IB Visual Arts: the Comparative Study, Process Portfolio and Exhibition
A guide to IB Visual Arts: the three assessment components — Comparative Study, Process Portfolio and Exhibition — HL vs SL requirements and how each is marked.
IB Visual Arts is a group 6 subject with no written exam: the entire grade comes from three portfolio-style components. It rewards genuine artistic inquiry — investigation, experimentation and reflection — documented clearly. Success in the Diploma Programme depends on showing process, not just finished pieces. For one-to-one support see IB Visual Arts tutoring.
The three components
- Comparative Study (CS): an analytical comparison of artworks by different artists from different cultural contexts, examining formal qualities, function, meaning and cultural significance. HL students also connect the study to the development of their own work.
- Process Portfolio (PP): documentation of experimentation, skill-building and reflection across a range of media, showing how ideas and techniques developed.
- Exhibition: a curated selection of resolved artworks with a curatorial rationale explaining the choices and connections.
HL vs SL requirements
HL asks for more across every component: a larger Comparative Study with an explicit link to the student's own practice, more Process Portfolio screens covering more media, and a larger Exhibition of resolved works with a fuller rationale. SL follows the same three components at a smaller scale. Because it is portfolio-based, the challenge is sustained, documented work over two years rather than a single exam.
How each component is marked
- Comparative Study: depth of analysis and comparison, use of subject-specific language, and (HL) the connection to own work.
- Process Portfolio: evidence of experimentation, skill development, critical reflection and range of media.
- Exhibition: coherence of the body of work, technical accomplishment and the quality of the curatorial rationale.
What earns marks
- Document as you go: process evidence cannot be reconstructed later; date and photograph work at every stage.
- Analyse, do not describe: in the Comparative Study, examine why choices create meaning, not just what they are.
- Connect artist research to your practice: showing how a studied technique shaped your own work reads directly into the rubric.
- Curate deliberately: the Exhibition rationale is assessed, so selection and coherence matter as much as individual pieces.