Assessment criteria for the Visual Arts at OCA 1st

Weighting A+ 85%+ Exceptional A 70-84% Excellent

2.1
B 60-69% Very good

2.2
C 50-59% Good/Average

3rd
D 40-49% Satisfactory

Fail
E Limited 30-39% F 29% or below Inadequate Inadequate technical and visual skills

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills Materials, techniques, observational skills, visual awareness, design and compositional skills

Level 4 40% Level 5 35% Level 6 30%

Outstanding technical and Complete fluency of visual skills technical and visual skills

Very competent Competent technical technical and visual skills and visual skills

Adequate technical and visual skills

Limited technical and visual skills

Quality of Outcome Content, application of knowledge, presentation of work in a coherent manner, discernment, conceptualisation of thoughts, communication of ideas

Level 4 20% Level 5 20% Level 6 20%

Outstanding work presented in a highly professional way and communicates with flair. Outstanding grasp of ideas and communication of visual ideas*

Highly effective work presented in a professional way, showing strong judgement.

Competent realisation of ideas, presented well, showing consistency in judgement.

Competent realisation of ideas, presented well, showing judgement Reasonably effective grasp of ideas and communication of visual ideas*

Adequate realisation of ideas and satisfactory presentation of work Limited grasp of ideas and communication of visual ideas*

Poor work and presentation Lack of conceptualisation* or communication of visual ideas*

Inadequate work and presentation Complete lack of conceptualisation* or communication of visual ideas*

Effective grasp of ideas Highly effective grasp of and communication of ideas and visual ideas* communication of visual ideas* Creative, takes risks with imaginative and successful outcomes, evidence of a developing personal voice*

Demonstration of Creativity Imagination, experimentation, invention, development of a personal voice

Level 4 20% Level 5 25% Level 6 30%

Highly creative, takes Strongly creative, takes risks with imaginative and risks with many successful outcomes, imaginative and powerful evidence of successful outcomes, personal voice* strong evidence of personal voice*

Some evidence of creativity, little evidence of risk-taking, with a few imaginative outcomes, some evidence of a developing personal voice* Evidence of selfreflection and research, and satisfactory ability to analyse and synthesise information.

Some evidence of creativity, little risk taking with few imaginative outcomes, struggling to find a personal voice. Variable levels of selfreflection and research, and poor analysis and synthesis of information.

Limited evidence of creativity, no risk taking or imaginative outcomes, no personal voice.

Inadequate evidence of creativity.

Context Reflection, research, critical thinking* (learning logs and, at levels 5 and 6, critical reviews and essays)

Level 4 20% Level 5 20% Level 6 20%

Highly articulate and self aware, extensively and thoroughly researched, demonstrating a highly developed intellectual understanding

Very articulate and self aware, very well researched, demonstrating a developed intellectual understanding

Articulate and self aware, good range of research, demonstrating a developing intellectual understanding

Limited self-reflection or research, and no analysis or synthesis of information.

Inadequate research or evidence of critical thinking.

These assessment criteria should be used in conjunction with the level descriptions as described overleaf:

Feedback at different levels Different feedback is needed at each level. Students at Level 4, for example, shouldnt be criticised for not having found their own personal artistic voice. Similarly students at Level 6 should be expected to know how to keep sketchbooks and learning logs. Level 4 is about laying the foundations. The emphasis is on the acquisition of skills and good working habits, such as the keeping of sketchbooks and learning logs. Its about students informing themselves about others work by reading and viewing exhibitions, etc. At this level, they are not expected to have developed a great deal of autonomy or have found a strong personal (visual) language -- if they have already done so, this is a bonus. Feedback at Level 4 should focus on their success in acquiring the necessary skills and working habits, at the same time encouraging the student to push their limits. At Level 5 the student continues to improve their skills and the quality of their work. But at this level, they should be starting to develop a personal visual language or voice and to choose the direction of their work in consultation with their tutor. This means that in addition to skills, your feedback should reflect back to the student whether they are taking enough responsibility for the shaping of their own work, whether they are doing enough reading and or viewing of other artists' work and whether they are clearly articulating their own views and backing them up with reasoned arguments. Level 6 is about the transition from being a self-motivated student to becoming a self-motivated and independent artist (or photographer, textile artist, designer maker, writer or musician. The expectation is that the quality of work will continue to improve, and the student can demonstrate evidence of inventiveness, aesthetic judgement, as well as originality and independence. They should be developing their understanding of the professional arena they aspire to move into and developing their intellectual understanding of the theory and concepts underpinning their discipline.