Year 12 focuses on component 1, the personal investigation. It incorporates three major elements: - Supporting studies - Practical work - A personal study Supporting studies and practical work will comprise a portfolio of development work and outcomes based on themes and ideas developed from personal starting points. This will begin with gallery visits and skills based workshops. During this time we work with students to try and identify their strength/interests and suggest relevant artists and designers for them to study and learn from. Students will be introduced to a variety of experiences that explore a range of graphic communication media, processes and techniques. They will be made aware of both traditional and new media. The personal study will be evidenced through critical written communication showing contextual research and understanding in a minimum 1000 words of continuous prose, which may contain integrated images. The personal study comprises 12% of the total qualification.