Drama GCSE Revision and exam hints
Year 11 Drama GCSE. If your written paper mock exam didn t go according to plan; don t despair. Help is at hand. INTRODUCTION Read instructions and questions carefully. Read them twice. Make sure you know exactly what the question is asking you. The biggest mistakes made in examinations were due to candidates not reading the question. Make sure this doesn t happen to you in the real thing! Answer TWO questions YOU MUST Answer question 1 from section A. Answer all four parts of it. Write about the practical work you did for Too much punch for Judy section B you could write about the scripted work you do in year 11 for thisor you could Answer ONE question from section C. Write about a live production you have seen during the course. You have 1hour 30minutes WHAT TO DO BEFORE THE EXAM Get your facts straight, and remember them: For question 1 there are a few facts you need to get clear in your head. You did a devised piece of work based on the script Too much punch for Judy by Mark Wheeler. It was in the style of a docu-drama. It had a target audience of young adults who have just started to learn to drive, as they will be able relate to the play and will benefit from the anti drink-drive message. When rehearsing and studying the script we used a number of different techniques. Freeze frame, split stage, flashback, flash-forward, choral speaking, canon speaking, narration, physical theatre (or body propping), and marking the moment. You need to make sure that you would be able to describe how you used any of these techniques and what your contribution was. You will need to be able to evaluate the work you did. You should not describe the story line. You should instead be able to work out what parts of your play were effective and what parts need to be improved. You need to analyse not merely describe You will definitely need to look at your specialist vocabulary list and use the words there. You get marks for using specialist vocabulary in the exam. 2
Section C. Answer only one question (both parts) Live Production. Keep going to the theatre, the more productions you see the more likely you ll find a really good one to write about! Make some notes to revise from. You can t take them into the exam but it s the best way to get the ideas clear in your head. Get your notes organized. Make sure you know what makes a good acting Performance - voice (tone, pitch, intonation, accent etc) - movement ( stance, gesture, body language, facial expression etc) - other characterisation skills - relationships to other characters on stage - acting style suitable to style of performance (comic timing for a comedy, ability to use physicality in physical theatre etc. -focus and presence on stage. Use the table on the next page to really focus your notes. You ll be amazed at how much more you can write about a production you have seen if you use these questions to help you. If you ve run out of time to write everything down discuss them with a friend it will still help. 3
Setting- Costumes- Lighting- Sound- How does the set define the performance space? How does the set design suggest place/location? How does the set design create mood/atmosphere? How does the set design suggest period/ideas/themes/emotions? How does the set design create a sense of scale/proportion/style? How does the set design use colour/shape/textures/levels/movement/forms/materials? How does the set provide a suitable environment for the play/for the actors/for the characters/the interpretation? How does the set interact and relate to other design elements? What do they say about the character/period/style/ideas? How do they use colour/shape/materials? What meaning are the costumes attempting to communicate? How do the costumes reflect the overall interpretation? What sort of features and accessories are emphasised? (e.g. gloves, feathers,jewellery,hats) How do the actors use the costumes? How do the costumes work together? What is in the details of the costumes?(e.g. distressing, patterning) How do the costumes relate to other design elements? How is the lighting used to create atmosphere/location/time of day/dramatic effect? How is lighting used in terms if colour/levels of intensity/direction ( front/back/side/top/below)/ use of shadows/projections/movement? Is the lighting defined/subliminal/subtle/realistic/naturaltistic/obvious/deliberate? How are the light sources suggested in relation to the set? (e.g. the use of windows, practical lamps, outside doors, cyclorama,candles,moonlight,sunlight,filtering effects, light through smoke, dust or trees) How does lighting relate to the other design elements? How is sound used in the production? To accompany a moment? To set location? To create mood and/or atmosphere? To create a background? How does the use of sound enhance the production? (e.g. the use of microphones, the use of effects (i.e. echo phasing, reverberation, different acoustic effects), the use of music, the choice of ambient sound effects) Is the choice and use of music appropriate? What does it add to the production? How is sound used to characterise moments in the play? 4
HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR ANSWERS Introduction. Address the question and say how you are going to answer it. The question is usually phrased with plenty of detail. This is to help you remember all the points they want to see. Don t ignore parts of the question, you will lose marks. Make your POINT, EXPLAIN your point, give an EXAMPLE of your point. Think about relationships with others on stage, status, climaxes, anticlimaxes, the tension and how this was demonstrated? DON T FORGET! You are talking about a PLAY script you have performed not an English text. A play is designed to be performed on stage. This is a Page to stage issue. The examiners have often commented that best candidates are the ones that really do know how they would play a character on stage rather than just writing some vague ideas about it in theory. COMMON MISTAKES!! Not answering the question! If there is a list of things in the question, it s there to help you cover all the things the examiner want to know. Forgetting the playwright! Answering too many or too few questions Not using the time equally there are equal marks for each question do not spend longer on one question than the other Not using the whole time Not planning Rushing Not using drawings or diagrams where relevant Telling the story of the play not analysing the acting or design Repeating the same points trying to get marks for the same thing. Not explaining a point Not making reference to the actual script Not using specialist vocabulary. Stating the obvious rather than showing real knowledge. Spelling really important things incorrectly eg Rehearsal, character, performance. YOU MUST: Be specific 5
Tell me about techniques Write enough to get good marks- a short paragraph will not get you 20 marks. On the AQA website there is an example of a past paper it s really good practice! www.aqa.org.uk More hints on answering Questions (Written Exam) Use a thesaurus to give yourself some handy adjectives. Here are some that you can use in Section A or in section C when analysing what you have seen. Voice :- soft, harsh, lilting, quiet, brash, stuttering, an accent, slow, fast, Movements :- lumbering, slow, lethargic, fast, light, scampering, upright, proud, head in air, etc. - think of your own descriptions. Gestures :- what do they do with their hands? Hands are very expressive and they tell a lot about a character, and what is going on inside that character. Tapping, nervous, tense, drumming, highly strung, het-up, constantly "twiddling" hair in fingers, etc. etc. There is no end to what you can include here. Sometimes it s very hard to describe a character you played (section A) or one you have seen played (section C) Here, you should visualise in your head a picture of the character and what they are like, and what is actually happening at this point in the play. Sometimes speeches have changes of mood in them. The character may start in one mood and go through a variety of moods in the course of the speech. So do not just give one standard way of presenting the speech, but look carefully to see where changes occur, and then decide what those changes are, and how they may be practically implemented by the actor. The practical skills that an actor has at his or her disposal obviously involves use of voice, body, face, and the space provided. Think about how the actor may change his or her voice at any given time during the speech. Think about what actions the actor could introduce at given points in the speech. Think about how the actor could use his or her face to show what they are thinking at any given point during the speech. BE WARNED! You should NOT say, for example, the actor should look puzzled at this point, you should instead say the actor sinks down to the floor, his mouth open, scratching his head with a pencil, and staring wide-eyed at 6
whatever puzzles him. You should also indicate how the actor could move about within the space, saying at what point he or she sits, stands, kneels down, jumps up, etc. etc. You should indicate at what point these things happen, by pinpointing a line of dialogue, phrase or word that corresponds. Remember to use your imagination in your answers. You will be given the opportunity to give your own personal opinions and ideas. So if you think things through for yourself, you can't really be wrong. So just have a go! Let the examiner see that you can think and plan dramatically. All questions will be based on or around how the plays can be presented to an audience, so think about this when you are revising. Your spelling, punctuation and grammar will be taken into account when being marked. You must write in complete sentences. Just answer the question! Do not waffle. Answer each part of the question. Sometimes they give you help by giving a list of things to write about or take into account. Make sure you cover all the things they suggest! The person marking your paper will have the same list, if you ignore it they will not be able to give you as many marks. Remember that no matter what marks you have been getting for practice essays, you can improve upon that grade. With careful planning you can go into this exam fully prepared and able to pass comfortably. ALL of you are capable of getting a good pass overall, so aim high! Good luck and remember I m really proud of you. Mrs L. 7