Drama & Theatre A Level

Before submitting your application to Wyke Sixth Form College, please ensure that you have added

1. Personal Details (including Home Address, Email Address and Contact Number)
2. A full list of all of your predicted grades

Without this information we will be unable to process your application and will refer this back to you until it is fully complete.

This course may be great for you if you are interested in making and understanding drama and recognising it as a practical art form in which ideas and meaning are communicated to an audience through choices of form, style and convention. This course is also ideal for students with a love of live theatre – as a spectator, a performer and a designer.

The course examines what the purpose of theatre is and develops your knowledge and understanding of a variety of styles of play scripts from different times. It also looks at how practitioners have influenced the creation and innovation of live theatre.

WRITTEN AND THEORETICAL DRAMA (70% OF A LEVEL)

You will be required to complete a 3 hour written paper answering:

1 essay style question based on a given text in the first section.

3 shorter question responses based on a given extract from another contrasting text.

1 essay style response to a question regarding a piece of live performance seen during the course (40%).

Complete a working notebook regarding the creation of their own short play (20%).

Complete a reflective report on the 3 extracts explored through practical workshops (10%)

PERFORMANCE AND PRACTICAL DRAMA (30% OF A LEVEL)

In this unit, you will explore extracts from 3 different texts through practical workshops. The final one will be presented for assessment as a formal performance in front of a visiting external examiner (20%).

You will also be required to create a own short play in small groups for formal assessment in front of a target audience (10%).

ASSESSMENT

COMPONENT 1: WRITTEN PAPER 1 – DRAMA & THEATRE (40%)

A 3 hour written exam

Section A: 1 question (from a choice) on one of the set plays.

Section B: 1 three-part question on a given extract from one of the set plays.

Section C: 1 question (from a choice) on the work of theatre makers in a singled live theatre production.

COMPONENT 2: COURSEWORK – CREATING ORIGINAL DRAMA (30%)

3000 word working notebook on the process of creating original drama (20%)

Examined practical performance of the original drama (10%)

(Includes a 150-word ‘explanation of intentions’ document)

COMPONENT 3: COURSEWORK – MAKING THEATRE (30%)

2000 word Reflective Report based on the exploration and development of 3 extracts from 3 separate contrasting texts (10%)

Examined practical Performance of extract 3 with exploration influenced by a given prescribed examiner (20%)

(Includes 150-word ‘explanation of intentions’ document)

30% practical, 30% coursework and 40% examination.

Information on course specific and pathway specific entry criteria can be found on our website.

Throughout the years, our department has supported students into careers and university courses in professional acting alongside other careers such as working in television, events and education.