Question 1

What is NCEA AS 91311 about?

Accepted Answer

This internally assessed standard is about using drawing as a tool to learn and apply the techniques and conventions used in painting. Students build up a body of drawing work — sketches, colour studies, tonal studies, and other exploratory work — that shows they understand how painting works as an art form. It is worth 4 credits and is marked by your own teacher, then checked by NZQA moderators.

Question 2

What do students need to do for AS 91311?

Accepted Answer

1. Research and study paintings by established artists to understand how painters work — things like how they use colour, tone, composition, texture, and mark-making. 2. Produce a range of drawing-based work (sketches, colour studies, tonal studies, collage, painted studies) that shows you exploring and applying painting conventions. 3. Use your drawings to show you understand painting techniques — for example how light and shadow work, how colour is mixed and layered, or how space and composition are arranged in a painting. 4. Select materials and methods that suit your artistic purpose, showing you are making deliberate choices rather than just experimenting randomly. 5. Build a portfolio of work across the unit that shows your thinking and development as a painter-in-training.

Question 3

What's the difference between Achieved, Merit, and Excellence for AS 91311?

Accepted Answer

Achieved: You use drawing methods to show a general understanding of how painting works. Your work shows you have tried out painting conventions — like tone, colour, or composition — in a basic but recognisable way. Merit: You make more deliberate, purposeful choices. You select specific painting conventions and use them in your drawings for a clear reason, showing you understand why those choices matter for your intended artwork. Excellence: You show a deeper, more critical level of understanding. You carefully and thoughtfully select and use painting conventions in your drawings, with a strong sense of purpose. Your work shows insight into how and why specific techniques create particular effects, and your choices are well-justified through the quality of the work itself.

Question 4

What mistakes do students typically make in AS 91311?

Accepted Answer

1. Producing drawings that are too general or decorative, without clearly showing understanding of specific painting conventions such as tone, colour relationships, or compositional structure. 2. Not connecting drawing work back to painting — for example, doing drawings that look like illustration or design work rather than studies that explore how paint and painting techniques behave. 3. Lacking variety in the body of work — submitting only one type of study (e.g. only pencil sketches) rather than a range that explores different painting conventions. 4. Weak or superficial exploration of colour and tone, which are central to painting — for example, using flat colour without exploring mixing, layering, or tonal range. 5. Not showing a clear artistic purpose or intention behind choices — work that looks accidental or undirected rather than deliberately chosen to achieve a specific painting-related goal.

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