GCSE / IGCSE / A Level Art Exam Ideas 2013

Last Updated on December 14, 2024

This article aims to help GCSE, IGCSE and A Level students come up with ideas, interpretations and artist models for their 2013 Art Exam papers. Responses are given to topics from a number of different exam papers from examination boards such as AQA, Edexcel and CIE. These suggestions are not intended to be a complete list, nor to provide ‘perfect’ ideas: rather they have been supplied to help you with the brainstorming process. Final selection of ideas should only be made in conjunction with advice from your teacher.

As noted in the 2012 Art Exam topics article:

No topic is inherently boring. Even the most mundane can result in beautiful work. What matters is not the thing or even the idea, but the way it is interpreted; the way you respond to it, what it means to you and whether it wriggles inside and kicks at your soul.

It is important to remember, too, that it is not always necessary to have an exceptionally clever or original interpretation. Sometimes a literal or simple approach can be conveyed in a imaginative, skilful and unique way. If you have spent days searching for the ‘perfect’ interpretation, consider whether this time would be better spent starting and creating artwork. Good artwork takes time. Stop fretting about whether your idea is perfect and begin.

Force (GCSE Art and Design Edexcel)

• Brute force / violence (relating to a particular circumstance, scene or activity)
• Athletics / human strength / physical activity (focused on one particular activity or sport)
• Movement involved in a particular forceful action

Paintings depicting movement by Simon Birch and David Agenjo:

• Peer pressure (relating to a particular behaviour / action / activity)
• Trees / landscapes ravaged by wind
• Rain lashing a particular scene
• A boiling hot summer’s day / icecream melting
• Decay / rot / mould: an outdoor structure succumbing to the forces of nature
• Aftermath of an earthquake or some other natural disaster
• Floods / slips / erosion / cars swept away in swirling flood waters
• Bombs / terrorist activity
• Gravity / falling / precarious sculptures / structures

An imaginative painting exploring gravity by Jeremy Geddes:

• Scientific analysis of forces (old textbooks / diagrams / scales)
• Friction
• The conversion of one force to another: i.e. an old mechanical plough / pulleys / cogs

Beautiful works from a series entitled ‘Man and the Machine’ by Kelani Abass:

• The force of waves disintegrating items at the edge of the sea
• Electrical force fields
• Political / religious forces
• Societal obligations to conform
• Human perseverance in a trying circumstance / willpower / desire to survive / force of life
• Breaking or smashing something
• Car crashes

Clever collaged artwork by Patrick Bremer:

• Recycled items being crushed together prior to transporting
• A building being demolished
• A still life where items are balanced precariously / crushed from above / squashed
• A wreckers yard

Striking scenes by Jason Webb:

• A nut cracker
• Breaking something obscure and unexpected into tiny pieces and reassembling these, or using as the basis for a still life

Example of an abstract sculptural form created by Cornelia Parker:

• The human body subjected to forces of some kind: pushing / pulling / shredding
• Mental forces and the way these shape or deform our being

Intriguing artwork by Henrietta Harris:

Art2day has also put together a collection of images that might inspire here. For more artist model ideas, please visit the Student Art Guide Pinterest Boards.

Juxtoposition (IGCSE Art and Design CIE)

• Siblings sitting side by side
• Unexpected items sitting side by side on a refrigerator shelf, or in a pantry, or supermarket shelves
• Different species of animals living happily in close quarters
• Wild animals alongside tame / domestic
• Unexpected combinations of objects at unexpected scales

Surrealist paintings by Matthew Grabelsky:

• Healthy, nourishing flavor-honest food alongside junk food
• Multiple views of a single person within one portrait
• Unexpected items in bowls of food
• Drawings of items alongside actual items (integration of drawing with photography: drawings of drawings)

Beautiful print by Aaron Horkey:

Open (IGCSE Art and Design Edexcel)

• Architectural openings – looking through windows / doorways / framing of scenes
• Bodily openings (wounds / scars)
• Open mouths: the never ending desire to be fed

Example: Scotch Tape Series by Naman Photography:

