Practical and Scripted Exams for Drama Students
Exploring performance skills, teamwork and critical thinking, alongside deepening their understanding of the theatre and deepening their experience development, our GCSE and A level Drama students have been busy with their practical and scripted exams in School. Combining skills and theoretical knowledge, the curriculum enables students to develop as directors, performers and critical thinkers.
Year 11 Scripted Examination
A practical component of the exam for our Year 11 students, they were assessed on their ability to create and develop ideas in order to communicate meaning for theatrical performance. They also had to apply theatrical skills to realistic artistic intentions in live performance.
Year 12 Devised Practical Examination
Our Year 12 Drama and Theatre students took their Devised Practical exam, a component during which students are assessed on their ability to create and develop ideas, communicating meaning for theatrical performance, applying theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performance. Devised for their ‘Creating Original Drama’ examination, students performed Outsiders, influenced by the methodologies of The Paper Birds. Assessed on their ability to create and develop original ideas when working from a chosen stimulus, students worked extremely hard to produce a diverse, innovative and exciting programme.
Jacob, Freya and William’s performance explored the ongoing conversation surrounding asylum seekers and immigration in the UK. They used the verbatim-inspired techniques and research-led, real‑life storytelling methods of The Paper Birds. Through a blend of political speeches, public reaction and lived testimony, the performance examined how narratives are shaped by social media. Their piece moved from the bold, staged world of political campaigning to the personal and unsettling experience of the asylum-processing system, before sharing the mixed views of ordinary people whose opinions reflect the divisions across the country. By representing these perspectives side-by-side, the piece challenged viewers to question what they hear and how humanity is often lost in political debates. Ultimately, their performance aimed to provoke compassion, responsibility, and to consider what it truly means to take back control in a society shaped by diversity and change.
Year 13 Scripted Examination
Year 13 Drama and Theatre students’ work has been created as part of their ‘Making Theatre’ examination, and was performed live in our Seckford Theatre. In Year 13, students must learn how to contribute to text-based drama in a live theatre context for an audience. Their work must also be influenced by the methodologies of a chosen practitioner or company. The students worked enormously hard to produce diverse, and exciting work influenced by practitioners Frantic Assembly (group 1) and Punchdrunk (group 2).
Group 1, Emily, Isaac, Phoebe and Luke
Group 1 performed Abi Morgan’s Lovesong which intricately weaves the story of one couple at two different stages of life: the beginning, when their love is passionate and exciting and the end when it is subdued but by no means extinguished. The past and present were interlaced and the two worlds blended together through reflective flashbacks. Inspired by the methods of the theatre company Frantic Assembly, students used innovative interaction with the set to help transition seamlessly through the co-existing worlds. Storytelling through physicality also played a key role in their work. By creating stylised moments students were able to unlock the subtext of the script and delve deeper into the emotions of the characters and the nuanced relationships between them. Our students’ aim was to convey the message of their piece beyond the parameters of the theatre, hoping that the audience left with an appreciation of the fragile yet precious nature of time.
Group 2, Georgia, Fergus, Eve and Poppy
Group 2’s performance of King Lear was a fresh take on one of Shakespeare’s tragedies. It explored a world in which Lear’s mental deterioration and loss of control over his kingdom is a result of his dementia. Students used the symbol of the storm within the play to represent Lear’s destructive mind. The piece immersed the audience, placing them at the forefront of the action, including when Lear divides his kingdom between his children, feeding his two pernicious daughters’ endless thirst for power. Punchdrunk’s ethos is to envelop the audience wholeheartedly within the performance, so they feel physically and emotionally involved.
Students performed hoping that their audience left the theatre with a new perspective on Shakespeare’s story.
Commenting on their hard work, dedication and focus during these exams, our Acting Head of Drama, Mr Williams, shared
“It’s been wonderful being a part of what these students have been able to devise and create. They’ve been completely committed to these exams, and put in 100%, if not more! They form an important part of the GCSE and A level course and so their commitment and hard work are admirable and encouraging. I’ve been proud not only to have helped support and teach them, but to watch them perform with such passion and enthusiasm.”
