Question 1

What is NCEA AS 91914 about?

Accepted Answer

This is a Level 1 Art History/Visual Arts standard worth 5 credits. It is assessed externally, meaning NZQA (not your teacher) makes the final call on your grade. You submit a portfolio — up to 8 pages of A3 work — that shows how you experiment with art-making processes, materials, and techniques to develop an idea or intention. Think of it as showing your working: sketches, tests, mock-ups, small studies, and experiments that show how your thinking evolved, rather than just handing in a finished artwork.

Question 2

What do students need to do for AS 91914?

Accepted Answer

1. Choose an art-making intention — an idea, mood, or story you want to explore (e.g. cultural identity, local landscapes, nature, portraiture). 2. Fill up to 8 pages of A3 with practical experiments: try out different materials, techniques, and processes (painting, printmaking, digital, photography, etc.). 3. Show your thinking through small sketches, colour tests, collage plans, compositional thumbnails, and mock-ups — not just big finished pieces. 4. Make connections across your pages so it is clear how one experiment led to the next idea. 5. Keep written research short (one page or less) — the focus should be on hands-on making, not written analysis. 6. Submit your portfolio digitally as a single PDF file (or MP4 if needed), making sure scans are high quality and all pencil work is clearly visible.

Question 3

What's the difference between Achieved, Merit, and Excellence for AS 91914?

Accepted Answer

Achieved: You try out processes, materials, and techniques and produce some work that responds to a theme. You might have a few compositional sketches or tests, but the connection between pages is loose and the work doesn't show much development or exploration of further possibilities. Merit: You experiment with a range of materials and processes, then apply what you learn in small studies. Your pages are connected through colour, subject, or approach, and you use mock-ups or sketches to show options for where your work could go next. The evidence clearly supports and advances your art-making intention. Excellence: You refine your processes and techniques through repeated attempts, making clear links between your thematic and stylistic ideas across all pages. You consistently show next steps — thumbnail sketches and plans before executing, and a focused progression from early experiments right through to a refined intention. Your portfolio reads as a coherent journey, not a collection of separate tasks.

Question 4

What mistakes do students typically make in AS 91914?

Accepted Answer

1. Using too many pages for written research, artist biographies, or mood boards, leaving little room for actual practical art-making evidence. 2. Presenting pages as separate, unconnected tasks rather than showing how one idea or experiment led to the next. 3. Submitting only finished or resolved artworks without any process work, sketches, or development evidence — the portfolio should show the journey, not just the destination. 4. Submitting fewer than 8 pages, which usually means there is not enough evidence to meet the credit weighting of the standard. 5. Uploading poor-quality scans or blurry photos where pencil work or fine detail cannot be seen — this makes it hard for markers to assess your work fairly. 6. Submitting files in PowerPoint (PPT/PPTX) format instead of exporting as a PDF or MP4, causing viewing problems during marking. 7. Including large blocks of written artist analysis — a small labelled image and brief notes about an artist's conventions is enough; lengthy analysis does not help your grade for this standard.

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