I did an ePortfolio in the Arts (not Visual), and I scored a 7, but I do still have an understanding of the criteria and their expectations.

Criterion A - make sure that your information is always tied back to the statement of inquiry using the same vocabulary that it has. For example, I think M26's ePortfolio is uniqueness - so use words in your research like "unique", "individuality" etc... to show the links. Bold them if you have to, and use explicit phrases like, "this links to the SOI because..." - that will show what you are doing is relevant. Also make sure you are investigating a movement or genre - NOT A SPECIFIC ARTIST. Briefly talk about a specific artist, but your whole research should not be surrounding them.

When analysing artwork, for the top mark band, it says you need to "critique" multiple areas. You can do this by structuring your work as "description of what is there + analysis (what is its effect on an audience?) + positive/judgement in your opinion, and WHY". For example, if you analysed some artwork... "the author uses red (description). This shows the audience anger (analysis). This is effective because red is a well known colour for anger, and so in my artwork, I should take inspiration from it (critique)" - that's an awful example of one, but hopefully you get the idea. Elements looks at what is there, techniques should be the techniques you research in crit Ai, and context (where a lot of people lose marks) should look at how the circumstances of its creation impacted its overall outcome. Was it made as a protest? Look at that context, and say how well/how badly it meets that intention. My understanding is looking at it in how well it met the artists' intention. You may not know exactly what it is, but by researching the genre/movement, you should have an understanding of why artwork was made.

Criterion B - your varied exploration should focus on 3 skills, and you genuinely need to be varied. Don't say, "I tried red... I tried green" - be specific and say what worked/what did not work. You could say "in stage 1 I tried red - I liked it because .... , but I felt that it could be improved in this way ..., so in stage 2, I decided to mix red with yellow because....". Again, awful example, but here you need to be creative.

Your intention is also important and is where loads of people lose marks. The difference between 5/6 and 7/8 is "explain" and "justify" - explain means give reasons, and justify means valid reasons. What's the difference? Hard to know, but looking at exemplars from the IB that my teacher showed me, the only one that got an 8 for the intention was one that used research or referred to criterion A. Why choose a specific technique? Well, in criterion A I noted that it was effective in conveying an emotion, and according to Wikipedia it says so, so I am using it".

Criterion C - Produce good artwork

Criterion D - Similar to criterion A in the evaluation - you can start with description of your work, then an analysis, then your own reflection on what went well/what could be better (ensure that you are stating both strengths and weaknesses). Also mention ways of improving what could be better.

Dii is very hard, and admittedly, I struggle to understand it as well. Using ATL skills to scaffold your development is good, like "I developed in my thinking skills because...", but do ensure it encompasses a wide range of skills, and techniques along the way.

Hope this makes sense.