Visual Arts · Resolved artworks — rationale draft (IA)
IB Visual Arts Internal Assessment
Upload your Resolved artworks — rationale draft (IA) and get examiner-level feedback on every criterion — scored against the IB Visual Arts internal assessment criteria for the resolved artworks task (first assessment 2027). Free to try, no account required.
Assessment criteria — 32 marks total
Your Resolved artworks — rationale draft (IA) is graded against 3 criteria. iBacalao scores each one and tells you exactly where to gain marks.
Coherence of the Body of Artworks
Meaningful relationships between the five resolved artworks so the body of work conveys a clear overall meaning greater than each piece alone, with a rationale that clearly justifies the artistic intentions and makes relevant, meaningful references to the main technical, stylistic or conceptual choices that create the coherence.
Conceptual Realization
How effectively material and conceptual inquiries are synthesized to communicate meaning — practical art-making combined with contextual and personal experiences, communicating intentions insightfully and creatively rather than through superficial imagery.
Technical Resolution
Competence in applying media, skills and formal qualities (composition, light, texture…) to achieve the artistic goals — an artwork is resolved when it effectively conveys the intended meaning to an audience through intentional technical and material choices.
Common mistakes to avoid
Coherence of the Body of Artworks
Five unrelated pieces with coherence asserted, not demonstratedRationale describes each work separately without linking themArtistic intentions stated but the choices that realize them unexplainedRationale disconnected from what the artworks actually show
Conceptual Realization
Concept described in the rationale but not realized in the worksSuperficial or cliché imagery standing in for an ideaPersonal/contextual sources of the concept left unexplainedIntentions that shift between works without acknowledgment
Technical Resolution
Technique unconnected to the stated intention (skill for its own sake)Formal qualities (composition, light, texture) never discussed in the rationaleWorks at clearly different levels of finish without explanationMaterial choices unexplained or arbitrary
Common questions
How is the IB Visual Arts Resolved artworks — rationale draft (IA) marked?
Your Resolved artworks — rationale draft (IA) is marked against 3 criteria totalling 32 marks using the IB Visual Arts internal assessment criteria for the resolved artworks task (first assessment 2027). Your teacher marks first, then the IBO moderates a random sample from your school — so your mark may be adjusted up or down if the moderator consistently disagrees with your teacher.
What is the most important criterion in the IB Visual Arts IA?
All criteria matter, but the highest-weighted criterion — worth the most marks — is "Conceptual Realization". Focus on what the mark band descriptor says for the top score and make sure every element it mentions is present in your submission.
Can I use AI to help with my Visual Arts IA?
The IBO allows AI for feedback and research support, but the submitted work must be entirely your own. iBacalao gives criterion-by-criterion feedback on your draft — the same kind of comment your teacher would give — without generating any text for your IA.