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AQA GCSE Drama 2014

If you're taking AQA GCSE Drama (4240), come on in! I'd be quite surprised if this thread got much traffic to be honest... any thespians around?

Basically, how much do you hate the written paper? :biggrin:

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Yeah the written part is a pain in the arse but what I really don't get is how you're supposed to revise and how you're marked on the paper and everything ohmy..
Reply 2
I KNOWW! The mark scheme is hopelessly ambiguous, which is kinda good because you can say anything, but I have no idea what I'm meant to be doing: mainly, what's the difference between describe, explain, analyse and evaluate?!?

I mean describe and evaluate is easy-ish, but what's the difference between explaining and analysing?

For my revision, I'm probably going to do some questions: we could compare answers? Who knows, we might start to understand what the paper wants from us!

I'm going to revise examples of rehearsal techniques, some moments where I was good and bad (you can always make them up to fit the question), etc.
For section B, we've got good notes on War Horse that our awesome gap year student prepared for us (she's a god at Drama and even stayed in the drama department for another year after Upper Sixth!).

How was your practical work?
Haha it's good to know I'm not the only one bamboozled by Drama. I guess being able to write about anything is a good thing but the explain/analyse thing always gets me! I think explain is just going in-depth whilst analysing is going over what was done and reviewing outcomes and what could've gone differently etc

Yeah same here, I figured revising past papers and dramatical techniques is the best way to go about it :biggrin:
Ohh, those notes sound useful, are you able to scan them or link me so I could maybe use them :wink:

Tbh I'm ****ting bricks about my last piece of practical work as I have been selected by a moderator to be watched and my group has quarrelled and it's come down to splitting up and having to make a whole new play 2 days before our performance. My best grade for scripted was an A and my last Improv grade was a D which needs to be brought up to atleast a B for me to have a chance at getting my target grade in Drama..

How about you dude?
Reply 4
Original post by KaiVally
Haha it's good to know I'm not the only one bamboozled by Drama. I guess being able to write about anything is a good thing but the explain/analyse thing always gets me! I think explain is just going in-depth whilst analysing is going over what was done and reviewing outcomes and what could've gone differently etc

Yeah same here, I figured revising past papers and dramatical techniques is the best way to go about it :biggrin:
Ohh, those notes sound useful, are you able to scan them or link me so I could maybe use them :wink:

Tbh I'm ****ting bricks about my last piece of practical work as I have been selected by a moderator to be watched and my group has quarrelled and it's come down to splitting up and having to make a whole new play 2 days before our performance. My best grade for scripted was an A and my last Improv grade was a D which needs to be brought up to atleast a B for me to have a chance at getting my target grade in Drama..

How about you dude?


Oh god that's gotta be stressful :/

I think the practical stuff went pretty well for me: our group ended up just all turning on me and they all hated me in the end but the piece was pretty good :biggrin:
We did Theatre in Education and a scripted one called "The Actor's Nightmare". It was pretty good! But we didn't get given grades or marks it's a surprise until Results Day :/

Aha well they're probably not that useful to you because you're probably not doing War Horse in Section C? Are you even doing Section C (or are you doing B?). But hey, if you want them, I can fire them over to you.

Yeah, basically just revise loads of examples and remember to use Drama words.

I really shouldn't hate the exam, after all, I'm going to do A-level :biggrin:
Yeah lol wish me luck D:

Oh nope, see I'm doing Section A&B which is a bummer because I would've loved to do theatre studies and stuff, oh well..
I'm sure the grade boundaries can change for practical coursework so unless you are an insanely inquisitive person it's better to find out your practical grades on results day than to be told your piece is A* then it gets dropped to an A- you know?

Haha I was thinking about A-Level Drama but idk it just all seems a bit too much, does your school specialise in drama see cus mines a Technology school so AS drama might be **** :tongue:
Reply 6
Original post by KaiVally
Yeah lol wish me luck D:

Oh nope, see I'm doing Section A&B which is a bummer because I would've loved to do theatre studies and stuff, oh well..
I'm sure the grade boundaries can change for practical coursework so unless you are an insanely inquisitive person it's better to find out your practical grades on results day than to be told your piece is A* then it gets dropped to an A- you know?

