how to write a band 6 visual arts essay

How to get a Band 6 in Visual Arts (by an ARTEXPRESS 2018 Member)

Beatrice Tekiko

Monday 5th, February 2018

If you are having doubts about Visual Arts, hopefully this guide can help you! Visual Arts has always been my best performing subject since the start of high school and I’ve been blessed to have been taught by, not just one, but TWO HSC Visual Arts markers from Year 9 onwards. I worked my butt off in Year 12 to get a Band 6 for this subject and my hard work paid off (I got a 94!). My body of work has also been nominated AND selected for ARTEXPRESS 2018. So to those who think Visual Arts is bludge subject … you’re  wrong. Here are my tips on how to gain a Band 6 in one of the greatest HSC subjects:

Time management in Visual Arts:

This subject involves a major (obviously) which requires quite a lot of your time during your HSC year. I probably spent around 40%-70% of my time studying and working for Visual Arts. Sounds crazy right? Since I was spending so much time for Visual Arts, I knew I had to get it together and use my time wisely during class for my other subjects. That way, my free time was solely dedicated for art. As for my studies, typically the ones on Monday and Friday were for my other subjects whilst the others were for Art. The time you spend for art should depend on how many units you do, if you have another major and if you have tutoring, extracurricular activities or leadership commitments. Also, remember to start early! No way you’re going to get a Band 6 if you finish your BOW the night before the due date.

Your ‘Body of Work’:

Your B.O.W is 50% worth of your external mark for art. Start early. Think of an amazing concept. Make everything work. Treat your B.O.W like your pet. More information on the body of work can be found in the ultimate B.O.W guide I wrote here.

Art criticism and art history (theory): 

Don’t neglect your art theory. Just because VA is known as being a practical based subject doesn’t mean this section is irrelevant. Since the syllabus for Visual Arts is so diverse, you can do any artist in the world and any artwork. It is preferred to have four artists but if you can do three or six, then go for it! As long as you are able to connect the artists and/or artworks, you are bound to get a Band 6 for all your theory assessments. Once you’ve picked your artists, don’t go back. Do the same artists for your essay practice, half yearlies, trials and the HSC. Just keep on improving, adding in things and taking in feedback.

Your art teacher/s:

Your visual arts classmates:.

Time and time again, every lesson my art teachers mention how the 2016 cohort came from different friendship groups yet ended up being really close at the end of their BOW journey. Stop having that mindset of grabbing that ‘1st in Course’ rank for art. At the end of the day, you and your classmates need to work together to push each other up. Your art class also ends up being the best support system during the HSC. I found myself befriending people outside my group. I think it’s because Visual Arts has such a diverse syllabus that we celebrate each other’s uniqueness and talents rather than tearing each other down because of marks and performances. Since everyone has a different concept and different strengths in art theory, make suggestions and build each other up. Your confidence will grow as your class strengthens.

You chose this subject for a reason. It’s your last year of Visual Arts. Give it your all. Give it your best shot. Create the best work ever. Write the best essay ever. Your passion and love for the subject will be rewarded in the end. It doesn’t matter how much of a stretch your interpretation of a work is in Section 1. Show the markers what the work is all about personally and prove your damn point. It doesn’t matter how bad your artwork looks. Show the markers your concept and believe that its the best one out there. Good luck everyone with their Visual Arts journey!

About the author:

Beatrice Tekiko is an outstanding 2017 HSC graduate. As a student, Bea has been incredibly helpful to peers on the ATAR Notes forums, and entirely dedicated to her studies. Visual Arts holds a special place in her HSC experience. Bea was selected for ARTEXPRESS 2018.

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5 Tips For A Band 6 Visual Arts Essay

May 5, 2017

It is important to note that the theoretical component of Visual arts counts for 50% of your final mark. Therefore it is important to nail the essay writing and unseen plate component of the course as well as your major piece of work. Although there are many different possible case studies which could be used to answer one of the final questions there are some universal tips which may help boost your marks.

