July 2024 Drama update
Welcome to this July 2024 update with all the latest news on our GCSE and A level Drama and Theatre qualifications.
I hope term is finishing well and you’re ready for the long break. This update provides all the support you need for the August results period and for getting started in September.
Please do get in touch if you have any questions using my details below.
In this update you will find information on:
- Introducing Global Majority Playwrights to Your Curriculum
- The Other Place NT production and GCSE Drama
- Design templates
- Results and post results services
- Moderator reports (E9)
- ResultsPlus
- Principal Moderator/Examiner reports
- Access to Scripts
- Review of marking and moderation
- Post results fees
- Understanding marks
- Exam feedback survey
- Pearson qualification website survey
- Multi Factor Authentication guidance
- Support and contact
Introducing Global Majority Playwrights to Your Curriculum
On 1st July we ran a free event delivered by Beyond the Canon open to all teachers of Drama and Performing Arts at KS3, KS4 and KS5.
The aim of the session were to discover the works of global majority playwrights and explore Beyond The Canon's Plays for Young Activists anthology, to empower participants to create safe spaces, ignite artistic activism, and engage in profound conversations about plays and social justice.
Beyond the Canon is an organisation committed to increasing the visibility and accessibility of ground-breaking yet lesser-known classics, masterpieces and gems by British and international culturally diverse playwrights. The organisation stages UK and international revivals, monologue showcases, bespoke workshops, play clubs and publications.The aims are to support, empower and inspire culturally diverse artists, and enrich the artistic industry in the UK and across the world.
You can watch a recording of the session here:
The Other Place NT production and GCSE Drama
If you are planning on taking your students to see 'The Other Place' at the National Theatre (which runs from September to November 2024) and would like them to be able to use this production in their Component 3 Section B live theatre evaluation response, please contact the drama assessment team to request permission:
drama.assessment@pearson.com
Results and post results services
The question papers and mark schemes from this summer's assessments will be available on our website during July. Question papers will be available on 2 July and Mark Schemes will be available on 16 July. Examiner reports will be available on 27 August.
Results will be released to centres on 21 August with results released to candidates on 22 August.
From results day you can download centre-specific moderator feedback for Devising. To find out how to do this please read the guidance below.
Moderator Report (E9)
Your moderator writes a report to explain where it was necessary to adjust your centre’s marks. Where possible, your moderator advises you on how you could make improvements for future series.
You can find these on Edexcel Online. Please speak to your examinations officer if you don't have access to Edexcel Online.
Watch our short video on how to find your Moderator Report.
ResultsPlus
ResultsPlus is a free online results analysis tool for teachers that gives you a detailed breakdown of your students’ performance in Edexcel exams. It provides the most detailed analysis available of your students’ performance and helps you to identify topics and skills where your students could benefit from further learning, helping them gain a deeper understanding of their subject.
Access to scripts
After the results are published in August, centres will be able to view and download scripts which have been marked online free of charge from our self-service portal via Edexcel Online.
Customers should save and/or print any scripts they need for teaching and learning purposes before the deadline(to be confirmed but is usually in December).
Scripts do not have examiner annotation on them. The marked script allows teachers to evaluate how the student performed on particular questions in relation to what they have been taught; the Principal Examiner's report and the exemplars that we make available demonstrate how the mark scheme is applied.
If scripts have been marked "traditionally" (i.e. not online), centres will have to request them via the Post Results section of Edexcel Online as in previous exam series.
These scripts will also be free of charge, but the final dates to request them are the same as the published JCQ Access to Scripts deadlines.
Exam feedback survey
We hope the exam season went well for you and your students. Now that the May/June assessments have been completed, if you’ve not already had chance to do so, we would greatly appreciate your feedback on this year's exam papers.
We wish to provide students with the best possible exam experience, and your insights are crucial in helping us to achieve this goal. If you're a teacher whose students have taken any of our exams in the May/June 2024 series, we're eager to hear your thoughts.
Please take a few moments to complete our survey. Your input will be shared with our senior examiners and across our subject teams to help us continuously improve our assessments.
App-based multi-factor authentication for all users of Edexcel Online was introduced in December, to protect your data and maintain the integrity of our assessments.
This replaced the existing web based multi-factor authentication, and became mandatory on 5 December. All users require access to a smart phone device to receive a verification code to access Edexcel Online.
Based on feedback received this graphic was created to answer some common questions.
Additional guidance on using app based MFA to access the Pearson Portal can be found in the Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.
I hope you enjoy a well-deserved rest over the forthcoming break and wish you and your students all the very best for the results period.
Subject advisor
Paul Webster
Drama, Theatre and Performing Arts
