Drama

GCSE Drama is all about understanding what it is like to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes. You will play many parts in imaginary situations. You will have the opportunity to create your own work as well as look at plays written by other people. You will enjoy this course if you want to study a subject that is both practical and creative. You may have done some acting before or helped out backstage on a production. You may have always wanted to have a go at making a play, performing, making costumes, building a set or operating the lights. Drama will also appeal to you if you enjoy working as part of a team because the course involves a lot of group work.

What you will study

Through speech and voice, presentation and group skills, communication and movement, you will explore the central topics of the course including using drama as a means of expression, how a playwright expresses ideas and explores ways of staging as well as through the performance of a scripted and a devised piece. You will experience a variety of live theatre performances and learn to evaluate the skills used by performers and designers on stage.

How you will be assessed

There are three components to the GCSE qualification in Drama: Text-based performance 20% Here you will perform two extracts from a text and this will be externally assessed by a visiting examiner.

Devised performance 40% You will devise a piece of theatre which you then perform. You will record the process in a portfolio. This is internally assessed and externally moderated. Written examination 40%

Section A: You will practically explore a set text in class and then answer questions in the examination on this text. Section B: You will attend a variety of theatre productions throughout the duration of the course and then you will evaluate one of these pieces of theatre in the examination.

Examination Board – Edexcel