April 2023 Drama update
Dear colleagues,
Welcome back to the final term of the year. I hope that the next few weeks can be as stress free as possible for those with multiple deadlines looming. If you ever need to get in touch, please use my details below.
Here is your April 2023 update with all the latest news on our GCSE Drama and A level Drama and Theatre qualifications.
In this update you will find:
GCSE Drama Component 1 update
A quick and useful update for selecting your samples of work for Component 1:
Please select work for the C1 sample from a maximum of 4 performance groups.
You only need to record the sampled students on the CCIS form for 2023.
We will accept digital signatures - there is no need for the NAS forms to be downloaded, signed and then scanned (this is to reduce your work load).
For further information on compiling and submitting your Component 1 samples, please refer to the Administrative Support Guide (see below)
Admin Support Guides and forms for Component 1
The Administrative Support Guides for GCSE Drama and A level Drama and Theatre include information on:
- key dates
- administrative guidance for all three Components
- guidance on using Learner Work Transfer (LWT) platform for Component 1
- support on how to contact us
Component 3 live theatre evaluation update
In order to retain comparability and fairness, and to keep the 500 words of notes in the exam, we are not making any changes to Component 3. This decision has been made based on feedback from the survey we shared. The response to the survey was huge, and the majority of Drama teachers voted in favour of keeping the live theatre and notes, rather than allowing streamed or recorded performances and removing the notes.
Experiencing live theatre is embedded in the subject criteria and therefore this requirement cannot be removed from the qualification. At the end of the course, and by 15 May, centres need to confirm that students have been given the opportunity to see live theatre.
In April 2023, we will send an electronic declaration form to all centres with entries for the summer 2023 exam series, in order for you to confirm that all students have been given the opportunity to see live theatre. The deadline for the declaration to be completed is 15 May 2023.
We understand that due to the current cost of living crisis, and other factors such as location, some centres face huge difficulty in trying to take students to see live theatre. If you are in this situation and it is not possible for your students to write about a live theatre production for component 3, please do get in touch with us at drama.assessment@pearson.com to ask permission to use a streamed or recorded production. We will treat each request on an individual basis. If you have already contacted us this academic year and been given permission to use a streamed or recorded live performance for the 2023 exam, you do not need to contact us again.
Ofqual student guide 2023
This guide provides students with information about this year’s arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual. It also explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.
It's relevant for a student taking any of the following qualifications in 2023:
- GCSEs
- AS or A levels
- other general qualifications, including International Baccalaureate, core mathematics and Pre-U
- Technical Qualification (part of a T Level)
- BTEC, Cambridge Technicals and other vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) taken alongside GCSEs and A levels
Subject advisor
Paul Webster
Drama, Theatre and Performing Arts
