AS 91443 Annotated exemplars

This annotated exemplar is intended for teacher use only. Annotated exemplars are extracts of student evidence, with commentary, that explain key parts of a standard. These help teachers make assessment judgements at the grade boundaries.

Download all exemplars and commentary [PDF, 18 MB]

TKI Visual Arts assessment resources (external link)

For Excellence, the student needs to critically analyse methods and ideas from established printmaking practice.

This involves:

• explaining the significance of how and why art works are made, viewed, and valued
• explaining complex relationships between selected approaches
• placing these relationships within a wider social, political, geographic, or historical context
• providing evidence of independent research from a wide range of sources were personal insight, evaluation, and conclusions are presented with supporting arguments.

This student has shown critical analysis in explanations that clearly link specific methods with particular ideas of Jim Dine and Swoon. For example, the student explains the layering of tree and skeleton to reference death in nature for Jim Dine (1), and the visual clutter used by Swoon to express the emotional state of the subject (6).

The range of independent research is evident in the judicious use of appropriate quotes (4) and summaries of relevant biographical details (5). The depth of research is supported by the bibliography, which includes a wide range of sources.

The comparative discussion (3) shows a degree of personal insight where the student begins to draw their own conclusions about the artist and art works. In this case, the notion of suffering central to the work of Swoon is also identified in the Jim Dine analysis.

For a more secure Excellence, the student could further develop the explanations of how specific technical and pictorial devices have been used to communicate ideas. For example, the discussion of how ordinary objects relate to life and death (2) could include reference to Dine’s health issues and/or occult symbolism.

For Merit, the student needs to analyse, in depth, methods and ideas from established printmaking practice.

This involves:

• purposefully identifying key information related to methods and ideas
• gathering information from a range of sources
• using specific examples to support the student’s discussion of particular methods and ideas.

This student has presented an in-depth analysis of two printmakers, with clear connections made between particular methods and ideas of Robert Rauschenberg and Norman Ackroyd. For example, the tension between scientific precision and organic personality is explained in relation to Booster by Robert Rauschenberg (3). 

The student links each art work to wider social (2) and artistic (3) contexts. This shows that the researched information has been gathered from a range of sources, as demonstrated in the bibliography (6). 

A degree of personal insight is also presented when the student positions the work of Norman Ackroyd between that of Monet, Frankenthaler and Laurence Berry (4).

To reach Excellence, the student could further develop some of the descriptive statements. For example, the monochromatic similarity between Rauschenberg and Ackroyd (5) could be used to explain printmaking constraints in relation to other fields such as painting.

A critical analysis would need to offer more personal insight in relation to the identified concepts. For example, the reference to ‘age-old habitation’ (1) could go on to explain this idea in terms of absence, presence, mortality, and time.

The student may also support some of the more speculative ideas (3) with references to, or quotes from, specific research sources.

For Merit, the student needs to analyse, in depth, methods and ideas from established printmaking practice.

This involves:

• purposefully identifying key information related to methods and ideas
• gathering information from a range of sources
• using specific examples to support the student’s discussion of particular methods and ideas.

This student has identified the key features of works by Lenore Tawney and Andy Warhol, and begins to explain how these are used to create particular effects. In the case of Shot Blue, the dichotomy of creating multiple reproductions is correctly identified and explained (2). For Lenore Tawney, the student points out that the purpose of the collage strategy is to affirm the aesthetic potential of discarded postcards (1).

The comparative discussions provide the student with the opportunity to generate insights into how different technical approaches and conceptual ideas can affect the art work. For example, the student recognises that both Tawney and Warhol use found materials (4), although their conceptual intentions and technical processes are very different.

For a more secure Merit, the student could further develop the implications of the technical devices identified. For example, after the student lists the subject matter of Tawney (3), they could explain why this content has been selected.

Further gathering of information from a wider range of sources could have enabled the student to analyse each work in greater depth.

The student may also deepen their understanding of each approach by comparing the printmakers to wider cultural and artists contexts such as consumerism or postmodern irony

For Achieved, the student needs to analyse methods and ideas from established printmaking practice.

This involves:

• identifying, describing, and examining features of art works
• identifying information related to methods and ideas
• explaining how and why art works are made, viewed, and valued
• distinguishing similarities and differences between approaches to making art
• research into the established practice of at least three artists from at least two sources.

This student has included relevant information from research sources about the work of Albrecht Durer and Jim Dine. For example, in The Four Riders of the Apocalypse the student provides the identity of each horse (2) and social circumstances that gave rise to the art work (3).

The student makes some references to how methods are used to create effects and communicate ideas. For example, the gestural drawing of the owl (4) contrasts with the restrained kitchen object print, which creates a visual and narrative tension.

The comparative discussion (5) reveals that the use of colour has been considered in terms of how the works are made, viewed and valued.

To reach Merit, the student could extend the actual analysis of each art work. Further unpacking of how technical and pictorial devices have supported the artists’ intentions is needed to meet the in-depth analysis requirements of Merit. The biographical details (1) could more explicitly relate to how the art works are conceived and produced.

The student could also explain how the works relate to other social and artistic contexts.  A discussion of the stylistic, technical, thematic and commercial differences between Renaissance and contemporary practice would also add depth to the analysis.

For Achieved, the student needs to analyse methods and ideas from established printmaking practice.

This involves:

• identifying, describing, and examining features of art works
• identifying information related to methods and ideas
• explaining how and why art works are made, viewed, and valued
• distinguishing similarities and differences between approaches to making art
• research into the established practice of at least three artists from at least two sources.

This student has made some connections between pictorial elements and biographical information of Jim Dine (1) (2). A relevant quote (3) has been included, which indicates that appropriate research sources have been used.

The student identifies stylistic similarities between the work of Jim Dine and Swoon (5), and suggests a common influence in the form of German Expressionism.

For a more secure Achieved, the student could undertake a more sustained analysis of particular art works. For example, the discussion of Manhattan (4) should explain how the technique used, and the relationship with the site, contribute to the reading of the work.  

At Level 3 the student should systematically unpack the key features of technique, tone, colour, composition, etc. The student should then explain how these have been used to create effects and communicate ideas.

For Achieved, the student needs to analyse methods and ideas from established printmaking practice.

This involves:

• identifying, describing, and examining features of art works
• identifying information related to methods and ideas
• explaining how and why art works are made, viewed, and valued
• distinguishing similarities and differences between approaches to making art
• research into the established practice of at least three artists from at least two sources.

This student has identified general themes and technical processes of Swoon (1) (2), including some information about the intentions of the artist (3).

The student begins to suggest a connection between methods and ideas when they link process and meaning for Dieter Roth (5).

To reach Achieved, the student could make explicit links between the biographical information and the artist’s methods and ideas. For example, how has Dieter Roth’s commercial training (4) influenced his choice of subject matter and techniques?

For Achieved, the student needs to move beyond the description of technique (methods) to explain how these relate to the artist’s ideas. For example, the student could discuss how the colour selection, simplified form, and degree of abstraction affect the reading of Roth’s cityscape prints (6).

Distinguishing the similarities and differences between the selected artists’ approaches would also be useful. Both Swoon and Roth have a strong social agenda although they employ different pictorial and technical strategies to communicate their ideas. The student could explore how the different social (Europe/America) and historical (1960s/2000s) contexts influence each artist.