Together with the Macao office of China Institute of Arts Science & Technology, IFTM successfully held the Art Certificate Exam of China (Grade 3 for Pencil Sketch & Grade 6 for Watercolour Painting) in July 2021. A total of 28 secondary school students of Escola Luso-Chinesa Técnico-Profissional sat in the exams, with their works submitted to the Art Certificate Exam Center of China Institute of Arts Science & Technology for assessment on the same day. Each work was evaluated strictly and positively. The certificates were then awarded in November 2021.

Since 2020, IFTM’s School of Continuing Education has been authorised to provide courses to prepare candidates for the Art Certificate Exam of China. The Institute is also registered as the exam centre. IFTM held the first Grade 3 Certificate Exam for Pencil Sketch in November 2020 with 17 secondary school students from the Graphic Design Programme offered by the Escola Luso-Chinesa Técnico-Profissional taking the exam. They all passed and were awarded the certificates in April 2021.

The Art Certificate Exam of China scheme is carried out by the China Institute of Arts Science & Technology, a body under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China. It was launched in 2004 with the aim of promoting art education and boosting its healthy development. Exams have been conducted in strict compliance with relevant management rules across the country, covering 30 provinces, autonomous regions, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR. Renowned artists are invited to be the assessment specialists. There are 3 major categories of exams subdivided in an aggregate of 11 skills, namely Chinese-style painting (flowers and birds, landscape painting, figure painting), Chinese calligraphy (soft brush calligraphy, pen calligraphy) and Western-style painting (pencil sketch, quick sketch, gouache, watercolour painting, oil painting, cartoon). The scheme works to help advance art education in the society through graded certificate exams. IFTM’s School of Continuing Education will further strengthen its offering in the field of creative studies and certificate exams, so as to improve recognition of Macao citizens’ individual artistic skills.