GCSE Drama for Edexcel - Drama, Drama in Education, Drama Masks, Drama Plays, Edexcel, GCSE Drama, GCSE Drama for Edexcel, Greek Theatre, Hodder Headline, Jos Leeder, Ken Taylor, Masks, Theatre

GCSE Drama is all about understanding what it is like to put yourself in somebody else's shoes. You will play many parts in different imaginary situations. You will have the opportunity to create your own work, as well as look at plays written by other people.

The course in three parts
1. In part one of the course you will use Drama to express your feelings and ideas about a range of issues.
2. In part two of the course you will look at a play to see how a playwright expresses their ideas about a theme or topic, and explore ways of making the play work on stage.
3. In part three of the course you will have the choice of being involved in the performance of a play from an existing script or from one you create yourselves.

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Will I enjoy this course?
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, but never had the chance. You will enjoy this course if you enjoy working as part of a team, as drama involves a lot of group work.

How does it follow on from what I have learned before?
GCSE Drama follows on from drama work that you will have done at Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9). You will develop your improvisation and acting skills to a higher level. You will also look at plays in more detail and look at different ways of bringing a script alive on stage.

What about exams?
The examination for GCSE Drama is a practical performance. It is worth 40% of the marks. You will take part in a play that you have created as a group or rehearsed from a script. You can either be examined on your acting skills in the performance or on your design and technical skills (stage design, costume, masks and makeup, lighting or sound). You will perform the play in front of an audience and the examiner will be present at one of the performances.

Is there any coursework?
The 60% coursework part of the GCSE Drama course consists of practical performance work and a written notebook of evidence. During your course you will take part in two different workshops that will be marked by your teacher. In one of the workshops you will use all that you have learnt about drama to explore your responses to a range of material presented to you by your teacher. In the other workshop you will explore a play and show your understanding of drama by taking part in a number of exercises based on the play. You will be assessed on your practical work and on the supporting notes you keep during the workshops.

Summary of the specification

Paper

Title

Description

Drama Coursework (60%)

Unit 1:

Drama Exploration I

Teacher-assessed practical work supported by a portfolio of documentary evidence.

This unit of coursework is concerned with the use of drama to explore ideas and issues. You will have the opportunity to use drama forms to deepen your knowledge and understanding of an idea or issue and to communicate this understanding through the medium of drama.

The assessment activities for this unit are set and marked by your teacher within prescribed guidelines.

Unit 2:

Drama Exploration II

Teacher-assessed practical work supported by a portfolio of documentary evidence.

This unit of coursework is concerned with the exploration of a complete and substantial play chosen by your teacher. The purpose of the unit is to give you knowledge and understanding of the ways in which playwrights, performers, directors and designers use the medium of drama to communicate their ideas to an audience.

The assessment activities for this unit are set and marked by your teacher within prescribed guidelines.

Drama Performance (40%)

Externally assessed practical examination of ONE of the following options:

Option A:

Devised performance

Option B:

Performance support

Option C:

Scripted performance

This paper is concerned with the skills required in drama to perform work to an audience. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your skills as performers or technicians using any appropriate material as a stimulus for performance. For Option C, the stimulus must be a play script.

The assessment activities for this paper are set by your teacher within prescribed guidelines and are externally marked.

Specification Content: Paper 1

1 Explorative Strategies

2 The Drama Medium

3 The Elements of Drama

4 Drama Texts

Paper 1

Units 1 & 2

· Still image

· Thought-tracking

· Narrating

· Hot-seating

· Role-play

· Cross-cutting

· Forum-theatre

· Marking the moment

Paper 1

Units 1 & 2

· The use of costume, masks and/or makeup

· The use of sound and/or music

· The use of lighting

· The use of space and/or levels

· The use of set and/or props

· The use of movement, mime and/or gesture

· The use of voice

· The use of spoken language

Paper 1

Units 1 & 2

· Action/Plot/Content

· Forms

· Climax/Anti-climax

· Rhythm/Pace/

Tempo

· Contrasts

· Characterisation

· Conventions

· Symbols

Paper 1

Unit 1

· Poetry

· Artefacts

· Music

· Play scripts

· Livew theatre performances

· Television, films and /or videos

· Newspaper and/or magazine articles

· Extracts from literary fiction and/or non-fiction

Paper 1

Unit 2

· Play texts

Specification content: Paper 2

Devised Performance

Performance Support

Scripted Performance

· Performance of an original piece of drama that you have devised.

· Costume

· Masks/Make-up

· Stage Design

· Lighting

· Sound

· Performance of a script.

Summary of the assessment

Paper

Mode of Assessment

Weighting

Two units of practical coursework.

Unit 1 is about using drama to explore themes and issues in response to at least two different texts chosen from different times and cultures. This is accompanied by supporting documentary evidence.

Unit 2 is about exploring a complete and substantial play, chosen by your teacher, from the point of view of directors, performers and/or designers, accompanied by a portfolio of appropriate supporting documentary evidence.

This paper is marked by your teacher and externally moderated.

60%

This is a practical examination of either a performing role or a technical support role within the context of the performance of a devised or scripted play to an audience.

This paper is externally assessed.

40%

This site has been written to support the material contained in
GCSE Drama for Edexcel and also to reference further sites for exploration.

If you have any queries on GCSE Drama for Edexcel,
please contact: lauren.holmes@hodder.co.uk