The course encompasses a wide range of activities designed to encourage students to explore and discover new possibilities in the visual arts. Students develop ideas and themes for their studio work and refine their skills in their process portfolio (sketchbook). New art processes and concepts, the use of media, and learning research techniques that yield many possibilities for studio works are the driving force for work in the process portfolio. Gallery visits, drawings, experiments with materials and approaches, and historical and critical analysis are included. Divergent and convergent strategies are employed.

In the art studio, students develop an exciting and highly personal portfolio of work in preparation for their exhibition. Both process work and final artworks can also be used for their university admissions portfolio for those who choose to apply to further education in the visual arts.

For Visual Arts syllabus, please click here.

• visual literacy and observation skills

  • visual research and in-depth investigation

  • the ability to experiment with a range of visual solutions for communicating their intentions

  • critical analysis of artwork

  • to consider the social, historical, geographical and cultural influences on art

The IBDP Visual Arts course is underpinned by three assessment items. These items include: a) the Comparative Study; b) the Process Portfolio; and c) the Exhibition. Both the Comparative Study and Process Portfolio are extrenaly assessed, while the Exhibition is internally assessed and externally moderated. Further details on each assessment item can be found below, including weightings and difference between SL and HL. 

External Assessment Items

Comparative Study (20%)

Students analyse and compare different artworks by different artists. This

independent critical and contextual investigation explores artworks, objects and artifacts from differing cultural contexts.

• Both SL and HL students submit 10–15 screens which examine and compare at least three artworks, at least two of which should be by different artists. The work selected for comparison and analysis should come from contrasting contexts (local, national, international and/or intercultural).

• Students submit a list of sources used.

• HL Only: students submit 3–5 additional screens which analyse the extent to which their work and practices have been influenced by the art and artists examined.

Process Portfolio (40%)

Students at HL submit carefully selected materials which evidence their experimentation, exploration, manipulation and refinement of a variety of visual arts activities during the two-year course.

• SL students submit 9–18 screens which evidence their sustained experimentation, exploration, manipulation and refinement of a variety of art-making activities. For SL students the submitted work must be in at least two art-making forms, each from separate columns of the art-making forms table.

• HL students submit 13–25 screens which evidence their sustained experimentation, exploration, manipulation and refinement of a variety of art-making activities. For HL students the submitted work must have been created in at least three art-making forms, selected from a minimum of two columns of the art-making forms table.

Internal Assessment Item

Exhibition (40%)

Students submit for assessment a selection of resolved artworks from their

exhibition. The selected pieces should show evidence of their technical accomplishment during the visual arts course and an understanding of the use of materials, ideas and practices appropriate to visual communication.

• SL students submit: a curatorial rationale that does not exceed 400 words, 4–7 artworks, and exhibition text (stating the title, medium, size and intention) for each selected artwork.

• HL students submit a curatorial rationale that does not exceed 700 words, 8–11 artworks, and exhibition text (stating the title, medium, size and intention) for each selected artwork.

The course is useful for those wishing to pursue tertiary education in the following fields: fine art, art history, animation, architecture, interior design, theatre design, graphic design, photography, fashion, textiles and jewellery design, ceramics and industrial design, arts administration and television production. However, the course is also suitable for those who may not wish to pursue an art-related career, but would like to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the subject as well as the ability to discover multiple solutions for any given problem and develop their creativity further.