When you're revising for your GCSE exams, you want to make the most of your study time.

So, we invited the experts at the AQA exam board to share their tips and advice on preparing for GCSE Drama exams.

The article that follows has been written by an AQA curriculum expert, based on their years of experience in the assessment of their subject.  

You can find more articles in this series, covering a range of subjects at both GCSE and A-level, over on our revision section.

Also on The Student Room, you can find student discussion of 2024 GCSE exams.

• Plan your revision to target the areas you’re less confident about first - but mix it up with the areas you’re stronger on.

• Revise drama and theatre terminology and make sure you know how to use it properly.
• Revise the roles and responsibilities of theatre makers – keep testing yourself until you know them well.
• Don’t panic! You’ll know more than you think you do.

• Re-read your set text.
• Make sure you know the play’s context: when and where the play is set.
• Think about approaches designers might take to the play.
• Think about the different staging configurations and options for the play.
• Make sure you make notes as you explore your set play practically in class – these will be invaluable when it comes to revision.

• For this question, there are 12 marks available for description and 20 marks available for analysis and evaluation.
• Make sure you take detailed notes when you watch your live production(s) - these will be really helpful when revising
• When revising for questions with a focus on performers, think about: voice (pause and silence) movement (gesture, posture, gait), facial expression (eye contact and withdrawal), use of space, interaction with other performers, use of set/props/costume, listening and response, subtext, status, audience, dramatic tension
• When revising for questions with a focus on designers think about: lighting (colour, direction, shadow, shade, level, effect), sound (live, recorded, music, manipulated), costume (hair, makeup, fabric, pattern, accessories), set (materials, modules, cloths, cyclorama, floor, truck), props (period, theatricality, context).

• Look at the number of marks available for each question and use this to guide how long you spend on your answers. The number of marks for each question increases as you move through the paper, so make sure you leave enough time to answer the high-value questions towards the end of the paper.
• Where there are optional questions, read through the options carefully before deciding which to answer.
• If you can, leave time at the end to check your work.
• Only clean copies of your set text (with no note) can be brought into the exam room.