A Level Textiles
Do you love the tactile qualities of fabrics and stitch? Do you enjoy drawing and visualising your ideas through a hands-on approach to materials? The Textiles course encourages you to explore the breadth of approaches available within contemporary textiles today. Different student interests and strengths are highly valued.
WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?
A Level Textiles is a practical, hands-on Art and Design course using textile techniques and processes to make: sculptural textiles, wearable accessories, interior products, or image-based textiles. Studying how other designers and artists work is a significant element to the course, extending knowledge, understanding, and critical analysis. You will partake in a number of workshops specialising in different elements of textile media. You will develop a personal, visual language and learn a variety of skills that will enable you to progress into your chosen career path.
Apply for this course
Start date: 08/09/2025
TOP COURSE HIGHLIGHTS
learn visually
play with materials
develop technical expertise
guided learning
research skills
Learn through creating
Combine visual and tactile qualities to create beautiful surfaces and objects. Develop skills and knowledge through playful exploration of textiles processes harnessed in relation to your individual creative interests.
Specialist Textiles workshops
Learn and collaborate in our dedicated Art & Design building and research how modern and historic artists and designers have communicated their ideas in our specialist Learning Centre.
Friendly and knowledgeable staff
The Art & Design team are friendly, supportive, ambitious, and hardworking. Achievement in this subject relies on your attendance, punctuality, and commitment to learning, both independently and within lectures.
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
Year 1:Â Start by exploring stitch as a drawing medium. Through creative and exciting workshops in varied textile media develop a personal visual language. Workshops include soluble fabric, heat reactive materials, fabric manipulation, screen printing, collagraph printing, and repeat pattern design. Practical work is supported by research into contemporary and historic textile practices providing a basis for your design development. Working in sketchbooks, you will evidence your evolving skills and knowledge, textiles samples and ideas, reflecting on your creative practice.
Year 2:Â Personal Investigation – 60%, personally negotiated coursework project. Externally Set Assignment – 40%, exam.
Creative exploration of textile media remains at the heart of the Year 2 course. In addition to designing and making, there is a written element of the course where your learning will be supported by group presentations and contextual lectures preparing you well for Higher Education.
Component 1: Personal Investigation
Internally Assessed
60% of A Level
The Personal Investigation is a focused practical, critical and theoretical investigative project/theme-based portfolio. Learners will be required to carry out an extended critical and contextual analysis (1000-word minimum requirement).
Component 2: Externally Set Assignment
Internally Assessed
40% of A Level
Towards the end of the course, you are given eight weeks of guided lessons to prepare for a 15-hour exam and respond to your chosen theme. A final piece which resolves this component is made during the15-hour exam time.
WHERE WILL IT TAKE ME?
You can progress directly from A Level Textiles to any art and design degree including Textile Design, Interior Design, Fashion Design, Costume Design, or Craft Maker. Textile, Fashion, or Interior designer are immediately related job roles, however more broadly related careers include Interior Architect, Visual merchandizer, Costume Prop and/ or Set Designer, Fashion Illustrator, Stylist, Retail Buyer, Fashion Journalist, Curator.
Assessment Arrangements
Achievement relies heavily on your attendance, punctuality and commitment to learning, both independently and within lectures.
You will be encouraged to try a broad range of approaches, which you will then refine into ways of working which suit your individual interests, acquiring and developing specialist skills in your chosen discipline.
Independent work is fundamental to the course; at least 50% of all work assessed should have happened outside the classroom.
Homework is set weekly. Initially it is set by lecturers and will be tightly specified and closely linked to class workshops; it will be monitored regularly. As the course develops you will be required to set your own homework/independent work based on agreed learning needs.
Your ongoing work will be assessed in lessons through focused 1:1 discussion. Sketchbook work will be assessed regularly for reflective, thoughtful, analytical critical evaluation and annotation. Emphasis is upon the development towards a final piece, through observation and technical, aesthetic, and conceptual refinement.
You will also be assessed against how your research of art, craft, design, media and technologies in contemporary and past societies and cultures improves your own understanding and practice.
Discussions and presentations are a vital part of our assessment process and you will be expected to contribute to these during your lessons.
Entry Requirements
GCSE Art Grade 4 or above (if taken), GCSE English Grade 5 or Humanities Grade 5 and a keen interest in drawing to develop your creativity, as a design stimulus and as a means of gathering creative ideas and making them visible is absolutely essential.
Information & Support
Independent practice will be supported through PowerPoints, worksheets, and other guides available through our Moodle course. We also provide further support through focused boards on Pinterest. College trips to visit museums and galleries will be offered and we encourage our students to visit galleries both locally and nationally to support their work.
Meet the staff, tour the campus and find out about life as a student at one of the best colleges in the country.
What you could earn
Potential Salary
£65,345
Entry Level Salary
£13,107
Average Salary
£34,943
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4
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£55,042
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£8,481
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£25,107
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27
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£43,681
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£16,749
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£28,372
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7
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£36,347
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£15,289
Average Salary
£24,488
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6
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£61,180
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£18,656
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£33,638
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8
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£75,470
Entry Level Salary
£26,130
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£41,495
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4
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£52,651
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£14,461
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£34,198
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7
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£42,466
Entry Level Salary
£11,664
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£27,583
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