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The IB Visual Arts Connections Study is a major external assessment in the IB Visual Arts course at Standard Level. It allows students to situate one of their own resolved artworks within personal, artistic and cultural contexts, and to demonstrate meaningful connections with the work of other artists. Understanding the assessment criteria through a clear checklist can help students produce a focused and visually effective submission. This post will outline the IB Visual Arts Connections Study criteria and provide a practical checklist aligned with the IB rubric.
IB Visual Arts Connections Study Criteria and Checklist
The Connections Study is an SL-only external assessment and is marked out of 24 marks. It contributes 20% of the final SL grade. Students produce a digitally curated study that focuses on one resolved artwork selected from the five artworks submitted for the internal assessment. Students must submit the following two mandatory files:
One PDF file of up to 10 screens, containing curated visual evidence and supporting written material. The total word count of the written material must not exceed 2,500 words
One separate text file listing sources
The study is structured in clear sections and must cover connections between the student’s chosen resolved artwork and their own context(s), connections between the chosen resolved artwork and at least two artworks by different artists, and an investigation of the cultural significance of the two selected artworks.
Criterion A: Connections with context(s) – 8 marks
This criterion assesses how effectively students situate their chosen resolved artwork in relation to their own context or contexts. Context may include personal experiences, local environments, social issues, cultural background, community practices or educational influences. Examiners are interested in how the artwork communicates these connections, not simply where the artwork was made. Strong submissions go beyond stating influences and instead evaluate how meaning is shaped through visual and material choices.
For a maximum of 8 points:
Clearly identify the personal, cultural, social or environmental context(s) connected to the chosen resolved artwork.
Use high-quality visual evidence of the artwork and its development to support claims about context.
Explain how specific formal and technical features (such as composition, scale, material, colour, or installation decisions) communicate contextual meaning.
Reflect on why these contexts are significant for the artwork’s intentions and audience.
Evaluate how successfully the artwork represents or responds to the chosen context(s).
Criterion B: Connections with artworks – 8 marks
This criterion focuses on how effectively students connect their chosen resolved artwork with at least two artworks by different artists. These connections may be technical, conceptual or stylistic. The emphasis is on meaningful artistic dialogue rather than influence lists or visual similarities. Students must demonstrate that they understand how their work is situated in relation to other artists and can justify those connections through visual and written evidence.
For a maximum of 8 points:
Select two artworks by different artists that clearly connect to your resolved artwork.
Present visual evidence of the two selected artworks alongside your own work to support direct comparison.
Analyse how specific techniques, processes, materials, compositional strategies or conceptual approaches relate across the works.
Justify why each connection is relevant and meaningful to your own artistic intentions.
Use subject-specific vocabulary accurately when discussing visual qualities, artistic methods and stylistic approaches.
Avoid simply stating similarities; explain how and why the connections inform your own practice.
Criterion C: Investigation of cultural significance – 8 marks
This criterion assesses how well students investigate and demonstrate understanding of the cultural significance of the two selected artworks by different artists. Students must consider how each artwork functioned in its original context and how its meaning may shift across time, place and audiences. This is the main research-focused component of the Connections Study and must be clearly linked back to the student’s own resolved artwork.
For a maximum of 8 points:
Demonstrate understanding of the historical, social, political or cultural conditions surrounding each selected artwork.
Explain how each artwork communicates meaning to its original audience and how it may be interpreted differently by other audiences.
Use reliable sources to support claims about cultural significance and artistic intention.
Analyse how technical, stylistic or conceptual choices contribute to cultural meaning.
Explicitly connect this research to your own artwork and explain how the cultural context of other artists informs your practice.
Evaluate the relevance of these cultural insights when analyzing your own artwork.
We hope you found this post helpful in learning more about the IB Visual Arts Connections Study. 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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