AS 91460A 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, 2.5 MB]

TKI Visual Arts assessment resources (external link)

For Excellence, the student needs to produce a resolved work that demonstrates mastery of skills appropriate to a visual arts cultural context.

This involves the critical selection and command of art making processes, procedures, materials, and techniques to achieve an accomplished outcome.

This student has produced a flip book outcome that shows mastery of conceptual narrative skills to communicate environmental ideas in a relevant and engaging manner. The deceptive simplicity of the shifts between multiple references including the earth bleeding (2) and the breakup of the Rena (3) which is then finished with blood/oil soaked hands (4).

The ‘unspoilt earth’ beginning and ‘oil soaked remains’ finish, is succinct, clear and poignant. The use of hands as the earth enables both conceptual ideas (Earth’s future in our hands) and technical opportunities (stop motion flip book action).

The significant refinements between the initial trial (1) and the final outcome (2) (3) (4) reveal critical thinking and command of the conceptual and communicative potential of the flip book context.

For a more secure Excellence, the student could show greater mastery of the technical aspects of the flip book convention. The transitions could be smoother to avoid excessive hand jumping (see video). Resolving this technical issue would enable the viewer to fully focus on the conceptual ideas without being distracted by technical imperfections.

For Merit, the student needs to produce a resolved work that demonstrates refined control of skills appropriate to a visual arts cultural context.

This involves the deliberate, independent selection and proficient use of art making processes, procedures, materials, and techniques to achieve a particular outcome.

This student has produced a flip book outcome that successfully communicates ideas about consumerism and spirituality. A potential strength of the outcome is the conceptual ambiguity where the Kali Goddess reference (1) could be read as either religion as a form of consumerism or consumerism as a form of religion.

The evaluation of the trial flipbook (2) reveals the evaluative thinking that leads to a more conceptually and technically refined solution in the final version (see video). These refinements include changing the clothing and hair to be more neutral, rotating the camera viewpoint to accommodate all objects (3), and then digitally removing the background to enhance the dramatic impact (4). 

To reach Excellence, the student could move beyond the initial Wang Qingsong model (1) to produce a more original response to the consumerism and spirituality theme. For example, the multi-frame context would allow the student to include a change of facial expression or a progressive reduction of cash in the central hand.

For Merit, the student needs to produce a resolved work that demonstrates refined control of skills appropriate to a visual arts cultural context.

This involves the deliberate, independent selection and proficient use of art making processes, procedures, materials, and techniques to achieve a particular outcome.

This student has developed a flip book outcome that succinctly communicates the concept of planetary consumption. The selection and management of visual (world map and flames) and technical (framing, lighting, and timing) considerations are sufficiently proficient to successfully communicate a particular message.

The student moves from a burning globe in the initial story board (2) to the burning map of the final outcome (3). This refinement better suits the flipbook convention in its simplicity, technical viability and the added tension of having the flames move towards the fingers of a (right handed) user.

For a more secure Merit, the student could resolve the fundamental technical issue of having the map moving up and down in the initial frames (see video). This could be achieved by fixing the map and camera positions in the initial photo-shoot or aligning the map edges in post-production. Smoother transitions would significantly reduce technical distractions, allowing the viewer to fully appreciate the metaphorical ideas.

The research and planning material focus initially on ideas of consumerism and planned obsolescence (1). This more subtle theme may offer more opportunity for refined solutions that the more obvious ‘consumption of fossil fuels’ approach.

For Achieved, the student needs to produce a resolved work that demonstrates purposeful control of skills appropriate to a visual arts cultural context.

This involves the deliberate, independent selection and use of art making processes, procedures, materials, and techniques in a resolved work.

This student has produced a functional flip book that refers to environmental population and its effects on flora and fauna (see video). The planning pages reveal sustained research and clear purpose for the work based on the clearing of the Amazon rainforest due to oil and gas concessions (1). 

The cut out conventions of Molly Jey (2) have been intelligently adapted to the flip book stop motion context. The graphic simplicity and use of monochrome is appropriate to the flip book convention.

To reach Merit, the student could further refine the narrative sequence to more effectively and explicitly communicate the conservation message. This may include finishing the narrative with complete blackness or beginning the sequence with full colour images. The sense of oil flow could be enhanced by progressively extending existing ink lines rather than adding complete new lines to each new frame (3).

Refined control would mean that the technical issues of the stage shifting around would be resolved. This could be done by physically fixing the stage/camera positons or digitally altering a single master image of the scene.

For Achieved, the student needs to produce a resolved work that demonstrates purposeful control of skills appropriate to a visual arts cultural context.

This involves the deliberate, independent selection and use of art making processes, procedures, materials, and techniques in a resolved work.

This student has used the strategy of showing the progressive evolution of cell phone design (1) to reference the concept of planned obsolescence (2)

The relatively simple topology of a neutral background and artificial lighting (3) is well suited to the concept. This demonstrates appropriate consideration of the technical aspects associate with the production of the outcome.

For a more secure Achieved, the student could more fully resolve the technical problem of the jerkiness of the outcome caused by having the arm in slightly different positons (see video). This could be resolved by a fixed brace for the arm, or by using a single arm image and digitally inserting different phones.

Further consideration is needed to ensure that the consumerism theme is more clearly communicated, as the outcome could currently be viewed as a positive promotion for new technology. For example, a cumulative tally of costs could be included, or the phone could vanish entirely leaving the consumer empty handed.

The selection of phones themselves may also be further developed. The student could have used (in image form) even more primitive cell phones, or other forms of communication that precede the phone. Future speculative models that imply a never-ending process of replacement phones could be another alternative approach.

For Achieved, the student needs to produce a resolved work that demonstrates purposeful control of skills appropriate to a visual arts cultural context.

This involves the deliberate, independent selection and use of art making processes, procedures, materials, and techniques in a resolved work.

This student has produced a flip book outcome that attempts to communicate ideas about oil pollution by having ink spill from a paper boat into a bowl of water (see video). A degree of stylistic and technical consistency is created through a limited number of pictorial elements and dramatic monochrome contrast.

The flip book action is taken into account by adding a black spacer on the left side of each image (1). This allows the entirety of each image to be viewed without the left side being obscured by the book binding.

To reach Achieved, the student could further refine the technical and/or conceptual aspects of the project. Technically, all frames need to be correctly focused and aligned, and the tonal values more consistent. This would result in a smoother transition between frames.

The conceptual ideas could also be developed to ensure that the environmental message of the outcome is more clearly communicated. This may include a recognisable oil tanker hook at the beginning, or finishing with a real world reference.

For Achieved, the student could treat the outcome as a trial maquette rather than finished work. They could then use the evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of this work to inform the development of a more resolved flip book.