How is this different from art classes I've taken at St. Andrew's in the past?
Visual Arts in the IB Diploma Program is a challenging course. You will be experimenting, creating, and investigating more than you have in previous Visual Art courses. The written component will get easier the deeper you dive into the course. You will learn to look at your own work and that of other artists and to communicate as a visual thinker.
This course is challenging. Over the two years you are in this course, you will not only build your art-making skills and confidence, but you will learn to communicate and work at an advanced level as an artist and student.
Standard Level & Higher Level
This course may be taken at Standard Level (SL) or Higher Level (HL). Both are very challenging and require dedication and perseverance. HL students explore artmaking techniques in more depth and produce a larger body of work.
In this course, students will learn how to create, communicate, and connect as artists.
Students are expected to evidence how, as part of their art-making, they:
• curate visual and written materials, including both developing and resolved artworks, to communicate artistic intentions and present their art-making practice
• investigate art-making forms and creative strategies, as well as meaning and cultural significance of artworks within and across contexts
• generate intentions and artworks through inquiry and the application of creative strategies
• refine artistic intentions and their own art-making through investigation, dialogue and critical reflection as part of inquiry
• resolve artworks to fulfill artistic intentions and convey meaning
• situate their own artworks and art-making, as well as those of other artists, in relation to context(s), audience(s) and communities of artistic practice
• synthesize concept and form through creative and curatorial practices to create artworks, communicate artistic intentions and connect with audience(s).
source: IB DP Visual Arts (first examinations 2027) Teacher support material
http://ibpublishing.ibo.org/ accessed 8/21/2025