Assessment overview
| Component | Marks | Duration | Weighting | insert text |
Practitioners in practice (11/12 or 13/14) | 120 | - | 40% | Non-exam assessment |
Exploring and performing texts (21/22) | 80 | - | 20% | Non-exam assessment |
Analysing performance (31) | 60 | 2 hour 15 mins | 20% | |
Deconstructing texts for performance (41/42/43/44/45/46/47/48) | 60 | 1 hour 45 mins | 20% | |
All components include synoptic assessment.
Students must complete four components, one from each component group, to be awarded the OCR A Level in Drama and Theatre.
Content overview
Students participate in two performance components as either a performer or a designer (lighting, sound, set or costume). One of these is a performance from a text, the other a devised performance based on and influenced by their research into the work of others.
Component group 1: Practitioners in practice
Students explore practically the work of theatre practitioners and use the skills gained to explore text and create devised theatre. They are required to practically explore two practitioners and an extract from a performance text, and perform a devised piece of drama or theatre for an audience.
The role which students elect to take determines which component they study:
- For performers: Creating, devising and performing for original theatre (12)
- For designers: Creating, devising and designing for original theatre (14).
Component 2: Exploring and performing texts
Students explore one performance text in its entirety and perform part of the text, applying the relevant skills to communicate the meaning in a performance text to an audience.
Students continue in the same role as for component group 1:
- For performers: Performing live theatre (21)
- For designers: Designing for live theatre (31).
Component 3: Analysing performance
Students explore practically two performance texts on a chosen theme, and analyse and evaluate live theatre.
There is one component (31) in this group with two sections:
- Section A: students study two different performing texts on a given theme and develop knowledge and understanding of how extracts can be rehearsed and interpreted in performance
- Section B: students analyse and evaluate a live theatre performance.
Component 4: Deconstructing texts for performance
Students will interpret and explore practically a performance text considering how to create, develop and direct a performance for an audience.
Students study one performance text from the following:
- Antigone – Sophocles (Jean Anouilh) (41)
- Cloud Nine – Caryl Churchill (42)
- Earthquakes in London – Mike Bartlett (43)
- Stockholm – Bryony Lavery (44)
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Patrick Quentin/Stephen Sondheim (45)
- The Crucible – Arthur Miller (46)
- The Visit – Friedrich Durrenmatt (47)
- Woza Albert! – Percy Mtwa/Mbongeni Ngema/Barney Simon (48).
The set texts will be reviewed after three years and may be subject to change. If a text is to be removed from the list and replaced with another text, centres will be notified a year in advance.