KS4 Drama

Our Curriculum

Students follow the Edexcel GCSE Drama syllabus.

Course Content

This qualification focuses on the practical exploration of performance texts that will be studied for the examination. Students will learn how to articulate how they would perform in certain roles and direct and design for key extracts, putting practical work at the heart of this course

Skills and Progression Routes

On completion of the course, students will have developed a number of skills including:

• Performing and directing
• Giving and receiving constructive critics
• Characterisation – experimenting with using their voice, body, gestures, movement and space
• Devising work according to a particular theatre genre
• Evaluating and analyzing drama through written work
• Recognising the dramatic potential of a text

The GCSE develops the student’s historical, theoretical and practical knowledge and experiences and these provide the required prior knowledge for Level 2 and 3 Performing Arts courses.

Career opportunities

• Teaching
• Acting
• Directing
• Script writing
• Stage Management
• Make-up artistry
• Costume design

Additional Information

Attendance on at least one theatre trip throughout the year is compulsory. Attendance at additional organised workshops either in school or out of school is compulsory also.

A Level Drama & Theatre Studies

The A / AS level in Drama & Theatre Studies enables a student to further develop their experiences of the theatrical world; exploring the work of different practitioners and looking at the concept of the theatre from a variety of different viewpoints. The course requires the students to explore practical and theoretical elements of the theatrical world and, as well as developing their theoretical knowledge, it seeks to develop their ability to synthesize, evaluate and analyse the work of a variety of performers, practitioners and writers.

AS Level

Component 1 – Exploration and Performance: In this unit, students will create two practical performances that includes a group performance of one key extract from a play as well as a performance of a  monologue or duologue from a different text. This work is supported by a written or verbal portfolio.

Component 2 – Theatre Makers in Practice: This is the written examination and consists of three sections. Section A requires the students to complete a live theatre evaluation and sections B requires the students to discuss the set text from the perspective of  the director, director and designer.

A Level

Component 1 – Devising: In this unit, students will work in groups to create a group devised performance in response to a given stimulus and will create a supporting porting portfolio

Component 2 – Text in Performance: In this unit, students will create two practical performances that includes a group performance of one key extract from a play as well as a performance of a monologue or duologue from a different text

Component 3 – Theatre Makers in Practice: This is the written examination and consists of three sections. Section A requires the students to complete a live theatre evaluation and sections B and C require the students to discuss two different texts as the director, designer and performer

Assessment

AS Level:

Component 1: Exploration and Performance (60%)

Component 2: Written Examination (40%)

A Level:

Component 1: Devising (40%)

Component 2: Text in Performance (20%)

Component 3: Written Examination (40%)

Progression Routes

Students with an A level in Drama & Theatre Studies can progress on to Higher/Further Education or Apprenticeship and can look to progress into the following employment sectors:

• Arts, Media and Publishing

• Languages, Literature and Culture

• Education and Training

• Health, Public Services and Well Being

• Retail and Commercial Enterprises

• Leisure, Travel and Tourism

• Social Sciences

Additional Information

During the course of the A Level, students are encouraged to attend as much live theatre as is possible a this will help to inform every element of the practical examination as well as feed into the Live Theatre Evaluation element of the written examination.