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The IB Visual Arts Selected Resolved Artworks task is the Higher Level (HL) internal assessment component, designed to showcase your ability to curate a coherent body of work from a broader range of production. If you are currently narrowing down your portfolio and fine-tuning your written reflections, understanding the specific word counts is essential for a successful submission. In this guide, we will outline the word count limits you must follow.
IB Visual Arts Selected Resolved Artworks Word Count
The Selected Resolved Artworks task is a major component of the HL course, contributing 40% to your final grade. While Standard Level students simply submit five works, HL students must select their final five artworks from a wider production of at least eight resolved or mostly resolved pieces created during the course. To complete this task, you must submit six mandatory files, including five digital representations of your selected artworks and one comprehensive PDF file containing your written reflections and selection chart. The written portion of the submission is split into two distinct sections with separate word count limits. You must state the exact word count for both the rationale and the combined artwork texts in your work:
Rationale – Maximum 700 words
This text must articulate the intended overall meaning of your body of five selected resolved artworks and your main artistic intentions.
It must explain the technical, stylistic, and conceptual choices that informed your body of work.
You must explicitly detail your selection process, explaining why certain pieces were chosen and why others were not to achieve coherence.
A mandatory selection chart featuring images of your five selected works and three non-selected works must be included within these rationale screens.
The rationale and selection chart are presented across a maximum of three screens in your PDF.
Artwork Texts – Maximum 1,000 words (Total for all five)
You must provide five individual artwork texts, with one text dedicated to each of your five selected resolved artworks.
Each text should be approximately 200 words, though there is flexibility in how you distribute the total 1,000-word limit across the five texts.
These texts must use critical analysis to situate each piece within a wider artistic context and in relation to your own practice.
You should explain how your use of concept and form communicates meaning to your intended audience.
The artwork texts are presented across up to five screens, ideally with each text placed alongside the image of the artwork it describes.
Key Submission Reminders
Subject-Specific Vocabulary – Using accurate artistic terminology is a requirement and directly impacts your achievement level across all criteria.
Excluded from Word Count – Title details (title, medium, and size) and your final list of sources are not included in the rationale or artwork text word counts.
Visual Predominance – Your PDF should not exceed eight screens in total. It is recommended to keep text to around 250 words per screen to ensure visual evidence remains the focus and everything stays legible for the examiner.
Good examples of selected resolved artworks can be found here and here.
We hope this post helps you manage your word counts as you finalize your HL Selected Resolved Artworks. 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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