• Pile of open books / letters / desk scene
• Animals in cages / open latches / gates / escape
• Birthday scene – unwrapping / opening presents
• Unexpected packages containing random items
• The peeling open of nuts / fruit / vegetables / discarded skins
• Animal carcasses

A great Foundation sketchbook page depicting open hanging carcasses by Seamus O’Dare:

• Gutting fish
• Open scissors / surgical instruments
• Open hands / fingers / holding of precious items
• Breaking open something unexpected

Example by Dennis Sibeijn:

• Open boxes / cartons / packaging
• Grocery bags spilling open
• Flies landing on a food item that was left open
• Opening seedpods

Beautiful drawings by students of Monica Aissa Martinez:

Inside, Outside and in Between (A2 Art and Design Edexcel)

• Please see our extensive list of subject matter suggestions for the ‘inside / outside‘ topic in our 2012 Art Exam ideas article (most of these could align perfectly within the Inside, Outside and Between topic).
• The Saatchi Gallery has also produced a good resource here.
• This Pinterest Board by Amanda Duke has some great artist model ideas related to Inside, Outside and In Between, as does Art2day.

Student Art Guide members are also actively discussing this topic and sharing ideas within our forum! Join the discussion!

Rolling (A2 Art and Design OCR)

• Rolling pins / baking scene
• Road rollers / diggers / construction workers
• Children playing – rolling down hills etc
• Spinning wheels / cogs / mechanical items
• Roller coasters / spinning rides at amusement parks
• Rolling random items down hills
• Runaway vehicles
• Items blowing across sand in the wind (rolling tumbleweed etc)
• People pushing a vehicle stuck in mud
• Kids playing with marbles
• Forward rolls / gymnastics
• Rolls of paper – beauty in the mundane
• Rolls of skin / fat
• Old fashioned bicycles

An amazing painting by Edie Nadelhaft:

Taped, Tied and Bound (A2 Art and Design OCR)

• A chained animal
• Animals trapped / entangled in rubbish / litter
• Zipping up of unexpected items (zips in flesh etc)
• Taping / tying of the human figure (see the Scotch Tape Series above as well as the captivating drawing below by Gillian Lambert):

• Swings tied to trees
• A person tied up by their hair
• Washing tied on the line
• Bundles of random objects tied and bound together
• Bound onions, garlic and other vegetables hanging to dry
• Blood relatives: inescapable ties between generations / family

There are also some great photos that could inspire ideas for this topic in the Student Art Guide Pinterest Photography Board.

Narrow starting points

Some examination boards set students a range of topics – those which are open and interpretative; others which are descriptive and narrow. This range of topics is to cater for individual student preferences: some students prefer to have more flexibility with their topic choice; others relish the security and direction provided by a set starting point. It is not important which style of topic you select: what is important is the quality of the work you produce in response to your chosen (or given) topic.

Examples of more directed starting points within the 2013 IGCSE, GCSE and A Level Art exam papers include:

• A seated figure leaning forward with hands resting on a walking stick
• The upper part of a person trying on clothes for their next holiday

In topics such as this, the initial decisions you must make are less about interpreting the topic (although an element of interpretation is required) and more about:

Selection of Subject matter. Some helpful recommendations include:

• Ensure your chosen subject includes a range of different surfaces / textures / patterns (not an excessive quantity – this runs the risk of resulting in images that are too busy or complex, but enough to ensure that your images have variety and visual interest).
• Ensure your subject is accessible first-hand.
• Aim for subjects that have personal relevance (i.e. if people are included, draw people who are important to you).
• Consider backgrounds / surrounding imagery.

Composing the subject in an aesthetically pleasing way (partly influenced by artist models).

It is important to note that if you choose (or are given) an open-ended starting point, these decisions must be made too!

Some final reminders

The best Art exam topics (or interpretations) are:

• Significant and important to your life in some way
• Able to be seen / experienced / explored first-hand

The above suggestions do not attempt to explain how an idea might be developed. Development should occur naturally as your project progresses. You are not expected (or even encouraged) to have a clear idea of where your project should end up at the outset. To understand how to move forward with your idea once you have chosen it – or indeed, how to begin – read our article about Development of Ideas (although targeted at A Level Art students, this is helpful for GCSE / IGCSE students too).