About this report
The following report gives feedback to assist assessors with general issues and trends that have been identified during external moderation of the internally assessed standards in 2023. It also provides further insights from moderation material viewed throughout the year and outlines the Assessor Support available for Visual Arts.
On this page
Insights
91460: Produce a resolved artwork appropriate to a Visual Arts cultural context
Performance overview:
This standard requires the production of a resolved work that aligns with the design and production conventions specific to a selected visual arts cultural context. For example, a cinematic trailer should capture the mood, set up the story and introduce the main characters. Technical features specific to trailers include establishing shots, action sequences, title branding, plot teases and signature music.
Popular contexts include moving image, murals, installations, exhibition pieces and costume. Appropriate contexts need to relate to a specific set of art making conventions, and be distinct from generic visual arts fields (design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture).
Outcomes need to be sustained and significant in relation to the credit weighting of the standard.
Practices that need strengthening:
Where grades have been changed in moderation, more sustained and significant outcomes, or a higher degree of technical refinement, are often required. For example, a portrait photograph that may have emerged out of a study for generic photography standards, might not present a sufficiently specific cultural context or be adequately sustained and significant to meet the standard. In this case, a large-scale metaphorical tableaux vivant, using the specific conventions of Peter Greenaway’s Allegories or Lisa Reihanna’s Digital Marae, would enhance opportunity to produce an appropriately resolved and specific outcome.
It is recommended that the supporting research and planning is included with moderation submissions. This evidence informs moderator understanding of the specific conceptual intentions and unique production features of the outcome.
Where group work activities are undertaken, the individual contribution to the collective outcome needs to be identified for assessment purposes.
91445: Use drawing to demonstrate understanding of conventions appropriate to design
91450: Systematically clarify ideas using drawing informed by established design practice.
Performance overview:
Achievement Standard 91445 requires design conventions to be applied in a practical investigation. For Merit, evidence needs to show informed application of established conventions specific to a particular design context (logo, posters, etc). The depth of understanding needed for Excellence is demonstrated through personal innovation and successful solutions.
Achievement Standard 91450 involves the systematic development of personal ideas appropriate to established design practice. For Achieved, samples need to show clarification of a personal solution to a design proposition. To show the extension and regeneration required for Merit and Excellence, design ideas need to be systematically advanced through subsequent iterations to build upon the initial design solution.
Both standards can explore branding, marketing, promotion, gaming, illustration and industrial design approaches.
Practices that need strengthening:
In some cases, the use of unmodified appropriated imagery has limited opportunity for samples to present independent application and development of original illustrative ideas. The use of photography or drawing to generate original imagery enhances opportunity for samples to show the application of personal ideas related to established illustration practice. For example, the development of a feline comic character may begin with drawings and photographs of the family cat, followed by progressive simplification and digital versions informed by anime or manga conventions.
Personal development of original illustrative components, rather than reliance on pre-existing solutions, shows the independent understanding and personal application of design conventions assessed for 91445. This generative process creates options for the extension and regeneration needed for higher levels of achievement with 91450.
All standards – digital submissions
Performance overview:
The number of digital rather than physical submissions has grown significantly during the last five years. The system is designed for teachers to upload samples directly into the external moderation application or to provide a link to web hosted material. This option can reduce costs and turnaround times for moderation.
Practices that need strengthening:
Moderation delays can occur when security settings prevent moderators from accessing the materials on third party online sites. For hosting sites such as Google Images or SharePoint, access should be set to public, or a username and password should be provided. Care should be taken to ensure that evidence is adequately documented, in chronological order, and correctly oriented. Images that are blurred, incorrectly exposed, sideways or upside down interfere with the fluent reading of the artwork.
A free online bite-sized module provides more detailed guidance about preparing Visual Arts samples for external moderation (see below).
Assessor Support
Online
NZQA’s learning management system (Pūtake) offers 150+ easy to access courses, materials and products. These are designed to support teachers, as assessors, to improve their assessment of NCEA standards.
