GCSE Drama

Summary of Assessment

Component 01/02: Devising Drama

Students research and explore a stimulus, work collaboratively and create their own devised drama. They complete a portfolio of evidence during the devising process, give a final performance of their drama, and write an evaluation of their own work. 

Component 03: Presenting and Performing Texts

Students develop and apply theatrical skills in acting or design by presenting a showcase of two extracts from a performance text. The chosen extracts must allow sufficient exploration of dialogue, plot and/or subplot, and characterisation for students to work in depth on their acting or design skills. 

Component 04: Drama: Performance and Response 

Students explore practically a whole performance text, and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of how drama is developed, performed and responded to. They also analyse and evaluate a live theatre performance. 

There are two sections: 

In section A, students study one performance text from the following: 

• Blood Brothers – Willy Russell 

• Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller 

• Find Me – Olwen Wymark 

• Gizmo – Alan Ayckbourn 

• Kindertransport – Diane Samuels 

• Missing Dan Nolan – Mark Wheeller 

• Misterman – Enda Walsh. 

The set texts will be reviewed after three years and may be subject to change. If a text is to be removed from the list and replaced with another text, centres will be notified a year in advance. 

Students also study the development and performance of drama. 

In section B, students analyse and evaluate the work of others through watching live drama and theatre. This must not be the same performance text as they have studied for section A.