About Visual Arts
Visual Arts students explore, refine, and communicate their own artistic ideas by responding to how art expresses identity, culture, ethnicity, ideas, feelings, moods, beliefs, political viewpoints, and personal perspectives.
This page contains resources and tools to help support:
- internal and external assessment
- teachers delivering this subject
- learners taking this subject.
Read more about this subject on NCEA.education (external link)
On this page
Assessor Support
See how our online resources and workshops can support and improve your assessment practice.
Assessor Support homeVisual Arts standards
Exemplars, reports, past exams and assessment schedules
Assessment specifications
Useful exam information
Submission dates for portfolios (external link)
Candidate information sheet [PDF, 250 KB]
Visual Arts Level 3 and Scholarship authenticity declaration [PDF, 103 KB]
Visual Arts Level 3 and Scholarship submission instructions [PDF, 805 KB]
The submission instructions for 2025 Visual Arts L1 and L2 will be published by the end of Term 2 2025.
Internal assessment resources
National moderator's report
Annual reports on issues and trends in assessment
View moderator's reportRequest clarification form
Teachers can request clarification of a standard with this form
Open request clarification formRemote assessment matrix
Guidance for teachers if learning and assessment needs to be completed remotely
Remote assessment matrix [PDF, 236KB]Alternative evidence gathering templates
Templates for student results when direct assessment is not possible
Get templatesMore resources
Visual Arts Level 2 art bag order
Schools are required to send portfolios in custom art bags provided by NZQA for Level 2 Visual Arts verification. Please complete the order form if:
- your school is new to teaching Visual Arts at Level 2
- your school has lost the red bag (your school may be charged a replacement cost of $180 per bag).
All orders must be received by 1 August 2025.
Tools
Visual Arts resources on Pūtake (opens in a new window)
Online learning modules available for this subject
Go to resources
Career guidance
Career information and tools to help your students on careers.govt.nz
Go to careers.govt.nz