Starting early in the autumn term is one of the most effective ways to keep IB Visual Arts manageable. A realistic IB Visual Arts coursework timeline begins in September with an audit of your ideas and existing work, moves into sustained development during October, and reaches two credible resolved-artwork candidates by the end of November.
This does not mean completing the entire internal assessment in one term. The purpose is to create enough intentional artwork, documentation, and reflection that you are not constructing a coherent body shortly before submission. This schedule primarily supports students following the revised course with first assessment in 2027, but it can be adapted to different school calendars.
Confirm which IB Visual Arts course you follow
IB Visual Arts is in a syllabus transition. Students assessed in 2026 follow the outgoing course, which includes the Comparative Study, Process Portfolio, and Exhibition. Students assessed from May 2027 follow the revised course described in the official IB Visual Arts subject brief.
Under the revised course, the internal assessment is called Resolved artworks at SL and Selected resolved artworks at HL. It contributes 40% of the subject grade and is assessed by the teacher before external moderation. The IB Visual Arts curriculum update confirms that formal exhibition documentation is no longer part of the assessed task, although schools should still offer opportunities to exhibit work.
| Assessment session | Internally assessed task |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Exhibition |
| 2027 onward | Resolved artworks at SL or Selected resolved artworks at HL |
Ask your teacher which guide applies before following an online checklist. Older resources may offer useful artistic advice while using requirements that are incorrect for your cohort. RevisionDojo's IB Visual Arts overview explains the main course transition.
What the revised internal assessment requires
Both SL and HL students submit five resolved artworks that communicate artistic intentions as a coherent body. A resolved artwork is not merely polished. Its concept, form, materials, technique, and presentation should operate together intentionally.
At SL, students submit five artwork image or video files and a rationale of no more than 700 words, presented in a PDF of up to two screens. At HL, students select five resolved artworks from a wider production of at least eight works. The HL PDF can contain up to eight screens, including a rationale of no more than 700 words, selection evidence, and five artwork texts totaling no more than 1,000 words.
These are submission requirements, not an official monthly schedule. Schools determine internal deadlines according to their calendars, facilities, and examination sessions.
September-November coursework timeline
September: establish direction and documentation
Use September to identify a productive line of inquiry, rather than forcing yourself into a fixed theme. A useful inquiry generates visual problems and multiple possible responses. Instead of choosing the broad theme of identity, for example, you could investigate how fragmented portraiture communicates unreliable memory.
During September:
- Audit previous artworks, sketches, experiments, and artist research.
- Write one or two inquiry questions or generative statements.
- Identify a familiar technique and an unfamiliar process to investigate.
- Create folders for dated photographs, research, drafts, and feedback.
- Produce small studies that vary composition, scale, material, or viewpoint.
Develop the strongest study into your first substantial piece during the second half of the month. Photograph important stages before erasing, painting over, dismantling, or digitally altering them. After each session, record your intention, decision, result, and next adjustment.
By the end of September, aim for one developing artwork, several documented experiments, and a clear next step. HL students with earlier work should also begin identifying pieces that could contribute to the required wider production.
October: develop connected but distinct work
October should be the most active studio month. Continue refining the September piece while beginning a second work that approaches the same inquiry through a meaningfully different solution. Coherence does not require identical media, subjects, or palettes.
Use a repeatable development cycle:
- Research an artist or artwork relevant to a specific problem.
- Test a feature such as surface, spatial compression, or audience interaction.
- Transform that feature rather than copying the artist's appearance.
- Request feedback about communication and technique.
- Revise the work and document what changed.
Schedule a critique around the middle of October. Ask focused questions such as, "Which material choice communicates fragility most effectively?" Questions about intention produce more useful feedback than asking whether someone likes the work. The RevisionDojo Visual Arts study guide suggests ways to balance studio work, research, documentation, and reflection.
By the end of October, aim for one plausible resolved-artwork candidate and a second substantial work in development. The first candidate can still be revised or replaced later.
November: resolve, compare, and identify gaps
November is for careful resolution, not several rushed outcomes. Evaluate the first two works together, considering conceptual clarity, technical control, scale, materials, and the intended audience experience.
Use the first half of November to resolve the second piece and improve the first where necessary. During the second half, complete a mock selection exercise. Photograph both pieces consistently, place the images together, and explain what connects them and what each contributes independently.
By the end of November, aim for:
- Two credible resolved-artwork candidates
- A third artwork planned or underway
- Dated process photographs and reflections
- Complete citations for contextual research
- Notes about coherence, choices, and remaining weaknesses
- For HL, a record of selected and non-selected work
First-year students may reasonably have one resolved candidate supported by extensive experimentation. Final-year expectations depend on the school's internal submission date.
Build a sustainable weekly routine
Consistency is more productive than occasional all-day sessions. A manageable week should include studio development, focused research, documentation, reflection, and a feedback checkpoint.
| Session | Main purpose | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|---|
| Studio development | Test or apply a technical decision | Process images and material notes |
| Contextual research | Investigate an artist, artwork, or context | Source details and analysis |
| Review | Evaluate progress and plan the next action | Reflection and revised task list |
| Feedback | Obtain focused teacher or peer critique | Feedback summary and response |
This routine also supports the externally assessed art-making inquiries portfolio, since the same investigations generate evidence of experimentation, refinement, and reflection. However, the final portfolio is curated evidence, not a complete diary. RevisionDojo's Visual Arts portfolio guide and documented artistic development guide offer further organizational advice, although terminology should always be checked against your current guide.
Common scheduling mistakes
Waiting for a perfect theme delays meaningful experimentation. Direction usually becomes clearer through making, comparison, and revision.
Photographing only finished art removes evidence of development. Record rejected alternatives, technical settings, accidents, and material changes while they remain available.
Writing all reflections in November produces vague hindsight. Five minutes of specific notes after a studio session is usually more useful than reconstructing months of decisions.
Producing five nearly identical pieces creates repetition rather than coherence. Each artwork should extend, complicate, or challenge the central inquiry.
Finally, do not treat September-November as an official IB deadline. Insert your teacher's confirmed dates into the timeline before setting artwork targets.
How to know whether you are ahead by December
You are ahead if your process is sustainable and your evidence makes your artistic decisions understandable. By early December, you should be able to explain what you investigated, how research affected your practice, what changed between versions, and why your strongest works belong together.
Progress should not be judged only by counting finished pieces. Two developed candidates with visible experimentation are more useful than five hurried outcomes. RevisionDojo's guide to achieving a 7 in IB Visual Arts can help you evaluate analysis, development, and intentional selection.
Conclusion
An effective IB Visual Arts coursework timeline starts in September with inquiry and documentation, uses October for sustained development, and ends November with two credible resolved-artwork candidates and a plan for the next piece. This is practical guidance rather than an official IB calendar, so adapt it to your level, examination session, and school deadlines.
RevisionDojo can support this work through Visual Arts Study Notes, Jojo AI, IA Feedback, Coursework Review, and Tutors. Use these tools to evaluate your decisions while keeping the artwork, interpretations, and submitted writing your own.
Sources and referenced URLs
- Official IB Visual Arts subject brief
- Official IB Visual Arts curriculum update
- Official IB Visual Arts course page
- RevisionDojo IB Visual Arts overview
- RevisionDojo Visual Arts study guide
- RevisionDojo Visual Arts portfolio guide
- RevisionDojo documented artistic development guide
- RevisionDojo guide to achieving a 7 in IB Visual Arts