The course
This course will help candid­ates gather know­ledge and under­stand­ing of the genre, style and conven­tions, and of the histor­ical, social and cultural influ­ences that inform the way drama is devised and struc­tured. The course is distinct­ive in that it emphas­ises and assesses the drama process as well as the final product, and candid­ates will look at this from the perspect­ive of Director, Designer and Performer.

This course is suit­able for all candid­ates who want a firm found­a­tion in drama, learn­ing to inter­pret script, devise, develop, inter­pret and commu­nic­ate prac­tical outcomes. By under­stand­ing the process involved in drama they will improve their own perform­ance skills, develop their imagin­a­tion and the abil­ity to create drama. They will also learn how to commu­nic­ate inten­tion, develop the skill of work­ing with others and develop their crit­ical skills, through eval­u­ation, analysis and reflection.

‘Drama is a subject that helps chil­dren with Dyslexia to grow in confid­ence and enables them to improve both read­ing and writ­ing skills. Many chil­dren who have Dyslexia choose Drama at GCSE, and they have over the years achieved very high exam results.’

But I don’t want to be an actor – what use is drama to me?
A GCSE in drama can help you develop many vital skills which are useful in all walks of life – confid­ence in commu­nic­at­ing with other people, lead­er­ship skills, and team­work to name but a few. A Drama GCSE is an essen­tial choice for anyone who wants to work in the arts. It is also an excel­lent choice for anyone who wants to work in close contact with people.

What will I be assessed on?
The route through the course rewards know­ledge, under­stand­ing, process, perform­ance and hard work. These are tested through prac­tical exam­in­a­tions from a scrip­ted piece of theatre and an impro­visa­tion based on stim­uli, a project review and a writ­ten exam­in­a­tion at the end of the course. The writ­ten exam covers a play stud­ied and assess­ment of prac­tical skills gained over the two years.

Specific­a­tion = WJEC Drama
Click here to down­load the current specific­a­tion for this GCSE course.

What grades can I get?
The full range of grades from A* to G are available.

What else do I need to know?
Don’t be fooled – You will be expec­ted to perform in a vari­ety of situ­ations and keep­ing up to date with dead­lines requires dedic­a­tion. However, if you are commit­ted and are look­ing for an excit­ing GCSE course that will chal­lenge you, then Drama could be just what you are look­ing for.