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Are you an IB Visual Arts student who wants to secure that perfect 7? You're in the right place! In this post, we will provide you with a list of insightful tips that will enable you to achieve this ambitious goal.
How to get a 7 in IB Visual Arts?
Have a strong Art-making Inquiries Portfolio
This task focuses on your creative journey. You must curate visual evidence and critical reflections showing how you developed a visual language through one or more lines of inquiry. You must include the specific inquiry questions or generative statements that propelled your work. Show experimentation with a variety of art-making forms (e.g., painting, digital art, sculpture) and creative strategies. Make sure to include evidence of how you investigated the work of other artists to inform your own practical art-making. You should use subject-specific vocabulary throughout your 3,000-word limit to provide clarity and accuracy in your portfolio.
Craft a thoughtful Connections Study (SL)
This task focuses on situating one of your resolved artworks within its specific context and investigating significant links to the wider art world. You must first demonstrate how your chosen piece connects with and communicates your own personal, local, or global context(s). Furthermore, you are required to situate your work in relation to at least two artworks by different artists, exploring technical, conceptual, or stylistic connections informed by thorough research.
A critical component for success is investigating and evidencing your understanding of the cultural significance of these two selected artworks, considering their original context as well as their impact on different audiences across time and place. Throughout your 10-screen PDF, you should use subject-specific vocabulary to provide precision in your analysis and clearly justify your curatorial choices.
Create a meaningful Artist Project (HL)
This stand-alone, HL-only task focuses on creating and situating a resolved artwork within a context that you ideate and realize as part of a project of your choice. You must provide curated evidence in a 12-screen PDF and a three-minute video documenting how your artwork was realized and made available to an audience in its chosen context.
Your project must be informed by investigations of context, connections with at least two artworks by different artists, and critical dialogues with peers or teachers. You are required to submit evidence of how you responded to this feedback to refine your work and artistic intentions. To ensure clarity and accuracy, you must comply with exact word counts for each of the five required sections of your PDF and use subject-specific vocabulary throughout the submission.
Have a strong IA
The internal assessment task for SL students, titled Resolved Artworks, requires the submission of five resolved artworks and a written rationale of up to 700 words. This rationale must articulate the student's artistic intentions and the technical, stylistic, and conceptual choices that create synergy and coherence across the body of work. For success, students should focus on establishing clear, meaningful relationships between their pieces through theme, technique, or style to demonstrate a synthesis of concept and form.
HL students complete a more extensive task called Selected Resolved Artworks, where they must select their final five resolved pieces from a wider production of at least eight artworks. Their submission must include a 700-word rationale featuring a selection chart that visually justifies their curatorial decisions by comparing the chosen works with those not selected. Additionally, HL students submit five separate artwork texts (approximately 200 words each) that critically analyze and situate each piece within both their own practice and a wider artistic context. Scoring top marks requires high-quality digital documentation of artworks while ensuring all outsourced processes or appropriated influences are explicitly acknowledged.
Be authentic
The IB values originality and personal expression more than just copying existing work. Hence, make sure to show your passion for art by creating pieces that are meaningful to you. Be authentic, dedicated, and open to exploring new ideas. Your work should reflect who you are – your thoughts, experiences, and identity – rather than just imitating other artists, as this is what will guarantee you top marks.
Seek feedback
Ask for feedback often from teachers and classmates. Visit galleries and museums to get inspired and learn more about different artistic techniques. Keep improving your work based on feedback, but make sure always stay true to your own authentic vision. You may also find Clastify's review service very helpful in ensuring your work meets all specific requirements.
Stay healthy and manage stress
IB Visual Arts is a demanding course that requires consistent effort throughout the program. To avoid burnout, it’s crucial you take care of your well-being. Creating high-quality artwork and maintaining a strong portfolio takes time, patience, and creativity, all of which can be negatively affected by stress and exhaustion. Ensure you get enough sleep, take breaks when needed, and set aside time for relaxation. Many students also find activities such as visiting galleries and spending time in nature to be both refreshing and inspiring, which can reignite their creativity.
We hope you found this post helpful. For more useful materials associated with the IB, check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify and other guides available on our blog.
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