1. Know your frames, conceptual framework and artist practice

It is a given that in the exam you will be given a set of questions which come from these three Art frameworks. Therefore it is important to know what each component entails.

A summary of the requirements of each framework:

Subjective Frame : Personal, psychological experience – What are your first impressions?, How does it make you feel?

Postmodern Frame : Ideas that challenge the mainstream – Has the artwork been appropriated? Does it include irony?

Structural Frame : Communication, systems of signs – Describe the visual language, use of line, symbolism and colour etc.

Cultural frame : Cultural and social meanings – What cultural group or race is presented? What ideology is revealed.

Conceptual framework : The relations between the WORLD, AUDIENCE, ARTIST AND ARTWORK

Artist’s Practice: Art Making – What procedures are used? How is meaning given to the Artwork? How are symbols and codes used?

Art History and Art Criticism – How do artists intend others to respond? How have other artists explored this concept? How has this idea within Art been expressed over time.

A tip for being able to quickly recognise which frame the question is coming from and what needs to be included would be to go through past paper questions and practice identifying what needs to be included in order to address the question.

2. Take an interest in certain artists or exhibitions.

Many previous questions in HSC Art exams have asked students to evaluate a single artist’s practice or components of a contemporary exhibition. It is important to stay up to date with relevant case studies and exhibitions so that you can provide interesting and useful information for the markers. If you do not do individual studies of artist’s in class  you could easily complete a case study on an artist that you used as inspiration for your major work. This way you will learn more about the processes of the artist which may help you with your practical component and you could also use this information in the exam room. I would also encourage you to stay up to date with exhibitions and art museums. I was able to complete a case study comparing different art exhibition spaces within Sydney based on the Sydney Biennale. I found that studying art exhibition spaces applied very well to previous HSC questions.

3. Consolidate your knowledge on Artist movements.

Know at least 2 artists and examples of 2 artworks by each artist.

Many schools focus largely on movements such as Modernism and Feminism which is largely applicable to questions given in the HSC. It is great to be able to compare Artists who address similar content in different time periods however it is important that you know your artists well. For example for a case study in Feminism i would compare artists from each of the feminist movements and know at least 2 examples of artworks of theirs that address the topic of feminism. I would also note differences and similarities between each artist as this could be a useful analysis to include in your essay. It would be great if you could include artists who have different artist practices, making it easier to compare and contrast and add depth to your essay.

4. Structure your essay well and provide a direct and succinct Introduction and conclusion.

Because the HSC markers for Visual arts have to mark many different case studies it is important that your ideas are well organised and structured. Your introduction should address the question that you have chosen as well as components of the art framework it involves. If you are including artists you should name them and provide brief context of in relation to how they operate in terms of the question. Your body paragraphs should also be structured and i would encourage splitting them up in terms of artist and artwork in order to provide in depth analysis in terms of each. You should be specific with your dates and examples and utilise detail in reference to artists and their practice. Your conclusion should not be a last minute addition to finalise your essay. Rather, the conclusion should provide a summary of your argument, examples and analysis. It should bring the markers back to understanding how you answered the questions and all the great examples you used to show your understanding.

5. FINAL TIP: Know your case studies! AND Stay up to date

As Major works can take up a lot of your time it is common for theoretical study to take the back seat throughout the HSC. However it is important to build up a bank of essay case studies which can be utilised in your assessments and final exam. These case studies should be up to date and you need to know your stuff. You cannot walk into the exam and attempt to wing the essay without knowing a lot about your artists and artworks. So practice timed responses, create mind maps and EBT’s and INCLUDE CRITICAL QUOTES . Quotes are especially important in elevating your essay, however you need to integrate these quotes and use them to contribute to your argument rather than just adding them in. It is also important to constantly research new information which could be included in your essay. This could include new artworks, new art historian or critic quotes or new exhibitions, this will help keep your essay relevant and fresh.

LITERARY TECHNIQUES

Texts and human experience, module c - the craft of writing, pdf of our planning pad for download, pdf of our mind map pad for download.

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