Haha I was thinking about A-Level Drama but idk it just all seems a bit too much, does your school specialise in drama see cus mines a Technology school so AS drama might be **** :tongue:


Yeh, my school is really into drama we've got a proper theatre with good lights, technical staff and we put on brilliant plays every year :biggrin:
But it's an independent school we do pretty much everything, and I think there's 20ish people doing A level.

Haha I am quite inquisitive I spent my life looking for the January 2014 Maths paper I sat so I could look at the questions that I couldn't do :/
Got an A* in that though, so I was happy :smile:

Aha, so what other options are you doing?
Original post by danconway
Yeh, my school is really into drama we've got a proper theatre with good lights, technical staff and we put on brilliant plays every year :biggrin:
But it's an independent school we do pretty much everything, and I think there's 20ish people doing A level.

Haha I am quite inquisitive I spent my life looking for the January 2014 Maths paper I sat so I could look at the questions that I couldn't do :/
Got an A* in that though, so I was happy :smile:

Aha, so what other options are you doing?


Ahh, well that explains why you're so into Drama aha but don't worry: you seem like the type of guy to get a top grade on practical work so I guess you'll be fine not knowing your grade :wink:

What I do find annoying is that the most recent papers you need a Edexcel/Aqa account which only teachers can make which means you can't see them until they're publicly released

I'm currently doing, aside from the usual Maths and EnlgishLit&Lang, Triple Science, French - which I suck at, History and as you know; Drama.
How about you dude?

P.S follow me back :wink:
Reply 8
Ahaha I hate French too I'm hopeless :frown:

I'm doing Add Maths, Triple Science, English Lit and lang, Music, Latin, French and Drama.

Yeh, BUT AQA and Edexcel have released their Summer 2013 papers! But OCR hasn't, and won't until August, which REALLY annoys me.

How's revision going?

Followed :smile:
Haha nul n'aime Francis :wink:

Ohh Latin, I really wanted to do that but my school doesn't offer it at GCSE :frown:
And how's Triple Science man because C3 is really getting to me, can't get higher than a C on any paper that I have done, mind you: I haven't started revising it either - Better get cracking :P

Btw what subjects you looking to take for A-Level besides Drama of course..
Reply 10
Original post by KaiVally
Haha nul n'aime Francis :wink:

Ohh Latin, I really wanted to do that but my school doesn't offer it at GCSE :frown:
And how's Triple Science man because C3 is really getting to me, can't get higher than a C on any paper that I have done, mind you: I haven't started revising it either - Better get cracking :P

Btw what subjects you looking to take for A-Level besides Drama of course..

Yup, you'd better get catalytic cracking! :ahee::ahee::ahee:

Triple Science is good! We do International GCSE so we've got no controlled assessment, and only 6 exams (rather than the 9 that most people do) :biggrin:
Chemistry's probably my favourite subject! If you need something explained, I can always help :smile:

Yeah, I love doing Latin! Though we have so many lines of Latin literature to learn :frown:

I'm doing Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Drama and AS Maths (Drama does look a bit odd in that combination, doesn't it? :biggrin:)
What about you?
Original post by danconway
Yup, you'd better get catalytic cracking! :ahee::ahee::ahee:

Triple Science is good! We do International GCSE so we've got no controlled assessment, and only 6 exams (rather than the 9 that most people do) :biggrin:
Chemistry's probably my favourite subject! If you need something explained, I can always help :smile:

Yeah, I love doing Latin! Though we have so many lines of Latin literature to learn :frown:

I'm doing Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Drama and AS Maths (Drama does look a bit odd in that combination, doesn't it? :biggrin:)
What about you?


Whaaaaaaaat, why can't I do IGCSE D: You're hella lucky!! And yeah I can't stand it so there will defo be some questions that I'll have for you.
So are those the subjects you're doing at ALevel?

P.s. Apologies for the late reply; had **** loads of course work to catch up on before the holidays :P
Reply 12
Original post by KaiVally
Whaaaaaaaat, why can't I do IGCSE D: You're hella lucky!! And yeah I can't stand it so there will defo be some questions that I'll have for you.
So are those the subjects you're doing at ALevel?

