Y10 Photography
Welcome to our Year 10 Photography revision hub. Here you can find details of the exam board & specification, when your mock exams will take place, what will be tested in the exam and how you should revise and prepare.
To download a pdf summary of the Photography revision information – click here
Exam Board: OCR GCSE Art & Design (Photography) (J173)
Specification: Click here to access the exam board specification – click here
Mock Exam Details
Final Piece – Practical Exam
Date: Tuesday 10 June (All Day) and Wednesday 11 June (All Day)
Length: 10 hours
Total Marks: 120 marks
What Will My Assessment Test My Knowledge On?
- Create a final photographic outcome based on the theme of Abstraction.
- Use the techniques and photographers you have studied (e.g., Keld Helmer-Petersen, Hélder Santos, Damien Hirst, Nikki Crock).
- Show your full creative journey: research → experiments → edits → final piece.
- You can use a variety of techniques: paper constructions, macro photography, ink drops, glass reflections, kaleidoscope edits, abstract cropping, and blending modes.
- The exam time is for producing, editing, refining and presenting your final outcome, not for Photographing new research.
How Will My Mock Exam Be Marked?
Your coursework will be marked against these assessment criteria.
| AO |
What You Must Show |
Pupil-Friendly Explanation |
| AO1 |
Develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating critical understanding of sources. |
Research photographers and link their work to your ideas. |
| AO2 |
Refine work by exploring ideas, selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes. |
Try out different shooting and editing techniques, and pick the best ones for your project. |
| AO3 |
Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions. |
Take lots of good quality photos and keep notes explaining your creative decisions. |
| AO4 |
Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language. |
Create a final photographic piece that clearly shows your abstraction theme and your own style. |
How to Achieve Higher Marks in Photography
1. Show strong Photographyist and photographer links
- Research photographers who explore abstraction.
- Use their styles, techniques, or ideas to influence your own photographs.
- Make clear connections in your sketchbook and reflect on how they helped you.
2. Experiment and refine creatively
- Use a wide range of techniques: different camera angles, close-ups, focus changes, slow shutter speeds, editing layers, distortions, textures.
- Don’t just stick to simple edits — try different ideas and show a journey of improvement.
3. Record your ideas clearly
- Take lots of original photographs, exploring your theme from different angles and viewpoints.
- Keep notes about why you took certain images and how they fit your project.
4. Produce a personal and meaningful final piece
- Your final outcome should not be a copy of an Photographyist — it should show your own creative ideas.
- Think carefully about the emotions, atmosphere, or visual story you want to create through abstraction.
5. Present your work carefully
- Make sure your final piece is well-organised and visually strong (e.g., montage, triptych, layered digital piece).
- Layout, composition, and editing choices should all be considered and purposeful.
6. Annotate thoughtfully
- Explain your choices and reflect on your progress.
- Good annotation shows examiners that you understand what you are doing and why.
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What Should I Do To Revise And Prepare For This Assessment?
| Photography Research Pages |
Create research slides on photographers studied: show visuals, key techniques, personal opinions. (e.g., Helmer-Petersen, Santos, Seveso) |
| Own Photography Shoots |
Complete abstraction shoots: paper constructions, school architecture abstracts, glass and light experiments, ink and water experiments. |
| Editing Experiments |
Practice Photoshop and Pixlr edits: high contrast edits, threshold, kaleidoscopes, blending edits, crop/shape abstraction. |
| Contact Sheets |
Create contact strips for each shoot, highlighting best and least successful images with thoughtful annotation. |
| Final Idea Development |
Select and plan your best edits for a final piece: experiment with combining edits, geometric layouts, Turkish map folds, books, or digital presentations. |
| Practice Layouts |
Plan how your final piece will look. Practice arranging images for balance, flow, and visual impact. |
Useful Revision Resources & Links
| Remember GCSE Photography Club is on every Wednesday afterschool until 4.15 to support you with any unfinished work.
It might be helpful to look at some exemplar coursework:
Pinterest
- Search for terms like “GCSE Photography Portfolio” or “GCSE Photography Sketchbook”.
- You can find lots of real examples in different styles and with different themes.
YouTube
- Search for videos such as “GCSE Photography Sketchbook Flip Through” or “GCSE Photography Portfolio Tour”.
- Many students share videos showing their full sketchbooks and final outcomes.
Google Images
- Try searching for “GCSE Photography Portfolio OCR” or “GCSE Photography Sketchbook Examples”.
- This is useful for seeing quick visual examples of layouts, annotation styles, and finished pieces.
Photography Teacher and Education Websites
- Some schools and teachers post full examples of student work online.
- Recommended sites:
- Student Photography Guide – A very helpful site showing high-level coursework and tips for success.
- Tate Kids – Good for Artist research and creative inspiration.
- BBC Bitesize – Photography and Design – Helpful for basic project ideas and revision tips.
OCR Exam Board Website
- Visit the OCR GCSE Photography and Design page.
- You can find examiner reports, student examples, and clear advice on what examiners are looking for.
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