Edexcel A level Drama and Theatre (2016)
Here, you'll find everything you need to prepare for AS and A level Drama and Theatre from 2016, including our Edexcel AS and A level Drama and Theatre specifications and our sample assessment materials.
We have developed AS and A level Drama and Theatre qualifications for 2016 that encourage creativity, focus on practical work and develop skills that will support progression to further study of drama and a wide range of other subjects.
Our Set Texts will require students to articulate how they would perform in certain roles, and design for certain scenes, putting practical work at the heart of each specification.
Our carefully selected Set texts will inspire teachers and students and avoid the most popular performance texts. You get to choose performance texts that best suit your students, their ability to access the work, their interests and their skills.
Question papers will be accessible for students and the mark schemes will make the required standard clear.
With similar approaches to assessment at GCSE and A level, students will have a coherent experience of drama, developing valuable skills that support a smooth transition to the next level of study.
Students will have the opportunity to explore practitioners and performance texts from this century.
On this page
Specification
A level Drama and Theatre 2016: What's changed
These changes will apply to all awarding organisations’ specifications:
- The qualification title has changed from ‘Drama and Theatre Studies’ to ‘Drama and Theatre’.
- AS and A levels in Drama and Theatre will be assessed through a combination of a 40% written exam and 60% non-examined assessment.
- AS will be a separate, linear qualification.
- The content of the AS is a subset of the A level so you can co-teach the qualifications.
- Specifications must require students to demonstrate a practical understanding of:
- at AS: a minimum of one complete and substantial performance text and a minimum of two key extracts from two different texts, placed in the context of the whole text.
- at A level: a minimum of two complete and substantial performance texts and a minimum of three key extracts from three different texts placed in the context of the whole text.
- Students must study the work and methodologies of one influential theatre practitioner (individual or companies) at AS and two theatre practitioners at A level.
- Specifications in drama and theatre must require students to participate in:
- at AS: a minimum of one performance from a text, which has been studied as part of the course
- at A level: a minimum of two performances, one devised and one from a performance text which has been studied as part of the course.
Our approach
We’re working with the teaching community, higher education and subject associations to design our new qualifications for 2016. Our ambition is to develop drama qualifications that you will know and recognise, but to update them in line with the subject content changes and in response to feedback.
We have also commissioned and conducted our own research projects, including international benchmarking and trialling. This research will help us understand how to build on the strengths of the current qualifications and to identify the skills that students need to progress to further study in drama and theatre.
Download our brochure
Book your place on our free Getting Ready to Teach events
We're holding free Getting Ready to Teach events in the summer term to give teachers and heads of department the chance to find out more about our new AS and A levels for first teaching in September 2016.
If you don’t have an Edexcel Online account, you can book by emailing us at trainingbookings@pearson.com.
Download the presentation
Can't get to one of our launch events? View the presentation here.
Teaching support
Stay informed
Get the latest information on our Drama qualifications and support direct to your inbox.
