gcse drama coursework example section 2

AQA GCSE Drama: Past Papers

Browse our range of AQA GCSE Drama Past Papers and Mark Schemes below. Testing yourself with GCSE Drama past papers is a great way to identify which topics need more revision, so you can ensure that you are revising as effectively as possible to help you get ready for your GCSE Drama exam.

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• Centre Services
• Associate Extranet
• All About Maths
• Specification
• Planning resources
• Teaching resources
• Assessment resources
• Introduction
• Specification at a glance
• 3.1 Understanding drama
• 3.2 Devising drama
• 3.3 Texts in practice
• 3.4 Guidance on theatrical skills
• Scheme of assessment
• Non-exam assessment administration
• General administration

Component 2: Devising drama

This is a practical component in which students are assessed on their ability to create and develop ideas to communicate meaning for theatrical performance (AO1), apply theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performance (AO2) and analyse and evaluate their own work (AO4).

Component 2 constitutes 40% of the GCSE.

It is marked by teachers and moderated by AQA.

For this component students are required to complete the following two assessment tasks:

• produce an individual Devising log documenting the devising process
• contribute to a final devised duologue or group performance.

The Devising log is marked out of 60.

Each student's contribution to the final devised performance is marked out of 20.

Guidance on devising

• teacher presents students with a range of stimuli
• students select one or more on which to base their devised piece.

These stimuli may be, but are not limited to:

• visual (such as a photograph, painting or sculpture)
• printed or spoken word (such as a poem, news article, story or novel)
• musical (such as a song, melody or instrumental piece)
• fact-based (such as a current, political or historical event)
• theme or issue-based (such as conflict, relationships, justice or freedom)
• myths (such as folklore or urban myth)
• cultural (such as traditions or festivals).

We recommend that students choose one or more genres or performance styles for their devised piece but this is not a mandatory requirement. Genres and performance styles include but are not limited to:

• commedia dell’arte
• epic theatre
• documentary theatre
• physical theatre.

Specialisms

• performer or
• lighting designer or
• sound designer or
• set designer or
• costume designer or
• puppet designer.

Costume designers may choose to include make-up and/or hair and/or masks. Set designers may choose to include design of props.

Each student must choose one specialism only.

They are assessed in relation to this specialism for both the Devising log and devised performance.

In the case of only two students entering, both students must nominate themselves as performer.

Cross-sex casting is permitted.

1 Or more than one if appropriate to the subject matter and performance style of the piece.

Teachers must ensure that students have the opportunity to take an equal and active part in the creative and collaborative devising process regardless of their chosen specialism.

• For lighting designers the lights and lighting effects must be seen in the live performance.
• For sound designers the sound and sound effects must be heard in the live performance.
• For set designers the set seen in the live performance should follow the student's design.
• For costume designers the costume designed must be worn in the live performance by the relevant character.
• For puppet designers the puppet designed must be a part of the live performance.
• Lighting designers are not required to operate the lighting equipment in the live performance.
• Sound designers are not required to operate the sound equipment in the live performance.
• Set designers are not assessed on the set's construction.
• Costume designers are not assessed on the costume's construction.
• Puppet designers are not assessed on the puppet's construction and need not be the puppet operators during the live performance.

Assessors must assess the design and not its execution.

Designs should be realised in performance to the full extent possible within any practical constraints. Design students should have an awareness of how their design will impact on the live performance as a whole.

The Devising log

Each student is required to complete a Devising log documenting the creation and development of their ideas to communicate meaning through a devised piece and analysing and evaluating their individual contribution to the devising process and the final devised piece.

Section 1: Response to a stimulus

Section 2: development and collaboration.

• Section 3: Analysis and evaluation.

In this section students are expected to explain their initial ideas, research and intentions for the devised piece.

The student must explain:

• their initial response to the stimuli presented by the teacher and the stimulus they chose
• the ideas, themes and settings they have considered for the devised piece in response to the stimulus they chose
• their research findings
• their own dramatic aims and intentions
• the dramatic aims and intentions of the piece as a whole.

In this section students are expected to explain the process they undertook to refine their initial ideas and intentions into a final devised piece.

• how they developed and refined their own ideas and those of the pair/group
• how they developed and refined the piece in rehearsal
• how they developed and refined their own theatrical skills during the devising process
• how they responded to feedback
• how they as individuals used their refined theatrical skills and ideas in the final piece.

