The GCSE Written Paper

Let’s do it!

Section A Question 4What do all of these questions have in common?

(2010) Evaluate the success of your contribution to the piece as a whole.

You should refer to particular moments from the piece to support

your answer.

(2011) Evaluate how far you achieved your personal aims in the final

performance. You should refer to particular moments from the piece to

support your answer.

(2012) Evaluate your success in creating engaging drama for your audience through

the application of your specific skill as actor or designer or technician. You should support your answer with reference to at least one

particular moment from the final performance.

(2013) Evaluate your success as an actor, designer or technician in the final performance of the piece. You should refer to particular moments from the performance which you

thought were especially successful or were unsuccessful for you personally.

(2014) Evaluate your personal skills in demonstrating your acting or design or technical skills in the final performance. Give specific details of at least

one moment from the final performance to support your answer.

EvaluateWhat does ‘evaluate’ mean, again?

QUESTION 4

Evaluate: To judge or determine the significance, worth, or quality of; assess: to

evaluate the results of an experiment. So this is easy right? You evaluate your work all the time…

remember to focus on specific moments – what you were trying to show: age status, relationship, period, place… and how you were implementing your skills – physical,

vocal, interaction to do this! Give detailed examples and say why successful, worked, was effective, did….really well, communicated, conveyed …. What would you do differently? Big you and your group up! Don’t be shy!

Careful check focus of question does it say YOU or YOUR GROUP ???? Remember to mention how your acting was supported by the addition Of tech

elements too!

2013 – Section A Question 4

Evaluate your success in creating engaging drama for your audience through the application of your specific skill as actor

or designer or technician.

You should support your answer with reference to at least one particular moment from the final performance.

(10 marks)

You must now give AT LEAST TWO examples

What else is important to give in this answer?

Section A Question 3What do all of these questions have in common?

(2010) Analyse the improvements that you made during the rehearsal process.

You should refer to at least one specific occasion where you developed your own skill.

(2011) Analyse the success of your group’s ability to work as a team during the rehearsal period. You

should refer to at least one specific example where teamwork was

important in the later stages of your preparation.

(2012) Analyse how you developed your own skill to tackle problems. You should

refer to at least one occasion in the preparation period when you used your

acting or design or technical skills to overcome at least one specific problem.

(2013) Analyse the ways in which you improved your skills during the rehearsal process.

You should refer to at least one specific occasion when you made progress as an actor,

designer or technician in preparation for the

performance.

(2014) Analyse how you used the rehearsal process to improve your acting or design or technical skills. Give details of at least one specific occasion during the preparation process when you improved your own individual

skills.

AnalyseWhat does ‘analyse’ mean, again?

QUESTION 3Analyse: To examine in detail in order to

discover meaning, to break down into components or essential features. This

question might also ask you to Analyse one aspects of the rehearsal or development

process – how you worked together, problems encountered and overcome, character,

relationships, interaction, creation of mood and atmosphere and so on…. Key to this is

breaking it down and looking at it critically. Why did some rehearsals go better than

others? Why did one technique work better?

2013 – Section A Question 3

Analyse the ways in which you improved your skills during the rehearsal process.

You should refer to at least one specific occasion when you made progress as an actor, designer or technician in

preparation for the performance.

(10 marks)

You must now give AT LEAST TWO examples

What else is important to give in this answer?

Section A Question 2What do all of these questions have in common?

(2010) Explain how you applied your chosen skill to at least one aspect of the piece.

(2011) Explain how you developed your creative ideas for this piece of practical work. Give at least one specific example of how you applied your skill as actor, designer or technician in

preparation for performance.(2012) Explain how you applied your skill as actor or designer or technician in the

early stages of preparing this piece of practical work to help create an engaging

piece of drama. Give at least one example of your preparatory work.

(2013) Explain what skills you contributed to the piece in your

role as actor, designer or technician. Give specific

examples that demonstrate how you used these skills to contribute to the piece.

(2014) Explain what specific skills you applied to this piece of coursework. Give details of the acting or design or technical skills that you personally

used.

ExplainWhat does ‘explain’ mean, again?

QUESTION 2Explain: To examine in detail in order to discover meaning, essential features,

etcThis question will normally ask you to EXPLAIN some

aspect of the rehearsal or development process – such as: The challenges you encountered, how you worked with others, how your character, plot, performance,

scenes developed, skills required at different points in the process. So say what you were doing, what you were trying to achieve and Why?. Tell the examiner

What you did and Why?

2013 – Section A Question 2

Explain what skills you contributed to the piece in your role as actor, designer or technician.

Give specific examples that demonstrate how you used these skills tocontribute to the piece.

(10 marks)

You must now give AT LEAST TWO examples

What else is important to give in this answer?