Drama is all about understanding what it is like to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes.

Drama fosters your creativity, personal growth, self-confidence, communication and analytical skills through the acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding and the exercise of your imagination. It promotes your involvement in, and enjoyment of, drama as performers, devisers, directors and designers. It provides opportunities for you to attend professional performances and to develop your skills as informed and thoughtful audience members.

Through the study of this GCSE, you will be given opportunities to participate in and interpret your own and others’ drama. You will investigate the forms, styles, and contexts of drama and will learn to work collaboratively to develop ideas, to express feelings, to experiment with technical elements and to reflect on your own and others’ performances.

Why Cambridge IGCSE?

This GCSE is 60% performing and 40% a written exam.

This is the highest percentage of performing across all the examination boards. Many of the exam boards say that 60% is coursework, but often a large portion of the course work is still writing about performing. The Cambridge IGCSE is 60% practical acting and creating pieces of theatre.

What will you gain from Cambridge IGCSE Drama?

Through practical and theoretical study, you will develop an understanding and enjoyment of drama, developing group and individual skills and studying ways to communicate ideas and feelings to an audience. You will learn how to discover the performance possibilities of a text and other stimuli, and devise dramatic material of your own. You will also develop your performance skills, the demonstration of which will form part of the final assessment.

Key Benefits

• Confident – developing practical skills to deliver dramatic performance for an audience.
• Responsible – developing shared responsibility working with others and understanding the power of drama to engage, influence and persuade.
• Reflective – engaging with performance processes, and using them to inform future practice.
• Innovative – creating original dramatic work and formulating imaginative responses to existing repertoire.
• Engaged – developing their enjoyment of drama to support their practical, intellectual and artistic growth.

Component 1

Written examination 40% – Written paper, 2 hours 30 minutes, 80 marks

This written examination has three sections.

Section A: An extract from a published play. Candidates should have studied the extract and explored it as practical theatre, investigating performing and staging opportunities. The extract is supplied in the pre-release material where it is identified as Extract 1. Up to eight short-answer and extended response questions. Marks per question range from 2 to 10. Candidates answer all 30 questions.

Section B: An extract from a different published play.  Candidates should have studied the extract and explored it as practical theatre, investigating performing and staging opportunities. The extract is supplied in the pre-release material. Candidates answer two extended response questions. One compulsory question (10 marks) and one question from a choice of two (15 marks).

Section C: A devised piece that candidates have developed and performed to an audience.  The pre-release material is not required for the devised piece – teachers choose the stimulus. Two extended-response questions. Candidates answer both questions (one is worth 10 marks, the other 15 marks).

Component 2

Coursework 60% – 120 marks.  Internally assessed and externally moderated.

Candidates submit three pieces of practical work:

• individual performance based on an extract from a play
• group performance based on an extract from a play
• group performance based on an original devised piece.

What other skills might I develop?

As well as acquiring the skills involved in creating and performing drama, you will also be able to acquire skills in working with others, problem solving and communication. You will find that drama will help you feel more self-confident and prepare you to deal with a range of different situations and people.

What could I do next with GCSE Drama?

There are many things you can do with a GCSE in Drama. You could go on to take an A level in Drama & Theatre to progress further or you may wish to apply the skills you have learnt in other aspects of your life: public speaking, debating, team work etc. You might wish to go on into a job where it is useful to have had experience of drama or where you will need to use some of the skills developed during the course.

Examination Board: Cambridge IGCSE

Specification: GCSE Drama

Mrs K. Hebden – Director of Drama