Visual Arts Guide

Process Portfolio (Weighting: 40%)

Students at SL and HL submit carefully selected materials which demonstrate their experimentation, exploration, manipulation and refinement of a variety of visual arts activities during the two-year course. The work, which may be extracted from their visual arts journal and other sketch books, notebooks, folios and so on, should have led to the creation of both resolved and unresolved works. The selected process portfolio work 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. They should be carefully selected to match the requirements of the assessment criteria at the highest possible level.


The work selected for submission should show how students have explored and worked with a variety of techniques, effects and processes in order to extend their art-making skills base. This will include focused, experimental, developmental, observational, skill-based, reflective, imaginative and creative experiments which may have led to refined outcomes.

SCREEN SIZE: 3840 X 2160 @ 300 DPI


A. Skills, techniques and processes

Working across at least the required number of media and forms, the work demonstrates assured and sustained experimentation and manipulation of a range of skills, techniques and processes, and a highly appropriate selection of materials, consistent with intentions.

What the examiner is looking for:

sustained experimentation and manipulation of a range of skills, techniques and processes, showing the ability to select and use materials appropriate to your intentions when using the required number of art-making forms from the art-making forms table.

At the highest level of achievement, the work demonstrates assured and sustained experimentation and manipulation of a range of skills, techniques and processes, and a highly appropriate selection of materials, consistent with intentions.


Possible Evidence:

  • Drawings, sketches and designs

  • Preliminary paintings and small studies

  • Photographic contact sheets and test prints

  • Computer screenshots

  • Photographic record of sculptural processes

B. Critical investigation

The work shows in-depth critical investigation, clearly communicating a secure and insightful awareness of how this investigation has impacted upon the student’s own

developing practices and intentions.


What the examiner is looking for: Critical investigation of artists, artworks and artistic genres, communicating your growing awareness of how this investigation influences and impacts upon your own developing art-making practices and intentions.

At the highest level of achievement, the work shows in-depth critical investigation, clearly communicating a secure and insightful awareness of how this investigation has impacted upon your own developing practices and intentions.


Possible Evidence:

  • Annotated images of other artists’ works

  • Experiments with using the style or technique of an artist

  • Producing copies of works “after” a particular artist

  • Written reflections on the connections between an investigated artist and your own work

C. Communication of ideas and intentions (in both visual and written forms)

The work clearly articulates how initial ideas and intentions have been formed and developed. The work effectively communicates how technical skills, media and ideas have been assimilated to develop the work further.

What the examiner is looking for:

The ability to clearly articulate how your initial ideas and intentions have been formed and developed, and how you have assimilated technical skills, chosen media and ideas to develop your work further when using the required number of art-making forms from the art-making forms table.

At the highest level of achievement, the work clearly articulates how initial ideas and intentions have been formed and developed. The work effectively communicates how technical skills, media and ideas have been assimilated to develop the work further.


Possible Evidence:

  • Concept maps of ideas and themes

  • Planning imagery with annotations considering how meaning might be conveyed through the work

  • Reflections and evaluations made throughout the progress of a work, resulting in changes in direction or imagery or technique

Initial Intentions/Brainstorming

This screen you discuss early ideas. You can add sketches that you had originally done of your first idea as well as photos you took and/or artist’s works that may have influenced your thoughts.

A good idea is to include the word intention: For this artwork, my intention is to…….(*intention* is noted in the rubric)

Some questions to consider:

  • What is your general idea?

  • Define your idea?

  • What does this idea mean to you?
    What is the personal relevance?

  • What is cultural/historical relevance about your idea? (if there is one)

  • What are some first ideas for art pieces that you have?

  • Brainstorm ideas that can connect from your first idea.

  • What initially caught your interest/inspired you?

  • Why? Give some background into your inspirations

  • What artist(s) has inspired you?

  • Include your first object sketches/photos

  • Add some developmental sketches of first thoughts for your art project.

  • Include a mind map

Here are some examples of screens showing Initial Intentions/Ideas. You will notice that they are all quite varied. Some adding sections of sketchbook pages, some adding full pages.

NOTE: Added images are properly labeled and discussed in detail in the text. Also, you will notice that all screens are numbered and titled and subtitled (specific components and project that it relates to)

This is a typical brainstorm page from beginning of Year 1. The student added text to the side explaining and giving more detail to the ideas presented in the sketchbook page.