Online, subject-specific or generic, bite-sized learning modules and short courses are now available to complement the traditional face-to-face workshops that NZQA offers. These online courses can be accessed using your Education Sector Logon.
Subject-specific course/workshops available for Visual Arts include:
- Bite-sized module: Preparing Digital Submissions for Moderation
- Short course: Developing Ideas
- Short course: Drawing Conventions
- Short course: Research Standards, Level 3
- Short course: Finished Work Standards
- Short course: Assessing Integrated Evidence
- Short course: Assessment Guidance – Group Work in the Arts
Online Making Assessor Judgements workshops are also available throughout the year. These workshops are structured to guide teachers to improve their understanding of each grade level by examining several full samples of student work. The following standards are available for enrolment in 2024:
- 91450: Systematically clarify ideas using drawing informed by established design practice (3.3)
- 91451: Systematically clarify ideas using drawing informed by established painting practice (3.3)
- 91452: Systematically clarify ideas using drawing informed by established photography practice (3.3)
Feedback from teachers for these workshops indicates that more than 74% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the content in the module was beneficial:
“Although I was a bit skeptical that this was going to provide me with better understanding of the standard (and marking it), I found I've picked up more certainty about making judgements about the work my students might produce. I'm also more secure about guiding them through the selection of their topic and setting it up so that they are able to complete a successful investigation.”
Exemplars of student evidence for all standards at each level of achievement are available on the NZQA subject page for Visual Arts.
NZQA will continue to provide generic modules and workshops designed to improve general assessment practice. The following modules and workshops will be available in 2024:
- Assessment Approaches, an online workshop exploring different methods of assessment
- Culturally Responsive Assessment
- Assessment Guidance – Reviewing Your Practice
- Tāku Reo, Tāku Mahi – My voice, My work, a guide to managing authenticity
- Why Less is More, a guide to reducing volumes of student evidence
- Integrated Assessment
- Modes of Assessment
- Alternative Assessment
- Acknowledging Sources
“This was great! I liked that I could choose from different scenarios, see how sources are used and the way the student answered the question.”
“Reassuring and very thorough. Easy to use/follow.”
We will also continue to offer the Transforming Assessment Praxis programme, an online workshop relevant to all subjects which helps assessors learn about re-contextualising assessment resources and collecting evidence in different ways, in order to better meet the needs of students.
Check the NCEA subject pages on the NZQA website regularly, as more online modules, workshops and courses will be added throughout 2024.
Assessor Practice Tool
The Assessor Practice Tool (APT) will be used to support assessors with the new NCEA standards from 2024 onwards. The purpose of the APT is to allow assessors to practice making assessment judgements and immediately receive feedback on their judgements from a moderation panel. The APT will initially have material for some existing Level 3 standards, with moderated samples for the new Level 1 NCEA standard subjects being added as material becomes available. Material for the new Level 2 and Level 3 standards will be added over time, and all material for the old NCEA standards will be archived.
Material is currently available for:
- 91451: Systematically clarify ideas using drawing informed by established painting practice
- 91460: Produce resolved artwork appropriate to a visual arts cultural context
- 91446: Use drawing to demonstrate understanding of conventions appropriate to painting
- 91450: Systematically clarify ideas using drawing informed by established design practice
Workshops and presentations
The Best Practice Workshops offered by Assessment and Moderation continue to be viewed by the sector as significantly contributing to improved assessor practice:
“I thought the workshop was very clear and helpful, there were a lot of varied examples of ākonga work discussed and opportunity for participants to discuss and ask questions.”
We offer several options of online workshops and presentations for events to support assessors with the assessment of internally assessed standards. These can be subject-specific, or general assessment support, and tailored to the audience. Virtual presentation slots, online workshops or webinars can be requested to provide targeted support to local, regional or national audiences.
Contact NZQA
More detailed information, including how to request or register for a workshop or online course, can be found on our Assessor Support pages or by emailing workshops@nzqa.govt.nz.