In this course, students are prepared for AQA GCSE Drama (8261). The following units are studied sequentially across Years 10 and 11.
| Unit | Content |
|---|---|
| Introduction to GCSE Drama
| In this unit, students are introduced to GCSE Drama through the study of a range of texts from a wide variety of playwrights. Building on their work at KS3, students learn about different styles of acting and preparation methods. The work of Stanislavski and Brecht is at the heart of this unit. Familiarity with these important practitioners' output and their influence on contemporary dramatic practice will later inform and inspire students' work during their controlled assessments. Key texts:
Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students benefit from immediate oral feedback from the teacher in lessons. They receive peer feedback and have the opportunity to assess themselves according to established criteria. |
| Understanding Drama (1) | In this unit, students learn content for Sections A and B of the written exam, together worth 24% of the final grade. Their learning is focused on types of performance space and stage placement, and the key roles and responsibilities carried out by each person in the environment of a professional theatre. Building on the work they began in Year 9, students develop their knowledge and understanding of their set text, Blood Brothers. Key text:
Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students benefit from immediate oral feedback from the teacher in lessons. They receive peer feedback and have the opportunity to assess themselves according to established criteria. The learning in this unit is assessed ultimately in an externally set, externally marked written exam, taken at the end of the course. |
| Devising drama | This unit focuses on the first of two pieces of practical controlled assessment. Students work in groups to devise a performance that uses a wide range of skills, based on a specific stimulus provided by the teacher. The resulting practical work is accompanied by the student's written log which is also an assessed part of this component. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students benefit from immediate oral feedback from the teacher in lessons. They receive peer feedback and have the opportunity to assess themselves according to established criteria. The work created in this unit is internally marked and externally moderated, and is worth 40% of the overall grade. |
| Understanding Drama (2) | In this unit, students learn content for Section C of the written exam, worth 16% of the final grade. Students learn how to respond to a single question which requires them to describe how skills have been used in a particular theatrical context and to analyse the effectiveness of their use. Students' writing is focused on their experience of seeing a live performance. Each cohort sees a different play, with a recent example being Lolita Chakrabarti's adaptation of Yann Martel's Life of Pi. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students benefit from immediate oral feedback from the teacher in lessons. They receive peer feedback and have the opportunity to assess themselves according to established criteria. The learning in this unit is assessed ultimately in an externally set, externally marked written exam, taken at the end of the course. |
| Texts in Practice | In this unit, students rehearse and perform two extracts from a published play, chosen by the teacher. They learn to to apply the theatrical skills gained in earlier units in order to realise their artistic intentions in a live performance. Students' work is marked by the visiting examiner from AQA and is the second of the two practical controlled assessments. Again, students' practical work is accompanying by a written log in this unit. Key text (varies each year depending on numbers in the cohort and other relevant factors):
Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assesment: Students benefit from immediate oral feedback from the teacher in lessons. They receive peer feedback and have the opportunity to assess themselves according to established criteria. The work created in this unit is internally set and externally marked, and is worth 20% of the overall grade. |
| Understanding Drama (3) | In this unit, students consolidate all the knowledge and skills required to navigate their final exam successfully. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students' learning is asssessed in an externally set and marked written exam worth 40% of the final grade. |
