Secondary School
Sixth Form > Our Pathways
Drama is an exciting and creative subject which allows you the opportunity to explore yourself, helping you understand your own personality and your attitudes towards life and the world. It is a practical A-Level offering you opportunities to be assessed through your performance work.
Examination Board OCR
Specification Number H459
Sixth Form > Our Pathways
Drama is an exciting and creative subject which allows you the opportunity to explore yourself, helping you understand your own personality and your attitudes towards life and the world. It is a practical A-Level offering you opportunities to be assessed through your performance work.
Examination Board OCR
Specification Number H459
Drama is an exciting and creative subject which allows you the opportunity to explore yourself, helping you understand your own personality and your attitudes towards life and the world. It is a practical A-Level offering you opportunities to be assessed through your performance work. Drama at A-Level gives you the chance to express yourself and build your confidence through devising and performance work; as well as developing your powers of analysis, increasing your understanding about theatre. If you want an A-Level that is dynamic, fun, creative, challenging and practical, then choose Drama! Remember, it is still a rigorous A-Level worth the same UCAS points as any other. You just get to be much more active and practical in your study.
Mrs Smith
A minimum of 5 9-5 GCSE grades, which must include a grade 5 or above in either English Language or English Literature.
You also, you need to enjoy the subject, like acting and be interested in Theatre. It is not essential to have taken GCSE Drama, BTEC Performing Arts or been in a school production but if not, ideally you would be able to show other participation in drama outside school time or a genuine interest in taking the subject.
The A-Level course is one which contains a lot of variety and will have something for everyone. Preparation for the two written exams is undertaken practically as well as exploration of practitioners and development of the examined performance; so Drama can offer a release of stress and a different approach which can be very valuable to students and help their overall success. The performance text changes each year and is tailored to suit the group. We also aim for different styles of work in the practitioners we study which are Bertolt Brecht and Steven Berkoff. We will take you to the theatre as well as enabling you to put on your own productions. Those with an interest in textiles or design could do Drama but follow the designer route making costumes or sets.
Practitioners in Practice
Students will need to devise their own performance based on the study of one or two key Drama practitioners. They will need to perform their devised piece and write a coursework portfolio explaining their process. They can be a performer in or designer for the piece.
Exploring and Performing Texts
Students will need to take part in a performance of a published text which will be assessed by a visiting examiner. The text that is studied must be a different style to the work of the practitioners in the devising unit.
Written Exams
The written exams involve the study of three set texts which are chosen by the exam board. These will be explored practically in the lesson and student will need to write either about how their themes are represented and connected or about how they would realise them for performance in some way. The written exams will also involve the study of a live performance and a written evaluation of the success of that performance for an audience.
| Assessment | Topic Area | Value |
| Exam 1 | Exploration of three set texts | 20% |
| Exam 2 | Study of live performance with written evaluation | 20% |
| Assessment | Exploring and Performing Texts | 20% |
| Assessment | Practitioners in Practice devised theatre piece. | 40% |
Just because you take A-Level Drama does not mean you have to become an actor! You can, some students do, go on to study Drama and enter the profession. Drama A-Level means that you can work as part of a team, you are creative, energetic and dynamic; qualities sought by many employers and universities. Drama can lead to anything! Previous students have gone into study for Law, English, Psychology, Teaching, Music, History etc as well as Drama. The world is your oyster after Drama!
Just because you take A-Level Drama does not mean you have to become an actor! You can, some students do, go on to study Drama and enter the profession. Drama A-Level means that you can work as part of a team, you are creative, energetic and dynamic; qualities sought by many employers and universities. Drama can lead to anything! Previous students have gone into study for Law, English, Psychology, Teaching, Music, History etc as well as Drama. The world is your oyster after Drama!
Mrs Smith
Wood Green Academy is an 11-19 over-subscribed National Support School specialising in Sport, Maths and Computing.
