National 4/5
In S4, pupils have Drama four periods a week.
The National 4/5 Drama course encourages candidates to exercise imagination and creativity. They develop important skills, attitudes and attributes, including creativity and adaptability, how to learn independently and as part of a group, critical thinking, enthusiasm, and confidence.
The course allows learners to develop practical skills in creating, presenting and producing drama. Throughout the course, pupils will engage in a variety of individual, paired and group tasks, which will enable them to develop:
- The ability to respond to stimuli, including text, when creating Drama.
- Knowledge and understanding of form, structure, genre, style.
- A range of acting skills in relation to portraying characters.
- Knowledge, understanding and use of a range of production areas (lighting, sound, props, costume, set design and make-up).
- Knowledge and understanding of social and cultural influences on Drama.
- The ability to work collaboratively, sharing and using ideas.
- Problem-solving, reflection, analysing and evaluation skills.
National 4 Assessment
For National 4 Drama, pupils must pass a Drama Skills Unit and Production Skills Unit. These units are completed in class and include a final performance, followed by an evaluation.
To attain the National 4 Award in Drama, pupils must also complete an Added Value Unit. Pupils can choose a specialism (in either an acting or a production role) within a group. They will complete a folio as evidence of their work throughout the creating and rehearsal process. They must present their finished drama as part of their group to a live audience.
Evidence of their work can be presented through folio, interviews, video recordings and logs.
The final assessment will be pass/fail for National 4.
National 5 Assessment
Performance
The performance is scored out of 60 marks (60% of the overall course award) and is broken down into two sections:
– 50 marks for the performance in either an acting or production role.
– 10 marks for the ‘preparation for performance’ essay.
Pupils work to present a piece from a published script and must perform their extract to an invited audience. This performance is assessed by a visiting examiner.
Question paper (National 5 only)
The written exam lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes and is worth 60 marks. This is then scaled to provide 40% of the overall course award.
The paper consists of two sections:
Section 1 assesses the candidate’s ability to evaluate their own work and the work of others (worth 20 marks).
Section 2 assesses the candidate’s ability to respond to stimuli and create their own piece of drama suitable for performance (worth 40 marks).
Candidates are required to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of both process and performance. They are expected to use Drama terminology throughout.
The Course will be graded A–D.