Investigation and Sources of Inspiration
A page of neat copies can still score badly. Learn what AO1 really rewards: choosing strong sources and questioning them like a critic, so your investigation builds your own ideas.
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More than copying 🎨
A sketchbook full of careful copies can still score badly. Why? Because the first assessment objective, **AO1**, does not reward copying - it rewards how you **develop ideas through investigation**. Across all six AQA titles, from fine art to photography, strong work starts by choosing good **sources** and questioning them. This module shows you how.
Words to know 🔑
Four ideas run through AO1:
Two kinds of source ⚖️
Both kinds are useful, and strong investigations use a mix of them.
Match each source idea 🔗
- Contemporary
- Historical
- An artist or designer
- A situation or issue
- A source from the present day or recent times
- A source from an earlier period in the past
- The work and approach of a craftsperson or designer
- An environment or issue, such as pollution, used for ideas
Show understanding 🎯
A teacher says your best page shows critical understanding of a designer. What have you actually done?
- Analysed and questioned the choices the designer made, and used them to shape your own idea
- Reproduced the design as neatly as you could
- Written the name, dates and nationality of the designer
- Explained that you really like the design
Investigate, do not copy 🔍
Here is the difference between a top grade and a weak one: **critical understanding**. It means you **question** a source - how was it made, what techniques were used, and above all **why** those choices, and what does the work communicate? Then you let those answers shape your **own** ideas. Copying shows skill; questioning shows understanding.
A strong investigation ✅
Select the TWO habits that show a strong AO1 investigation.
- Drawing on both primary and secondary sources
- Asking WHY an artist chose a technique, not just what it is
- Tracing an image and adding no comment
- Using a single source you already knew well
Investigating a source 🪜
An interactive activity.
Match each question ❓
- How was it made?
- Why these choices?
- What does it say?
- Where is it from?
- Looks at the techniques and materials used
- Looks at the reasons behind the choices
- Looks at what the work communicates or means
- Looks at the time, place or culture it came from
Spot the understanding 🖍️
An interactive activity.
AO1 in words 🧩
AO1 rewards developing ideas through _____, not copying. A source you record firsthand, such as your own photograph, is a _____ source, while one made by someone else is a _____ source. Critical understanding means you _____ a source and use it to develop your _____ ideas.
Make the call 🧭
An interactive activity.
Plan a critical analysis ✍️
An interactive activity.