Specification: WJEC-A-Level-Drama
The WJEC A-Level Drama specification covers 5 topics with 0 learning objectives (WJEC-A-Level-Drama). Use the topic browser below to explore subtopics, exam tips, common mistakes, and key terminology for each area of the course.
This subject will help you develop key knowledge and skills required for exam success.
5
Topics
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Objectives
60
Exam Tips
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Pitfalls
WJEC A-Level Drama and Theatre is an exhilarating and rigorous course designed for students who are passionate about all aspects of theatre-making. It develops practical performance and design skills alongside critical, analytical, and evaluative abilities. Throughout the course, you will act, direct, design, or devise as you explore the roles of actor, director, and designer in creating and interpreting theatre. You will engage with a broad range of play texts, from classics to contemporary pieces, and learn how social, cultural, and historical contexts shape meaning on stage.
The specification is structured to balance practical creativity with academic study. Two non-exam assessments (60% of the qualification) immerse you in collaborative devising and scripted performance, while one written exam (40%) tests your ability to analyse set texts, interpret unseen extracts, and evaluate live theatre. This blend ensures you develop as a self-assured, reflective theatre-maker who can not only perform or design with confidence but also articulate a deep understanding of theatrical practice.
Key themes running through the course include the collaborative nature of theatre, the transformative power of design elements, and the ethical and interpretative responsibilities of a director. You will build a portfolio of evidence in Component 1, perform in both devised and scripted pieces for a visiting examiner in Component 2, and sit a 2-hour 30-minute paper for Component 3. This journey will equip you with transferable skills of communication, teamwork, analysis, and creativity—highly valued by universities and employers alike.
The WJEC A-Level Drama and Theatre qualification is assessed through three components: Component 1 (Theatre Workshop – 20%) is non-exam assessment where students reinterpret an extract from a text through practical exploration and produce a supporting portfolio; Component 2 (Text in Action – 40%) is non-exam assessment externally assessed by a visiting examiner, involving a devised piece and an extract performance from a published play, plus a written process and evaluation report; Component 3 (Text in Performance – 40%) is a 2 hour 30 minute written exam with three sections: open-book analysis of a set text, closed-book response to an unseen extract from another set text, and a live theatre evaluation. Total marks: 300. The qualification is 60% non-exam assessment and 40% exam.
Create and develop ideas to communicate meaning as part of the theatre making process, making connections between dramatic theory and practice
Apply theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performance
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how drama and theatre is developed and performed
Analyse and evaluate their own work and the work of others
Demonstrates comprehensive and accurate knowledge
Applies knowledge effectively to new contexts
Develops sophisticated analytical arguments
Give a single fact or term
Name, select, or recognise
Set out main features briefly
Give an account of what something is like or what happens
Give reasons with developed cause→effect chains
State similarities AND differences (both required)
Examine in detail showing cause→effect→consequence chains
Weigh up BOTH sides, reach JUSTIFIED conclusion
Make judgments about importance with justification
Show formula→substitution→calculation→answer with units
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