Abstract This article reports on a study which examined students’ written responses to artwork reproductions in an examination. Based on the results obtained from a pilot examination for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, six high achievers and six low achievers were selected as subjects of the study. Through analyses of the examination scripts and interviews of the students, the study examined the ways in which students constructed their critical responses and identified factors contributing to the differences in their performance. It was found that high achievers had the ability to intertwine specific descriptions with visual arts knowledge, keen observations, contextual information, personal judgments and other subject knowledge. They could give more evidence and more reasoned arguments to support their interpretations. The study recommends that teachers should put equal emphasis on the formal and contextual analysis of artworks and help students to see artworks in relation to other artworks, cultures, their personal life and knowledge. It is also recommended that the critical response ability of students be enhanced through art inquiry and criticism practice in schools and exhibitions.