Cambridge o level Art and design

By Maria Waseem

No, students cannot carry on working on the supporting studies once the timed test has started. Students should have submitted their supporting studies ahead of the timed test and their supporting studies must be available to them during the timed test. All work, including the supporting work must be kept securely during the test. Centres must ensure that no additional work is brought into the test once the test has started and all work must remain in the test room at the end of session. Students are not permitted access to the work during the timed test and the centre must ensure that the room where the test is taking place is secure in order to prevent any loss or damage to the work or misconduct. Students cannot add to their work or amend it after the test has finished.

Does the test have to be completed on the same day?

No, this is an 8-hour test. The assessment can be held over several days, ideally consecutive days (excluding weekends). A maximum of three over no more than two weeks.

What happens to the test work overnight?

The examination room must be locked securely overnight and after each timed session. Candidates are not permitted to take any supporting work home with them and must not bring more preparatory work in once the test has started.

Do students have to draw?

Drawing is part of communicating ideas, which is an essential skill in art and design. Students can use drawing at whatever level they are able to as a means of recording ideas and observations, developing ideas and communicating meaning and visual language.

Do students have to write anything?

It is not necessary to write anything, but students need to be able to record their ideas and observations. The creative work should explain the journey and the decisions the student has made without unnecessary annotations. Annotations can be useful to support visual evidence to explain what things have changed or what the student has been thinking and can be included where relevant.

What happens if a candidate finishes before the end of the test?

If a candidate has finished before the full examination time, they may leave the examination without disturbing the other candidates. However, they will not be allowed back in the examination if they then decide to return later.

Do candidates have to be accompanied to the toilet during the test?

Art and Design examinations are taken under examination conditions and standard invigilation requirements apply. Arrangements should be in place for supervised rest breaks, please refer to the Cambridge Handbook here for more information.

Do students have to be supervised for lunch breaks?

No, the room should be made secure during any extended breaks.

Can students use iPods/MP3 players during the test?

No, please refer to the Admin Guide available on our website, where you will find on page 4 that ‘Mp3 players, personal radios or mobile/cell phones are not permitted.’

Can candidates bring their own objects into the examination room?

They can use the preparatory period to select relevant objects and make initial studies and plans of compositions and layout in their supporting studies.

Can candidates present photography/digital media work?

Whilst candidates may present photography/digital media work, the work must be printed and submitted as a hard copy.

Photography can be used as a method of research and development for any of the areas of study.

Can candidates use drawing software from tablets, laptops and mobile devices?

All work for this syllabus must be submitted as hard copy, we do not accept digital submission. Where students use drawing software, they should print screenshots showing the layers, tools or filters they have used when putting together their supporting studies. All sources should be referenced such as websites and images.

Are there some materials that we cannot send?
There is no restriction on the size and scale of work produced during the test BUT all work must be submitted on A2 sheets of paper. Work that is larger than A2, fragile or three-dimensional must be photographed, printed and mounted on A2.

In addition, there is a list of inappropriate materials that you should not submit and you are advised to check with your local courier company and CITES website.

Glass must not be sent.

Can candidates submit work electronically?

No, you must submit the work on A2 sheets. High quality photographs of 3D work can be mounted on the sheets along with the supporting studies.

Candidates can work in any size and format but they must select work and present it on A2 sheets. They can photograph work and print the photographs and submit them along with their other two-dimensional work.

When can my students trim and mount their test work?

Trimming and mounted (on paper not board) should be completed as soon as possible after the test and the work must be held securely after the exam (e.g. while it is drying) before being despatched to Cambridge.

What is the structure of the O Level Art and Design (6090)?

Component 1 coursework
Component 2 externally set assignment: Art
Component 3 externally set assignment: Design (not available in June).

The syllabuses are above as assessed against new Assessment Objectives, there are fewer components. None of these syllabuses are available to private candidates.
Externally Set Assignment (6090/02 and 6090/03).

What resources are available to support Cambridge syllabuses?

Teaching resources can be found on the Maria Waseem tech page for your syllabus.

For syllabuses, specimen papers, past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports look under the Syllabus Materials tab.

For support materials, including the Coursework Handbook, Guide to Administering Art & Design, Schemes of Work and Example Candidate Responses, look under the Teaching Materials tab.

The Resource List tab directs you to endorsed and suggested resources including textbooks and websites. You can also access these from the Support material section of the subject's page on our public website.

For more details about the support types available, and how to use them for planning, preparing, teaching, assessing and revision, see our guide Cambridge teacher support, which can be downloaded from the Maria Waseem tech homepage.

You can also visit our Discussion Forums, where teachers discuss resources and teaching methods, and you can ask questions and receive a response from our subject expert moderator or from other Cambridge teachers in our Community.

What training and professional development is available for my subject?

Cambridge online and face-to-face training courses are designed to support you by providing you with the knowledge and skills required to deliver our syllabuses. These can be booked through the Events and training calendar.

How can I find out about any changes to the syllabus?

This information can be found Changes to this syllabus section of the syllabus, which can be downloaded from What training and professional development is available for my subject?

Where from do we get the themes for coursework?

The teacher, in consultation with the student, will set appropriate themes. Teachers may want to look at past papers for possible themes.

Is Component 1: Coursework assessed by teachers?

No, from 2020, teachers do not have to assess the coursework component (Component 1).

Can we submit work electronically?

No, work must be submitted on A2 sheets. High quality photographs of work can be mounted on the sheets along with the supporting studies. Work may be presented on both sides or single sides, as long as you do not produce twice as many supporting sheets.

Can we work on a larger size than A2?

Whilst you can work in any size and format you must select, edit and present it on A2 sheets. You can photograph work and print the photographs and submit them along with your other two-dimensional work.or the subject's page on our public website. Changes are described in detail within this section. Throughout the syllabus, any significant changes are indicated by black vertical lines either side of the text.

If a syllabus update document is listed next to a syllabus this is notification that the syllabus has been updated to reflect a change. The changes that have been made will be clearly indicated in the syllabus update.

Cambridge o level Art and design