B1 Nature in Art and Architecture Teachers’ Critical Anthology - A work in progress - September 2017

Sep 5, 2026

Teachers’ critical-text anthology and teaching guidance for A Level work on Nature in Art and Architecture. It outlines a three-stage approach—comprehension, analysis, and application—to help students understand a text, interrogate how arguments are researched and structured, and use quotation and paraphrase without plagiarism. The anthology also provides curated references for specified painters, sculptors, and architects, plus exercise prompts and assessment criteria for integrating critical texts effectively in exam responses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time46 min

AccessFree to download

Notes for Approaching Critical Texts in A Level Teaching

Comprehension

Analysis

Application

Requirements for Inclusion of Critical Texts (Specification and Mark Scheme)

Level Descriptors

General Critical Texts: Nature in Art and Architecture

Edmund Burke: Extracts from A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful (1756)

Part I: Section VII - On the Sublime

B1 Nature in Art and Architecture Teachers’Critical Anthology A work in progress: September 2017 Guidance on how to work with critical texts page 2 General texts relevant to aspects of the theme page 4 Texts relevant to specified artists: Specified Painters/2D • Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) page - • JMW Turner (1775-1851) page 11 • Claude Monet (1840-1926) page 14 • Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) page 15 Specified sculptors/3D: • Giambologna (1529-1608) page - • Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) page 16 • Barry Flanagan (1941-2009) page 17 • Richard Long (1945 - ) page 18 Specified architects: • John Nash (1752-1835) page 21 • Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) page 22 • Frank Lloyd Wright (867-1959) page 27 • Santiago Calatrava (1951- ) page 28 Notes for Approaching Critical Texts in A Level Teaching Would recommend breaking this down into three stages: ● Comprehension ● Analysis ● Application Comprehension The first stage of working with the critical texts might be to ensure that students have a grasp of what the text is saying, as well as information about its production, distribution and reception. Teaching might focus on exploring unfamiliar terminology and extracting the text’s point or argument. In terms of contextualising the text, students might explore who has written it, when and where was it published, and who was its intended audience. If information is known about the text’s reception or impact, that might be helpful too. This kind of information will feed into the next stage of critically analysing it. Exercise: Summarise the main argument of the text in no more than three sentences. Exercise: Highlight specific areas of the text that you found difficult to understand. Try to unpack why you found them difficult. Exercise: Pick out one sentence that you feel provides a particularly clear indication of the overall argument. Explain why you have chosen this sentence. Analysis This second stage is to encourage students to do more than paraphrase the text but to be able to say something about it and to make connections between it and their chosen artwork(s) . Reflecting critically about the text might be described as refusing to take it at face value, to assume it’s right/accurate/helpful, so exploring the text as a piece of writing -how has it been researched/argued/structured -might be useful. Getting them to think about how helpful is the text in understanding the art work(s) might also be a good starting point, as well as commenting on similarities and differences between them. On a basic level, the‘formula’might go something like: both critical text and art work raise questions about/offer perspectives onto gender/race/class/history/painting/ landscape/the artist etc [show evidence of how/if they converge] but…. [and then go onto explore the differences between them] . Exercise: Highlight all of the ways the text attempts to persuade you of its argument. This should include all the evidence cited, including the work(s) of art discussed (on which elements of the work does it focus?) . You should also think about the text itself, including the language used and the way it is structured. Exercise: Pick out one sentence that you found particularly persuasive. What, specifically, made it stand out? Exercise: Are you persuaded by the argument? If so, why? Exercise: Can you think of anything that would unsettle some of the claims being made? For instance, are there other ways of thinking about or viewing the work(s) of art discussed? What does the author ignore or overlook? Application The final stage seeks to ensure the students know how to engage with the text in their own writing. Do they know the difference between paraphrase and quotation, and how each are referenced to avoid plagiarising the author’s words and ideas? Thinking about how they decide which parts of the text might make an effective quotation could be useful (i.e. nothing too long, too bland, too obviou

FAQs

What are the three stages for working with critical texts in A Level teaching?

The guidance recommends three stages: comprehension, analysis, and application. Each stage builds from understanding the text to critically engaging with its arguments and then using it in students’ writing.

How should students approach comprehension of a critical text?

Students should grasp what the text is saying and learn about its production, distribution, and reception. Teaching should include exploring unfamiliar terminology and extracting the text’s point or argument, supported by contextual information about authorship, publication, and intended audience.

What does “secure integration” of critical texts mean in the mark scheme?

The requirement levels progress from no reference to insightful integration of views from critical texts. Secure integration corresponds to Level 4: students integrate views from critical texts effectively within their responses.

Sep 5, 2026

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