processing

• Viewpoint, white balance, composition, focus, aperture, shutter speed, exposure, shooting modes, histograms

• Use and qualities of image acquisition hardware and software, image manipulation and analogies between digital and other forms of photography

• Relationships between colour and tone for screen and print-based media, screen calibration, colour gamut, file formats such as raw, jpeg, tiff, png

• Use of a range of source material, software and hardware in the generation and development of ideas

3. Film and video

• Synopsis, storyboards, scripting, camera angles, viewpoints, shot length, cutting, composition, cropping and pacing, which may include computer-generated ideas and developments

• Various animation processes, such as stop-frame, rostrum and 3D modelling and associated hardware and software

• Qualities and functions of various film and video formats, such as 8mm film, analogue and digital video, HD, 4K, .flv, .mov, .wmv, animated gif

• Use of sound, narration and storyline and their relation to moving images

• Editing, including knowledge of various ways in which images might be juxtaposed to create appropriate effects, such as in-camera editing, non-linear, offline edits, use of timekey, compression, in and out points

The table below shows what comes up in each component:

OCR A Level Photography Topics (H603)

Work in one or more areas of study from the following:

• Portraiture

• Landscape photography 

• Commercial photography 

• Still life photography 

• Documentary photography 

• Experimental imagery 

• Editorial photography 

• Photographic installation 

• The photographic process 

• Moving image 

• Animation

The table below shows what comes up in each component:

WJEC Eduqas (A656QS) A Level Photography Topics

Possible areas of study:

• Photographing people 

• Photographing places 

• Still-life photography 

• Documentary photography 

• Photojournalism 

• Experimental imagery 

• Photographic installation 

• Fashion photography 

• Digital imaging 

• Moving image (video, film, animation)

The tables below show what comes up in each component:

WJEC CBAC A Level Photography Topics (1656QS) 

Possible areas of study:

• Photographing people 

• Photographing places 

• Still-life photography 

• Documentary photography 

• Photojournalism 

• Experimental imagery 

• Photographic installation 

• Fashion photography 

• Digital imaging 

• Moving image (video, film, animation)

The table below shows what comes up in each unit:

How to Use Topic Lists for Revision

Create a revision plan

Print or write out your chosen areas of study or disciplines into a checklist. Use the traffic light system (opens in a new tab) to prioritise weaker areas, and tick each area off as you revise. Seeing progress is really motivating, and it stops you from accidentally skipping anything important.

Organise your research

Group your notes and work by area of study. You’ll find it much easier to complete your personal investigation with well-organised research.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these topics the same across all exam boards?

Not exactly the same, but broadly similar. Areas of study for AQA and OCR are largely the same, whereas Pearson Edexcel has different disciplines with different areas of study (such as darkroom techniques). 

Keep in mind that AQA, OCR and WJEC Eduqas and CBAC list examples of areas of study you could pursue; they’re not prescriptive lists. Pearson Edexcel’s disciplines, however, are more strictly defined.

How do I know which topics I struggle with most?

Check which past paper questions you find the hardest. You can then use the traffic light system to prioritise revising whichever areas you’re least confident in.

Do all topics come up in every exam paper?

No. For Component 1 (Unit 2 for WJEC CBAC), you’ll lead your own practical investigation into an idea, issue, concept or theme you’re interested in, supported by written material.

Component 2 (Unit 3 for WJEC CBAC) provides a broad list of starting points, themes and visual prompts rather than topic-based questions. You choose one prompt from the paper that interests you the most, which you then develop into a personal project during the preparatory period and supervised exam.

Final Thoughts

Using topic lists to structure your A Level Photography revision means you'll know exactly what to research, practise and prioritise.

Bookmark or print this page, and use it as your roadmap. Work through the relevant areas of study or disciplines, tick them off as you go, practise answering past paper questions, and persevere to improve your knowledge and skills for the exams.

References

• How to Use the Traffic Light System to Improve Your Marks (opens in a new tab)

• AQA A Level Photography (opens in a new tab)

• Pearson Edexcel A Level Photography (opens in a new tab)

• OCR A Level Photography (opens in a new tab)

• WJEC Eduqas A Level Photography (opens in a new tab)

• WJEC CBAC A Level Photography (opens in a new tab)