How to evidence and present work in WJEC GCSE Art and Design: keeping a well-organised sketchbook and presentation sheets so the line of enquiry is visible from a starting point through investigation, recording and refinement to the outcome, using annotation to show thinking, so a moderator can follow all four assessment objectives, which is part of what AO4 (Personal presentation) rewards.

What this dot point is asking

This dot point is about how you evidence and present your work, the sketchbook and presentation sheets that carry the whole project. Because there is no written exam, the work and how it is presented are the only evidence there is. You need to know how to keep the development readable so a moderator can follow the line of enquiry and see all four objectives, and how annotation makes your thinking visible, which is partly what AO4 (Personal presentation) rewards.

The work is the only evidence

A sketchbook that tells the story

The sketchbook is where the journey lives. Three of the four objectives are about the process, so the book must show the line of enquiry clearly: the starting point, the sources investigated, the observations recorded, the media experimented with and refined, and the outcome they lead to. Keeping the development in a readable order, so each stage flows into the next, lets a moderator follow the enquiry and see each objective evidenced. A disorganised book, however much work it contains, hides the development.

Annotation: showing the thinking

The work shows what you made; annotation shows why. Annotation is the specific, honest writing alongside the work that captures your decisions: the decision a source led to (evidencing the critical understanding of AO1), what an experiment achieved and what you selected (evidencing the review behind AO2), the insight an observation gave (evidencing the reflection of AO3) and the intention behind the outcome (evidencing AO4). It does not need to be long, but it must be tied to the work and genuine. Without annotation, a moderator sees the work but not the thinking behind each objective.

Presentation is part of AO4

Presentation is not only a way of showing the other objectives; it is part of AO4 itself, which WJEC heads Personal presentation. A clear, considered sketchbook and a well-arranged set of sheets demonstrate care and judgement about how your response is communicated, which AO4 rewards directly. This does not mean over-decorating every page; it means organising the work so the journey reads well and the outcome is presented to its best. Good presentation therefore helps twice: it earns AO4 directly and makes AO1 to AO3 visible.

Try this

Q1. Explain why a sketchbook should let a moderator follow your line of enquiry. [Short explanation]

• Cue. Because there is no written exam, the work and its presentation are the only evidence; three of the four objectives are about the process, so the book must show the journey from a starting point through investigation, recording and refinement to the outcome, and a disorganised book hides the development and the marks with it.

Q2. Explain the role of annotation in evidencing the objectives. [Knowledge recall]

• Cue. Annotation is specific, honest writing alongside the work that shows the thinking: the decision a source led to (AO1), what an experiment achieved and what was selected (AO2), the insight an observation gave (AO3) and the intention behind the outcome (AO4), so a moderator can see why as well as what.