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Drama A level? Good choice?

I'm considering doing Drama for A Level (AS) next year along with Sociology, Politics and Film Studies.
However I didn't do the GCSE so am not exactly sure what it involves. I went to a drama school once a week up until the age of 13/14 and really enjoyed it.
I've always found drama really fun and enjoyed it a lot up to the start of year 10, I was planning on picking it for GCSE but the option blocks were in a way that didn't allow me without having to sacrifice other subjects I wanted to do more.
How much of the subject is acting or is it mostly a written subject?? Is it hard?

thanks :smile:
Do you know what exam board you will be doing? I'm currently doing AS Drama & Theatre Studies with Edexcel, and it seriously is great! I didn't even do it for GCSE and I'm on track to get an A! :smile: Let me know x
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 2
Original post by 221Breezeblocks
Do you know what exam board you will be doing? I'm currently doing AS Drama & Theatre Studies with Edexcel, and it seriously is great! I didn't even do it for GCSE and I'm on track to get an A! :smile: Let me know x


Edexcel and thanks that's reassuring ahah, did you know much about the subject before?x
Original post by xgeorgialily
Edexcel and that's quite re-assuring ahah, did you know much about the subject before though? x


Basically no. I always wished that I'd done GCSE drama (for some reason I didn't) and was always jealous of my friends who did do it because it looked so fun! :tongue: At school up until sixth form (now) I'd never really done plays either.. just really wanted to take it up and so I thought it's never too late to do anything so took the chance to do it! :biggrin:
Honestly, I was really scared before starting the course in September because I knew I'd be quite self conscious but part of the reason I wanted to take Drama was to build my confidence.
You spend so much time with the group that you get to know them really well, so like from my point of view anyway everything was fine and instead of being daunting or embarrassing it's just loads of fun :smile:
Like I knew nothing about the theatre practitioners or how to write the specific essays or anything.
Reply 5
Original post by 221Breezeblocks
Basically no. I always wished that I'd done GCSE drama (for some reason I didn't) and was always jealous of my friends who did do it because it looked so fun! :tongue: At school up until sixth form (now) I'd never really done plays either.. just really wanted to take it up and so I thought it's never too late to do anything so took the chance to do it! :biggrin:
Honestly, I was really scared before starting the course in September because I knew I'd be quite self conscious but part of the reason I wanted to take Drama was to build my confidence.
You spend so much time with the group that you get to know them really well, so like from my point of view anyway everything was fine and instead of being daunting or embarrassing it's just loads of fun :smile:


Okay thank you thats really helpful!! Is it a lot of writing?
Original post by xgeorgialily
Okay thank you thats really helpful!! Is it a lot of writing?


Okay basically this is the course:

Unit 1 (sept - xmas) :

- You study two plays practically, learning about loads of different aspects of them. You then write up everything as your Exploration Notes (coursework) which is a 3,000 word essay. We had to write that over Christmas and omg it killed me and its such a drag aha but once it's done it's done! You get marked on practical work in class and your exploration notes.

- You go to see a theatre performance and have to write a 1,000 word review on it. (coursework). These are quite fun to do, don't worry :smile: You get a mark for that.

Unit 2 (jan - may):
Section A: You choose a monologue (2mins) or duologue (5mins) and work on that.
You also have to write up a 500 word Written Performance Concept which is just basically your interpretation of your character and what you did to rehearse etc (not too hard)

Section B: Your teacher puts you in groups of 3 to I think 8, and gives you a play. You work on that.

You then perform in front of an examiner your mono/duologue and your play (mine is 6th may ahh!)
Your WPC is marked by an examiner but the rest of the written work is marked by your teacher.


Hope this is useful!!! :smile:
Reply 7
Original post by 221Breezeblocks
Okay basically this is the course:

Unit 1 (sept - xmas) :

- You study two plays practically, learning about loads of different aspects of them. You then write up everything as your Exploration Notes (coursework) which is a 3,000 word essay. We had to write that over Christmas and omg it killed me and its such a drag aha but once it's done it's done! You get marked on practical work in class and your exploration notes.

- You go to see a theatre performance and have to write a 1,000 word review on it. (coursework). These are quite fun to do, don't worry :smile: You get a mark for that.

Unit 2 (jan - may):
Section A: You choose a monologue (2mins) or duologue (5mins) and work on that.
You also have to write up a 500 word Written Performance Concept which is just basically your interpretation of your character and what you did to rehearse etc (not too hard)

Section B: Your teacher puts you in groups of 3 to I think 8, and gives you a play. You work on that.

You then perform in front of an examiner your mono/duologue and your play (mine is 6th may ahh!)
Your WPC is marked by an examiner but the rest of the written work is marked by your teacher.


