Tag: IB

Critique should move the work forward.

When I was an art student, I loved critique sessions. There was something exciting about putting work in front of other artists and hearing what they genuinely noticed, questioned or responded to.

Now, teaching A-level and IB Visual Arts, I think critique is one of the most important habits we can develop with students — particularly in the second year, when time suddenly becomes very precious.

In my classroom, we have a regular critique towards the end of the week.

Students bring either a finished artwork or something currently in development. But they also need to bring a question.

What are you trying to communicate?
What are you unsure about?
Is the intention coming through?
Does this material, composition or process actually support the idea?

That changes critique from “Do you like my artwork?” into a much more useful conversation.

Students also need the vocabulary to participate. If they don’t yet know how to discuss artwork, we can’t simply expect them to magically become good critics. I use prompts around formal elements, intention, materials, composition and viewer response to help build that language.

One thing that has completely changed this process for me is recording the critique using Voice Memos.

Not because I particularly want to listen to an hour-long recording again — but because I want the transcript.

Afterwards, I can take that transcript into ChatGPT and organise the discussion into clear feedback:

  • What people noticed
  • Questions that were raised
  • What appears to be working
  • What is unclear
  • Most importantly: next steps

Suddenly, a conversation that could easily disappear at the end of the lesson becomes evidence of development.

Students can add the notes to their sketchbook or IB inquiry documentation, photograph the artwork as it currently looks, and then return to it the following week.

Artwork → critique → reflection → change → photograph → critique again.

For me, that is where critique becomes really valuable.

It also creates accountability.

Students know they need something to bring to the conversation. They know their intentions may be questioned. They know that next week we will look again and ask: What changed?

Because these courses aren’t ten years long.

Time matters.

And sometimes one of the most useful things we can teach young artists is not simply how to make work — but how to talk about it, listen to others, question it and then act on what they discover.

Do students need strong drawing skills to succeed in IB Visual Arts?

The Shelter, 2026, Size: 60cm x 40cm, Material: Digital-manipulated photograph using Lightroom, printed onto PP synthetic paper with a matte finish, mounted on PVC foam board. Intention: During a stressful semester, I passed this brick archway daily. I transformed it into a high-contrast black-and-white image with heavy grain, removing warmth to turn a familiar shelter into a cold, isolating space. Deep shadows and rough textures reflect how anxiety followed me, showing that spaces meant for safety can become cages that trap us.

One of the key differences I have noticed between A-level Art and IB Visual Arts is the students’ starting points.

A-level Art often follows naturally from GCSE or IGCSE Art, with students already having developed practical skills, confidence and an understanding of the creative process. In IB Visual Arts, however, students may begin the course with little or no previous art experience.

This can feel daunting for both the student and the teacher. How do you guide someone from limited technical ability towards a meaningful exhibition and the grades they need for university?

Over the past two years, I have increasingly focused on accessible media that allow students to communicate ideas without relying heavily on traditional drawing skills. Printmaking can provide a clear and supportive process, but photography has become especially valuable within my teaching.

Photography can communicate identity, emotion, memory and personal experience in a direct and powerful way. It helps students understand that successful art is not simply about producing something conventionally beautiful. It is about intention, experimentation and meaningful expression.

I am proud to share photographs from a student who began IB Visual Arts with no previous art experience and completed the course with a grade 5 and a deeply personal photography-based exhibition.

Their success came through trust, careful guidance, consistent effort and a willingness to follow the creative journey.

IB Visual Arts can be challenging, but it can also give students permission to become artists—even when they do not yet see themselves that way.