Written Annotation as Scored Evidence

Written annotation that scores

In art and design the marks are not only for what you make; they are also for what you write about it. This written commentary, called annotation, is part of Assessment Objective 3, and it is scored, not optional. Yet it is the single most common place where students lose marks, by treating it as decoration or leaving it out. Good annotation is short, honest and placed right next to the work it describes. It explains what you did and why, judges what worked and what did not, records where your ideas came from, and uses the correct specialist words of art. This module shows what annotation is for, what strong annotation looks like, and how to weave it through your pages so that a moderator can see your thinking, not just your images.

Words for annotation

Learn these terms before the annotation moves are matched up. They name the ideas used in this topic.

Match each annotation move to what it shows

Weak annotation against strong annotation

The difference between annotation that scores and annotation that wastes space is easy to see once you know what to look for.

Which note is real annotation?

Beside a tonal study, which of these notes counts as strong annotation?

• I used cross-hatching to build shadow, but the mid-tones look flat, so next I will blend with a stump
• This one looks really nice
• Tonal study, pencil
• Leaving no note at all

Annotation is scored, not decoration

The single most common way to throw away marks in art is to treat the writing on your pages as decoration. It is not. Annotation is part of AO3, and moderators read it as evidence that you are thinking, not just making. A page of beautiful work with no words leaves the moderator guessing why you did what you did; a few honest, well-placed notes turn the same page into clear proof of a mind at work. So write as you go, next to the work it refers to, rather than in a rushed paragraph at the end. Say what you tried, why you tried it, and what you will do next. Little and often, woven in with the images, beats a wall of text every time.

Pick what good annotation includes

Select everything that strong annotation should include.

• What you did and the technique used
• Why you made that choice
• An honest judgement of the result
• How pretty your handwriting is
• As many words as possible to fill space

Order how to annotate a page

Put the steps of annotating a page of work into a sensible order.

• Look at the work you have just made
• Note what you did and the technique
• Add why you made that choice
• Judge what worked and what did not
• Say what you will try next

Complete the annotation facts

Good notes on your artwork do more than describe; they _____ what worked and what did not. They make clear your _____, the reasons behind your choices. They use the correct specialist _____, such as tone and composition. And at their best they show an _____, a genuine judgement of your own that goes beyond the obvious.

Tap the two strong annotation comments

Read these four notes written beside artwork. Tap the TWO that are strong annotation.

• the warm colours make it feel calmer, so I will use them again in the final piece
• I like this one
• the composition felt unbalanced, so I moved the focal point off-centre
• finished in one lesson

Captions beside a museum exhibit

Think of the little printed cards beside the exhibits in a museum. The objects are the stars, but the cards make them speak: what it is, who made it, why it matters, what to notice. Take the cards away and even a wonderful gallery becomes a room of silent, puzzling things. The notes beside your artwork do exactly the same job. On their own, your images make a moderator wonder; with a few clear words beside them, they explain themselves. You are writing the captions to your own exhibition, so that anyone walking past can follow not just what you made, but the thinking that led you there.

The annotation run

Answer each one correctly to keep your lives. Choose the best answer.

Fix the annotation

Read each situation and choose the best answer.

• A page is full of lovely work but has no writing. What should you add?
• Your only note says the piece is nice. How do you improve it?
• When is the best time to annotate?

Build an annotation line

Choose the word for each gap to complete one strong line of annotation.

Explain why annotation is scored

A friend thinks the writing in an art sketchbook is a waste of time. Using what you have learned, explain why annotation is scored and how to do it well.

• Explain what annotation is
• Explain why it is scored and not optional
• Explain what strong annotation includes
• Explain why it should be written as you go, beside the work
• Explain how specialist vocabulary lifts the marks