Purpose and Aims of the Course :

The Course provides opportunity for learners to gain skills in reading, interpreting, and creating graphic communications. Learners will initiate, develop and communicate ideas graphically. They will develop spatial awareness and visual literacy through graphic experiences. The Course is practical, exploratory and experiential in nature. It combines elements of recognised professional standards for graphic communication partnered with graphic design creativity and visual impact.

The Course allows learners to engage with technologies. It allows learners to consider the impact that graphic communication technologies have on our environment and society.

The aims of the Course are to enable learners to:

• develop skills in graphic communication techniques, including the use of equipment, graphics materials and software
• extend and apply knowledge and understanding of graphic communication standards, protocols, and conventions where these apply
• develop an understanding of the impact of graphic communication technologies on our environment and society

 

Skills and Knowledge

A broad overview of the mandatory subject skills, knowledge and understanding that will be assessed in the Course is given here.

These include:

• replicating basic, familiar and some new graphic forms in 2D, 3D and pictorials
• initiating and producing simple preliminary, production and promotional graphics in straightforward, familiar and some new contexts
• initiating and producing simple informational graphics in straightforward, familiar and some new contexts
• visual literacy by interpreting simple but unfamiliar graphic communications
• spatial awareness in straightforward but unfamiliar 2D, 3D and pictorial graphic situations
• using standard graphic communication equipment, software and materials effectively for simple tasks with some complex features
• knowledge of graphic communication standards, protocols and conventions in straightforward but unfamiliar contexts
• applying design skills, including creativity, when developing solutions to simple graphics tasks with some complex features
• the ability to take initiative in evaluating work in progress and completed graphics, and applying suggestions for improvement in presentation
• knowledge of a range of computer-aided graphics techniques and practice
• knowledge of colour, illustration and presentation techniques in straightforward, familiar and some unfamiliar contexts
• knowledge and understanding of the impact of graphic communication technologies on our environment and society

 

Course Unit Content:  

Course structure

On completing the Course, learners will have developed skills in 2D and 3D graphics, as well as pictorial graphics. They will be able to apply these skills in order to produce graphics that require relevant visual impact and graphics that transmit information.

 

2D Graphic Communication (National 4 & 5)

This Unit helps learners develop their creativity and skills within a 2D graphic communication context. It will allow learners to initiate, develop and communicate ideas using graphic techniques in straightforward and familiar contexts. In addition, the Unit allows learners to develop their skills in some less familiar or new contexts. Learners will develop 2D graphic spatial awareness. The progress in the unit will be assessed using a written knowledge and understanding class test.

 

3D and Pictorial Graphic Communication (National 4 & 5)

This Unit helps learners develop their creativity and skills within a 3D and pictorial graphic communication context. Again, it will allow learners to initiate, develop and communicate ideas using graphic techniques in straightforward and familiar contexts. In addition, the Unit allows learners to develop their skills in some less familiar or new contexts. Learners will develop 3D graphic spatial awareness.

In both Units, learners will develop an understanding of how graphic communication technologies impact on our environment and society. The progress in the unit will be assessed using a written knowledge and understanding class test.

 

Added Value Unit: Graphic Communication Assignment (National 4)

This Unit adds value by introducing challenge and application.

Learners will be able to extend and apply their knowledge and skills through the assignment They will draw on their range of graphic communication experiences from the Units in order to produce an effective overall response to the assignment. The assignment brief will be sufficiently open and flexible to allow for personalisation and choice.

 

Assessment:

National 4 – Both course units of work will be internally assessed on a pass/fail basis. These assessments may be on a unit-by-unit approach or by using a combined assessment. Course Assessment will be through the ‘added value’ unit – This is a coursework based Graphic Communication project on a topic set and marked by the school.

National 5 – The course assessment has two components:

Component 1:  The Question Paper has 80 marks, which is 66% of the overall marks for the course assessment.

Component 2: The assignment has 40 marks, which is 33% of the overall marks for the course assessment.

The assignment provides an opportunity for candidates to:

• demonstrate graphic design skills and creativity
• use graphic communication technologies
• produce preliminary, production and promotional graphic items in response to a situation or problem
• use illustration techniques to create graphics with relevant visual impact
• produce 2D and 3D production drawings, applying appropriate standards, protocols and conventions (drawing includes manual or electronic production methodologies)
• review and evaluate their progress, giving justification for the choice of graphic items and the graphic communication techniques employed

N4/5 Graphic Communication Course Overview

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