(From a previous post I made)
The HSC exam in Visual Arts is split into two sections. Each is worth 25 marks.
SECTION ONE
Section one is split into three parts - A, B, C. Question A is worth 5 marks, question B is worth 8, and question C is worth 12.
Each question (A, B and C) will supply you with source material. Source material will be in the form of colour plates of artworks, other images, citations and quotations by art critics, art historians, artists and other audience members.
One question will deal with the Frames, one with the Conceptual Framework and one with Practice. The paper will not tell you which question is which, it is up to you to make that judgement.
The source material will deal with artworks you have not particularly studied. Art teachers do not know what will appear in the HSC exam. For Section 1, it is your art teachers job to make sure you are very familiar with the three concepts - the frames, practice and the conceptual framework. Preparing for this section means simply that - making sure you can easily identify what concept is being addressed, and you know how to write about a work in that manner.
The question will be written in such a way that background information about the artist and artwork is not needed. The sources will provide you with enough stimulus and information to answer the question.
SECTION TWO
In section two, you will be required to write an essay or long response. There will be nine questions, and you are to select and attempt ONE of these. What you pick, is up to you.
The questions are split up into three groups. There will be three questions dealing with Practice, three dealing with the Conceptual Framework, and three dealing with the Frames. You select the question you are most comfortable with. For example, you may be hopeless at writing about Practice, but great at writing about the relationships between agencies in the artworld (the Conceptual Framework). And so, you decide to pick a Conceptual FW question. You pick the one that best suits the knowledge you have.
The questions will require you to draw on what you have learnt in theory classes throughout the year, and what you learnt through your case studies.
The questions are not overly direct. There will not just be one particular artist or movement. The questions are written in such a manner that you can apply knowledge about the various artists, movements, periods, historians, critics, theories etc that you have studied.
In preperation for my prelim VA exam, I went through all the HSC exams since the new HSC was brought in, and selected some of the most typical questions, that seem to appear in one form or another every year or two. Here are some of these-
PRACTICE
-Assess the effects of time and place on artists.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
-Explain how contemporary art has shaped our understanding of the different roles of artists.
THE FRAMES
How does a postmodern point of view challenge the idea of art as unique and precious?
As you can see, the questions are quite open and approachable with a little bit of knowledge. For example, the frames question can be answered if you have studied any Post-Modern art, artists and ideals at all (which you would have, if you haven't already) and have a general understanding of how art used to be viewed in society (precious, one of a kind, masterpiece).
There are so many things you could talk about here. For example, Installation challenges the idea of the 'art' existing soley within the work itself, because it places great importance on the environment and exhibiting context. It challenges the traditional idea of art just hanging on the wall in a gallery.
Appropriation challenges the idea of art being unique, precious and purely the product of a 'master' artist or genious.
Interactives challenge the idea that art is something just to be looked and worshipped, from behind glass.
So as you can see, it's all fairly open.
