7–10Visual Arts 7–10 Syllabus (2024)

The Visual Arts 7–10 Syllabus includes both mandatory and elective courses.

Mandatory course

Students must complete the mandatory Visual Arts course before starting the Stage 5 elective courses. The mandatory course can also be completed through Visual Arts 7–10 Life Skills outcomes and content for eligible students.

Elective courses

There are 4 elective courses:

• Visual Arts 200-hour elective
• Visual Arts 100-hour elective
• Visual Arts Life Skills 200-hour elective
• Visual Arts Life Skills 100-hour elective.

The Visual Arts 7–10 Syllabus provides students with the knowledge, understanding and skills in art making and critical and historical studies.

Students have the opportunity to learn to make 2D, 3D and/or 4D artforms, drawing inspiration from the world and how artworld practitioners make, respond to and display artworks. Students produce individual or collaborative artworks in a range of art forms and produce written, oral and multimodal texts to demonstrate their understanding of the significance of artworks and the artworld.

Students develop knowledge, understanding, and skills to enjoy making and interpreting artworks informed by their understanding of artworld concepts, viewpoints, and practice.

In Art making, students learn how to represent their interpretations of the world from an informed viewpoint. They learn about practice in art making and how to create artworks across a range of art forms exploring the potential of materials, processes, techniques, styles, and qualities. They focus on practising skills to develop and refine techniques, and learn how judgement is central to making decisions and developing knowledge in responding to the world.

In Art critical and historical studies, students develop knowledge, skills, and understanding of how to represent an informed point of view about the artworld through written and multimodal accounts. Students learn to understand the significance of artworld practitioners, artworks, audience responses, and representations of the world across a range of cultures, times and places in these studies.

Learning in this subject enhances critical and creative thinking skills essential for further education, work, and everyday life. This course deeply enriches a student’s appreciation of different cultures and perspectives, equipping them to engage more thoughtfully and responsibly in our diverse world.

Safety and risk management

Schools are required to ensure they follow Loading  in delivering the Visual Arts 7–10 Syllabus.

Mandatory course requirements

In the mandatory course, approximately 70 per cent of class time should involve engaging in Art making, and approximately 30 per cent of class time should involve engaging in Art critical and historical studies.

Elective course requirements

In the elective course, approximately 60 per cent of class time should involve engaging in Art making, and approximately 40 per cent of class time should involve engaging in Art critical and historical studies.

For Visual Arts Life Skills:

• Students are required to demonstrate achievement of one or more Visual Arts 7–10 Life Skills outcomes.
• Outcomes and content should be selected to meet the particular needs of individual students.
• The focus areas provide possible frameworks for addressing the Visual Arts 7–10 Life Skills outcomes and content and are suggestions only. Teachers have the flexibility to select, group and sequence outcomes and content to meet the needs, strengths, goals, interests and prior learning of their students.