Sustained Investigation: Inquiry and Development: every key term you need (+ practice quiz)
33 flashcard terms for AP Drawing Unit 3, written to match the course framework. Study them here, then drill them as interactive flashcards, or test yourself with the 19-question quiz — free, no account needed.
The portfolio section (15 images, 60%) documenting an in-depth, question-driven body of work developed through practice, experimentation, and revision.
Inquiry
The guiding question or questions that drive the Sustained Investigation; it should be open enough to sustain 15 images and specific enough to focus decisions.
Written Evidence
Two required responses: identify the question(s) that guided the investigation (up to 600 characters) and describe how it developed through practice, experimentation, and revision (up to 600 characters).
Image Statements
For each of the 15 images: materials, processes, and ideas (up to 100 characters each) plus dimensions and, where relevant, citations.
Practice
Repeated, purposeful making that builds skill; documented through studies, iterations, and series in the portfolio.
Experimentation
Trying new materials, processes, scales, or ideas and evaluating what happened; must be visible in the images, not just described.
Revision
Reworking, editing, or re-approaching a piece or idea in response to what earlier work revealed.
Materials
The physical media used (charcoal, ink, graphite, mixed media, digital); the rubric asks that material choices be purposeful.
Processes
How the work was made — techniques, steps, methods such as layering, erasing, collage, printing, or drawing from life.
Ideas
The concepts, questions, and meanings that drive the work; ideas should be visible in the images as well as stated in the writing.
Synthesis
The rubric's highest expectation: materials, processes, and ideas are unified so that each reinforces the others.
Sustained Investigation Rubric Rows
Scored on Inquiry, Practice/Experimentation/Revision, Materials-Processes-Ideas, and Drawing Skills (each 1–5 relative to the standard for the section).
Score Points 1–5
Portfolios receive holistic scores; a 5 shows a clearly evident inquiry, visible practice/experimentation/revision, synthesis, and consistently strong drawing skills.
Visual Relationships Among Images
The 15 images should read as a connected body of work; readers look for how images relate to one another and to the inquiry.
Sequencing Images
Students choose the order of the 15 images; order can show chronology, development, or thematic grouping.
Process Images
Photos of sketchbook pages, tests, or in-progress states may be included when they show how the investigation developed.
Detail Images
A close-up of part of a work counts as one of the 15 and can highlight mark-making or surface qualities.
Series Thinking
Working in multiples on one idea to explore variations rather than producing 15 unrelated finished pieces.
A working sketchbook records questions, tests, and revisions and is a primary source for process images and written evidence.
Artist Statement vs. Written Evidence
AP does not want a general artist statement; the responses must directly answer the two prompts about inquiry and development.
Character Limits
Written evidence responses are capped (600 characters each; image statements 100 characters per field), so writing must be precise and concrete.
Specific Language
Strong writing names materials and processes precisely (e.g., 'lifted graphite with a kneaded eraser') rather than using vague phrases like 'worked hard'.
Connecting Writing to Images
Readers check whether what the writing claims (experimentation, revision) is actually visible in the images.
Open-Ended Inquiry
Questions beginning 'How can I...' or 'What happens when...' invite exploration; yes/no questions close inquiry quickly.
Evolving Inquiry
The guiding question may shift during the year; documenting that shift is itself evidence of development.
Feedback and Critique in Development
Peer and teacher critique inform revision; the CED expects students to reflect and respond to feedback.
Risk-Taking
Trying approaches with uncertain outcomes; failed experiments can still be strong evidence when they lead to revision.
Time Management for 15 Images
A year-long investigation typically requires planning cycles of making, reflecting, and revising rather than a last-minute burst.
Original Work and Citation
Work based on others' images must transform the source and cite it; direct copying is not the student's own inquiry.
Digital Submission
Images are uploaded to the AP Digital Portfolio; the teacher forwards the portfolio, and image quality (lighting, cropping) matters.
Image Dimensions
Height, width, and (for 3D or relief elements) depth are recorded for each image; scale is part of the information readers use.
Sustaining Interest
Investigations centered on the student's genuine questions are easier to sustain than topics chosen to impress.
Investigation Journal
A dated log of decisions, tests, and reflections that becomes the source for concise written evidence.