Hope this is useful!!! :smile:


This is really really helpful thank you so much and good luck with your play :smile:
I didn't do it for gcse because I disliked the teacher and wasn't really into drama that much at the time. Went to a different school for sixth form and did drama a level. Ended up getting an A. So you don't need to have done gcse drama at all.

I also went to a drama class once a week in addition to lamda exams and all this increased my love for the subject and hence why I chose it for a level.

You learn about the practitioners during the course. Some of the students knew already but they went over it in lots of detail. You study plays that no one will have done at gcse and the practical exams are all new to everyone too so literally don't worry and the fact that you did a weekly drama class will put you at an advantage.
Original post by flutterby-x303
I didn't do it for gcse because I disliked the teacher and wasn't really into drama that much at the time. Went to a different school for sixth form and did drama a level. Ended up getting an A. So you don't need to have done gcse drama at all.

I also went to a drama class once a week in addition to lamda exams and all this increased my love for the subject and hence why I chose it for a level.

You learn about the practitioners during the course. Some of the students knew already but they went over it in lots of detail. You study plays that no one will have done at gcse and the practical exams are all new to everyone too so literally don't worry and the fact that you did a weekly drama class will put you at an advantage.



Just curious because I've never really known, what do you actually do in LAMDA exams?
Original post by flutterby-x303
I didn't do it for gcse because I disliked the teacher and wasn't really into drama that much at the time. Went to a different school for sixth form and did drama a level. Ended up getting an A. So you don't need to have done gcse drama at all.

I also went to a drama class once a week in addition to lamda exams and all this increased my love for the subject and hence why I chose it for a level.

You learn about the practitioners during the course. Some of the students knew already but they went over it in lots of detail. You study plays that no one will have done at gcse and the practical exams are all new to everyone too so literally don't worry and the fact that you did a weekly drama class will put you at an advantage.


okay thank you!!
I have no knowledge on A-Level, but my CCEA GCSE Drama was 60% Practical (30% Improvisation, 30% Devised Peice) and a 40% Written Paper (Costume Design, Exploration of Rehearsal Techniques and a question about your devised peice?)
Original post by 221Breezeblocks
Just curious because I've never really known, what do you actually do in LAMDA exams?


LAMDA was the best thing I ever signed up to do and it improved my confidence in performing so much.

It was offered at my school and I did it from age 12-16. Basically it's speech and drama exams. I did it with two others so we were judged as a trio but you could do it in pairs whereby you go along to the teacher in your pair but would be given different exam pieces and therefore judged individually.

We had lessons once a week for 30 minutes so it was like going out for a private music lesson.

Initially and at times when we weren't preparing for an exam we would read scripts from different plays or the teacher would set us a variety of challenges to do. Sometimes it would be come up with tongue twisters to practice your dialect or near the end of term it would be quizzes that would be drama based.

But the most part was spent working towards an exam so for grade one we recited the poem "Jim" by Hillaire Belloc and we dressed up like Edwardian ladies with parasols and we recited it as though we were having a catch up and telling each other about this story of Jim who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion. We took it in turns to say maybe a line each or a phrase or word and sometimes we would all speak in unison for effect etc.

We then skipped to grade three and did a 15/20 minute performance on "the wyrd sisters" by terry Pratchett. That was so good we all played witches, there were three and they all had different personalities and it was a really good script. We had costumes and props too.

Grade 4 was different again it was a recital of poems and prose. There were three sections as opposed to grade one were it was the one poem. The first one I can't remember the name but we all came on at different moments using a variety of transport methods (I think it was relevant to the poem) so I was on rollerblades (I was so nervous!!) my friend was on a scooter and the other one had a football. Then we would go behind the screen and come out again each time it was our turn to recite.

The second one was a recital of The ups and downs of the elevator car by Caroline Emerson. It's quite a dynamic poem so we had different actions for different moments and like the poem Jim we did in grade one it was choral speaking. Grade four was basically choral speaking throughout as opposed to scripts like grade 3. The final recital for grade 4 was an exert from Dracula. It's was when the man was in the carriage and we had to create the carriage and recite the prose.

Grade 6 was probably the best. It was living with lady Macbeth by Rob John. there were two main characters and then the other person would play various roles but we all had roughly the same amount of lines. It was a script and it was really really good. We acted out the witches bit at the beginning "when shall we three meet again" etc and that was choral speaking. Then we would go behind a screen and then emerge in our characters and then we did a section where we were like rag dolls but pretending to be these bitchy girls.

I could go on all day but lamda is absolutely wonderful and you get to do it with friends. Or you could do it alone for real personal development. If they don't offer it at your school just find a teacher!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by nmeechan
I have no knowledge on A-Level, but my CCEA GCSE Drama was 60% Practical (30% Improvisation, 30% Devised Peice) and a 40% Written Paper (Costume Design, Exploration of Rehearsal Techniques and a question about your devised peice?)


ahh okay thank you!!

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