P.s. Apologies for the late reply; had **** loads of course work to catch up on before the holidays :P


Ahaha it's alright, gotta get your coursework done (I need to write my French Oral presentation, the Speaking exam is pretty much as soon as we get back :/ )

Yup, those are my A level choices. Aha and yeah, especially in science, the IGCSE course is brilliant because it completely focuses on the science rather than making you write 6 mark questions on the sustainability of hydrogen fuel cells or whatever. I mean, how does types of rock fit into chemistry? The closest we get to that is the extraction of iron and aluminium from their ores (and we actually focus on the chemical reactions behind it). Anyway, enough of me glorifying IGCSE just fire off some Chem questions and I'll be glad to answer them!

Today's my French day: hopefully by the end of today I won't be in such a poor position to sit the exam I am so bad at French it's laughable.

Got any plans for your revision today?
Original post by danconway
Ahaha it's alright, gotta get your coursework done (I need to write my French Oral presentation, the Speaking exam is pretty much as soon as we get back :/ )

Yup, those are my A level choices. Aha and yeah, especially in science, the IGCSE course is brilliant because it completely focuses on the science rather than making you write 6 mark questions on the sustainability of hydrogen fuel cells or whatever. I mean, how does types of rock fit into chemistry? The closest we get to that is the extraction of iron and aluminium from their ores (and we actually focus on the chemical reactions behind it). Anyway, enough of me glorifying IGCSE just fire off some Chem questions and I'll be glad to answer them!

Today's my French day: hopefully by the end of today I won't be in such a poor position to sit the exam I am so bad at French it's laughable.

Got any plans for your revision today?


Damn that seems hard, regardless; good luck! Wow, IGCSE seems 100x better than what I'm doing like half the syllabus is based on bullshxt that has no relevance to science whatsoever D:

Just been revising C3 and it seems to be going alright actually even though it's mainly memory work ugh

I was questioning your A-Level choices because I didn't know you're allowed no a days to do 5 AS/2s, that's awesome

My revision plans are catshxt literally I just read text books and hope the info goes in [which it usually does] but yeah, wbu?
Reply 14
Original post by KaiVally
Damn that seems hard, regardless; good luck! Wow, IGCSE seems 100x better than what I'm doing like half the syllabus is based on bullshxt that has no relevance to science whatsoever D:

Just been revising C3 and it seems to be going alright actually even though it's mainly memory work ugh

I was questioning your A-Level choices because I didn't know you're allowed no a days to do 5 AS/2s, that's awesome

My revision plans are catshxt literally I just read text books and hope the info goes in [which it usually does] but yeah, wbu?


Ahaha well I'm basically just doing science past papers (which makes no sense because I'm actually good at science so I should be revising stuff I don't know but that's what the last two days of Easter are for :biggrin: )

And then I'm going to write a big Drama list of all the points I could make about rehearsal improvements, any significant acting in the final performance, and writing a draft question 01 for my Drama teacher to mark that's the question that doesn't change, so I have no reason not to get 10 marks there.

But I've somehow started listening to Eurovision songs, so this doesn't bode well for revision :/
Reply 15
Right. It's here. Tomorrow. Prepared?
Original post by danconway
Right. It's here. Tomorrow. Prepared?


Nope, I know hardly anything.. what do I revise for section C? I went to watch War horse a few weeks ago and I understand section A except for question 3. Somebody help please???
Reply 17
Original post by leahkatexo
Nope, I know hardly anything.. what do I revise for section C? I went to watch War horse a few weeks ago and I understand section A except for question 3. Somebody help please???


I do Section C! I do War Horse!
Original post by danconway
I do Section C! I do War Horse!


Yayy! what are you revising for it? I don't know what to do?!!
Reply 19
Original post by leahkatexo
Yayy! what are you revising for it? I don't know what to do?!!


Here's my re-write of a paper I did. My teacher marked it (and I think she's being REALLY well, quite harsh) and I got 9, 10, 10, 8, 19, 20. I chose sound for the War Horse question I reckon it's easier than talking about the acting.
(edited 9 years ago)

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