Section 3: Analysis and evaluation

This section offers students the opportunity to demonstrate their analytical and evaluative skills with respect to their own devised work.

Students are expected to analyse and evaluate the ways in which they individually contributed to the devising process as a whole and to the final devised piece, exploring their strengths and the learning opportunities taken from the experience.

• how far they developed their theatrical skills
• the benefits they brought to the pair/group and the way in which they positively shaped the outcome
• the overall impact they had as individuals.
• to ‘analyse’ is to identify and investigate
• to ‘evaluate’ is to assess the merit of the different approaches used and formulate judgements.

Assessment evidence

The Devising log evidence presented for assessment must be the student's own work.

Details of admissible evidence types for the Devising log can be found below:

Details of our requirements for recordings are provided at aqa.org.uk/drama

Students and teachers will be required to sign a Candidate record form (CRF) to fully authenticate each student's work.

Supervising students

Students do not have to be directly supervised at all times whilst they are completing their Devising log. However there must be adequate supervision to ensure that work can be authenticated.

Teachers may provide guidance and support to students so that they are clear about the requirements of the task they need to undertake and the marking criteria that will be used.

Teachers may provide guidance to students on the suitability of their response to the task particularly if it means they will not meet the requirements of the specification.

Teachers must follow JCQ instructions regarding the provision of feedback to students.

The devised performance

Each student is required to contribute to a devised duologue or devised group piece.

The assessed performance for this component cannot be a monologue.

For group performances playing time for each performance should reflect the number of performance students in the group eg a group with six performance students should work to the upper time limit.

Teachers are required to ensure minimum performance times are met.

If a student's performance does not meet the required duration a penalty is applied to the mark (the size of the penalty depends on the severity of the timing infringement). It may also result in schools or colleges being investigated for maladministration.

• the level of theatrical skills demonstrated in their performance or design
• the range of theatrical skills demonstrated in their performance or design
• their contribution to the effectiveness of the piece, made through their performance or design
• the inventiveness of their work, as evidenced through their performance or design
• their success in realising their individual artistic intentions, as evidenced by their performance or design when considered against their Statement of Dramatic Intentions (see below for an explanation of what is meant by 'Statement of Dramatic Intentions').

The performance/designs presented for assessment must be the student’s own work.

Programme notes

Teachers must provide programme notes for the moderator.

These must include photographs of each student so that each student is clearly identifiable to the moderator.

The programme notes must also state each student’s chosen specialism.

In addition each student must offer a statement of their individual dramatic intentions to justify their theatrical choices.

The Statement of Dramatic Intentions must be completed by the student on the template AQA provides. This statement is not assessed directly but should be used to support assessment. Assessment must not take place without reference to the student’s Statement of Dramatic Intentions.

Assessed performances must be recorded with a single camera from an audience perspective from start to finish and be unedited.

Each student being assessed must identify themselves by name and candidate number at the start of the recording.

Students must also state their chosen specialism.

Close-ups of set, costume and puppet design students’ work must be included at the beginning of the recording.

Full details of our requirements for recordings are provided at aqa.org.uk/drama

It is expected that during the devising process teachers will support students through the provision of workshops.

Teachers should offer advice and guidance on the choice of genre, style and content plus suitable working methods and materials as appropriate for the chosen specialism.

Teachers must not direct the performance under any circumstances and must follow JCQ instructions regarding the provision of feedback to students.

For authentication regular monitoring should be undertaken by the teacher so that the work is seen at each developmental stage.

Students do not have to be directly supervised at all times during performance preparation but there must be adequate supervision to ensure that work can be authenticated.

Teachers are not permitted to provide any guidance to students whilst the assessed performance is being carried out.

Other requirements

Each performance must be carried out in live performance conditions and ideally under stage lighting. There is no requirement for students to perform within a full production context ie with full set and costume.

All performance preparation and the live performance itself must be carried out in a setting which has been formally risk assessed and deemed safe.

The performance space should enable the student to fulfil their chosen specialism as much as possible.

Students should be aware of health and safety factors related to both their chosen specialism and their performance piece as a whole.

Non-examinees are permitted to perform alongside performance candidates, but only where absolutely necessary in order to make the group size up to the minimum number of performers. They must be students not staff.

Technical support may be provided to design students. This may be by non-examinee students or staff.

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GCSE devising drama logbook exemplar

Subject: Drama

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

8 March 2021

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Below is a high mark logbook exemplar for the devising drama component of GCSE drama.

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