This screen is a good example of explaining initial ideas for a print project. Found images are supported by explanation in the text.

The sketchbook page shows beginning ideas for a portrait project. This screen also touches on artist connection.

This student is explaining idea and intentions for an illustration project – but also discussing composition ideas at the same time.

This screen partners with the screen previous – with the student exploring her idea of the supermarket in more depth.





D. Reviewing, refining and reflecting (in both visual and written forms)

The work demonstrates a highly effective and consistent process of reviewing and refining ideas, skills, processes and techniques. The work presents a meaningful and assured reflection upon the acquisition of skills and analysis of the student’s development as an artist.


What the examiner is looking for:

The ability to review and refine selected ideas, skills, processes and techniques, and to reflect on the acquisition of skills and your development as a visual artist.

At the highest level of achievement, the work demonstrates a highly effective and consistent process of reviewing and refining ideas, skills, processes and techniques. The work presents a meaningful and assured reflection upon the acquisition of skills and analysis of your development as an artist.


Possible Evidence:

  • Various trials of compositional arrangements

  • Reworking imagery employing different techniques or media

  • Reflections and evaluations made throughout the progress of a work, resulting in changes in direction or imagery or technique

  • Evaluations of completed work generating new ideas


E. Presentation and subject-specific language SOME VOCAB HERE

The work clearly and coherently conveys information which results in visually appropriate, legible and engaging work. Subject-specific language is used accurately and appropriately throughout.


What the examiner is looking for:

information that is conveyed clearly and coherently in a visually appropriate and legible manner, supported by the consistent use of appropriate subject-specific language.

At the highest level of achievement, the work clearly and coherently conveys information, which results in visually appropriate, legible and engaging work. Subject-specific language is used accurately and appropriately throughout.


Possible Evidence:

  • Balance of text and visuals

  • Writing is legible

  • Layout is considered

  • Language is appropriate. Appropriate terminology is used. Artists’ names and movements are spelled correctly.




Possible structure

Approaches to the process portfolio will be as varied as the art-making practices that different students undertake. What is essential is that your process portfolio articulates the artistic journey that you have undertaken over the two-year course while best representing your achievement against the marking criteria.

The submission may come from scanned pages from your visual arts journal, other notebooks or sketchbooks. It might come from photographs or digital files or a combination. The process portfolio screens may take a variety of forms, such as sketches, images, digital drawings, photographs or text.

The selected screens should evidence a sustained inquiry into the techniques that you have used for making art, the way in which you have experimented, explored, manipulated and refined materials, technologies and techniques and how you have applied these to your developing work. You should show where you have made independent decisions about the choices of media, form and purpose that are appropriate to your artistic intentions. The portfolio should communicate your investigation, your development of ideas and artworks and evidence the synthesis of ideas and media. Your process will have inevitably resulted in both resolved and unresolved artworks and you should consider your successes and failures as equally valuable learning experiences, worthy of including in your process portfolio.

You must not include work submitted as a part of the exhibition task in your process portfolio.


Further advice for students

  • While there is no limit to the number of items you may wish to include on each screen, overcrowded or illegible materials may result in examiners being unable to interpret and understand your intentions.

  • If scanning pages from your visual arts journal, other notebooks or sketchbooks for inclusion in your process portfolio, set the scanner to scan at a resolution of 72 pixels per inch in red, green, blue (RGB) color mode. This matches the screens of most computers used by examiners to view works and will keep your submission to a manageable size.

  • If using digital photographs or other digital images in your process portfolio, use image editing software to save the images in RGB color mode at 72 pixels per inch (use the “save for web and devices” found on most digital image editing software) with a minimum width of 1,000 pixels to a maximum width of 1,500 pixels.

  • Consider adopting a horizontal format for your screens, as this will best fit the screens used to examine the work and will minimize the need for scrolling to view each screen.

  • If you compile your screens for the process portfolio using a slide presentation software such as Microsoft’s PowerPoint®, Apple’s Keynote® or Prezi Pro, avoid using animations within slides and animated transitions between slides that may be lost when the file is converted, or may be missed if a moderator advances through your presentation prematurely.

  • Check your grammar and spelling, paying particular attention to the spelling of artists’ names and subject-specific terminology.