New Zealand Scholarship Design and Visual Communication Assessment exam-day guide
New Zealand Scholarship Design and Visual Communication Assessment · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Portfolio / submitted work requirements
This assessment involves a practical design submission. Confirm with the provider (NZQA and your school's assessment coordinator) exactly what must be submitted, in what physical or digital format, and the submission deadline, since these details vary year to year.
Current photo ID
Bring government-issued photo identification (e.g., passport or driver licence) in case identity verification is required at the session. Confirm with the provider whether ID checks apply to your specific assessment.
Admission slip / candidate number
Print or save any entry confirmation or candidate number issued to you. Verify the correct venue, room, and start time before the day.
Drawing and rendering tools
Bring the media you have practised with: pencils (range of grades), fineliners/pens, markers, eraser, sharpener, ruler/scale, set squares, and a cutting mat if you use a knife. Use equipment you are familiar with rather than new tools on the day.
Colour and presentation media
Bring your preferred colour media (markers, pencils, or paint as permitted) and any mounting board, adhesive, or fixative your workflow depends on. Confirm with the provider what is allowed in the assessment room.
Sketchbook / planning sheets
If planning or visual research is part of the submission, bring the sketchbook or planning sheets you have built during the year, organised so evidence of ideation and development is easy to find.
Backup copies of digital work
If any component is digital, save your files in two places (e.g., local drive and cloud) and export a PDF backup. Check file formats and naming requirements with the provider.
Read the assessment specification and exemplars
Re-read the standard, the explanatory notes, and the assessment schedule so you know exactly what evidence earns each grade band. Identify the design conventions and visual communication requirements being assessed.
Check permitted and prohibited items
Confirm with the provider what may and may not be brought into the room (e.g., phones, smart watches, reference material). Plan to leave prohibited devices outside.
Plan transport and arrival time
Know your route, allow extra time, and aim to arrive well before the start so you can set up materials calmly. Check the venue's access and parking arrangements.
Food, water, and medication
Bring water and a snack if permitted, plus any medication you need. Confirm with the provider whether food and drink are allowed at your desk.
Rest and logistics plan
Protect sleep in the days before. A tired hand and eye produce weaker drawing and weaker decisions, and this assessment rewards sustained, precise visual work.
Plan the day
Re-read the assessment specification and assessment schedule. List the specific evidence required for each grade band and audit your existing work against that list. Identify the two or three weakest areas and fix those first rather than polishing what is already strong. Do timed practice: sketch an ideation sequence or a design development page under realistic time pressure, then annotate what you would change. Organise your portfolio and sketchbook so the development of ideas, not just final outcomes, is clearly visible. Confirm all logistics with the provider: venue, start time, submission requirements, and permitted materials.
Do a dry run of your full workflow with the exact tools you will use on the day: lay out a page, render a surface, mount a sheet. Check that markers are not dry, pencils are sharpened, and your cutting tools are safe and functional. Rehearse your time allocation so you know how long a full development page takes you.
Pack your kit and check it against the checklist. Charge nothing you cannot bring; leave prohibited devices at home. Do a light review of design principles and conventions (composition, hierarchy, typography, colour, drawing systems) rather than starting new work. Prepare clothes and transport. Get a full night's sleep; do not attempt an all-night push, as fine motor control and visual judgement degrade badly with fatigue.
Eat properly, arrive early, and set out your materials methodically so you are not searching for tools mid-task. Re-read the task instructions and any marking criteria provided in the room before you begin. Note the finish time and work backwards to set checkpoints for planning, development, and final presentation.
Start with a short planning phase: clarify the brief, note constraints, and sketch several quick concept directions before committing. Work in a sequence that shows your thinking: research or reference, ideation, development, refinement, final outcome. Annotate decisions concisely so the assessor can follow your reasoning. Keep checking against the criteria rather than only against your own taste. Reserve the final portion of time for presentation: clean up construction lines, check alignment and consistency, label work clearly, and assemble or mount as required. If time runs short, prioritise complete, coherent evidence over unfinished ambitious work.
Rules to check
Follow all instructions from supervisors and the provider's assessment rules. If any instruction is unclear, ask before the assessment begins rather than guessing.
Bring only permitted materials. Phones, smart watches, and other electronic devices are normally prohibited in the assessment room; confirm the exact list with the provider and leave prohibited items outside.
Carry photo ID and any admission documentation if required. Confirm with the provider what identification is accepted for your session.
All submitted work must be your own. Do not copy existing designs, images, or another candidate's work without appropriate attribution and transformation; acknowledge sources of reference material.
If you need to leave the room (toilet, medication, or other necessity), raise your hand and wait for a supervisor. Confirm with the provider how breaks are managed for this assessment.
Do not communicate with other candidates about the assessment content during the session, and do not share or discuss task content afterwards in ways the provider prohibits.
Scoring is against the assessment schedule and grade descriptors, not against other candidates. Evidence of ideation, development, and refinement is typically valued alongside the final outcome, so make your process visible.
Before you leave, check that all required components are submitted and that your work is labelled with your candidate details as instructed. Confirm the submission process with the provider.