Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Drama GCSE - help pls!

24 replies

SheffEeled · 21/02/2018 20:27

DD is in year 10 and due do a piece of group work that will contribute to her final grade. Her group have been really flakey despite her persistent attempts to organise and encourage. The piece is going to be performed next week but they are totally not ready. DD is very stressed.

I am wondering whether as she is in year 10, this is actually ust a dry run and she will do the proper assessed piece next year when she will be in year 11. Her teachers are saying it is really really important which is freaking her out! I've tried to find out the exam board but to no avail.

Any words of wisdom? DD foresaw these problems when the groups were first announced and asked to be put with others who like her were more dedicated but this was not allowed.

Will this piece really count towards her final grade, and what can she do if her group won't even turn up to rehearse?

OP posts:
LIZS · 21/02/2018 21:57

Dd did 5 practical pieces in y10-11 of which the best 2 scores counted towards the final result. However the structure has changed now with more emphasis on the written paper.

Original poster
SheffEeled · 22/02/2018 12:22

Wow, 5 pieces! One a term then. We have been given no info as parents about any of this which seems poor.

DD has just texted to say the teacher has agreed to push back the assessment to the end of next week to allow the group more time to rehearse, which is great. However, DD has been trying since Christmas to get the rest of the group to get their act together with little success. I am worrying that a proportion of her grade is dependent on her being able to actually shift lazy kids into action, more than anything else.

Can we expect the teacher to be helping with this. Apparently all the other groups are all sorted - DD's group has just her and one other who are committed. The other 4/5 would rather be smoking dope apparently Angry

OP posts:
AppleKatie · 22/02/2018 12:28

It’s possible that this assessment ‘counts’ but I’d be surprised tbh- much more likely this is a mock because of the timing.

The teacher may think that telling them it’s a mock will not yield the best results in lazy students...

I would phone or email the teacher for clarification. Rest assured that marks given are always individual- it is possible for someone to get an A(or 8/9!) and someone else a U (1/2) in the same group. That said a committed group would obviously make it more likely that your DD will succeed.

Original poster
SheffEeled · 22/02/2018 12:36

Thank you. I have been trying to reassure DD, but she is adamant the teacher says it counts. It has to be performed in assembly in front of the whole of her year group, so she is also worried about being totally embarrassed - I think 'lame' is the word.

I understand that marks are given individually, but if the others have made no contribution, don't know where to be or what to say, how can DD get a good grade?

I need to speak to the teacher. Can groups be changed part-way through the course do you know?

OP posts:
AppleKatie · 22/02/2018 12:42

Groups will be different for each of the assessments.

Performing in assembly seems madness to me- possible scare tactics?

She will be marked on her contribution- if this is the real thing there will be accompanying coursework that is worth the bulk of the marks anyway. Eg, OCR devising is something like 20 marks performance 50 marks portfolio.

Original poster
SheffEeled · 22/02/2018 13:05

Definitely performing in assembly - hence being able to shift the performance to a different day next week is quite a big thing according to the teacher (it was going to be performed to all of year 10, now it will be to all of year 11).

It's a relief to hear that groups aren't set in stone.

If I ask the teacher 'is this the real thing' - she won't lie to me will she, to keep the pressure up for DD?

OP posts:
AppleKatie · 22/02/2018 13:58

I wouldn’t - but I can’t speak for all teachers! But then I probably wouldn’t have lied to your DD either.

I would explain to the teacher that DD is very anxious and that in turn you are concerned about the effect it will have on her grade.

Original poster
SheffEeled · 22/02/2018 20:26

Update - DD has found out the exam board is AQA. I've had a look and while I can see how many marks this piece will be, I can't see how many chances they get at doing a performance or if this really is it.

DD's teacher has sent a holding email to me - with a promise of a full response within two school days. She is pregnant so has a lot on her plate, but obviously someone else will be taking the class over at some point - not sure if that is a good thing or not! This has given me a real kick to find out more about her courses so not all bad I suppose.

OP posts:
Scabbersley · 22/02/2018 20:29

dd is in year 10 and doing AQA drama. She hasnt even finished her piece yet! No performance until at least much later this year if not in year 11.

But I am amazed the fact that it is a performance is so stressful. Its Drama! What did she expect?

Scabbersley · 22/02/2018 20:30

tbh I am not sure what you are trying to achieve with emailing the teacher

it either counts towards her exam, in which case she has to do it and there is nothing you can do about it

or it doesnt count towards her exam, in which case it is a dry run, not stressful and there is nothing you can do about it!

AppleKatie · 22/02/2018 20:32

Being pregnant might mean the teacher has decided it’s in the kids best interests to do the assessment with her before she goes off.

How many times they do it is entirely up to the school. Some schools dont do any mocks some one or even two. With the new specs most wont have time for more than 1 if that.

Original poster
SheffEeled · 22/02/2018 20:33

Oh, that is really helpful, thank you. So schools get to choose when they do this? In which case this may just be a mock. Hope so.

As for finding it stressful - DD loves drama. She performs regularly in an outside theatre group. Her stress is being in a group with kids who though doing a drama gcse was a doss and who don't want to do the work. She's not used to this!

OP posts:
Original poster
SheffEeled · 22/02/2018 20:37

I've emailed the teacher to find out if this is a mock. That seems perfectly reasonable. If so, DD need not fret so much, and can try to push to be put with different kids for the real thing.

If it is the real thing, then I'm going to need to be very supportive over the next week.

Odd attitude to question my action imo Scabbersley.

Thank you again Apple. I just have to wait for the response from the teacher I guess.

OP posts:
ToHullAndBack · 22/02/2018 20:38

Hi op. My ds is also in year 10 and doing drama GCSE.

We had his parents evening recently and his teacher told me that the odds had changed re: practical/written work.

The written piece is now worth 70% of the final grade and the practical 30%.

She said that they will not be doing the official practical group exam until early next year but are doing lots of practice.

I would be surprised if they are doing the official one so early.

IhaveChillyToes · 22/02/2018 20:42

When DS did drama A Level (and iirc at GCSE) at the beginning each of the cast line up then speak to a video camera set up to video the exam/performance

They say their name and candidate number (and the character I think)

The first one also sets the scene, name of play and playwright etc etc

This video is sent to exam board

They also have an examiner watching

Parents could also watch the performance

If your DD doesn't have her candidate number yet I would guess this is a mock but my DS was several years ago so might have changed

Get her to ask teacher if they are being videoed to be sent off cos that might give the answer

Although they might be videoed for them to watch back iyswim

IhaveChillyToes · 22/02/2018 20:46

BTW drama groups can be like hearing cats but when it comes to "real" exams they seem to get sorted ok

IhaveChillyToes · 22/02/2018 20:47

Herding cats I mean

BubblesBuddy · 22/02/2018 22:41

My DDs GCSE Drama piece was performed in front of the examiner and, the following evening, in front of parents and friends in the theatre. They were lucky. Everyone worked hard but it was a school that was very very strong in Drama and flaky ones were strongly discouraged. A*s for everyone was the norm. All the devised work was polished and performed in y11, but it was the old syllabus.

I can see why your DD is furious, and I completely sympathise, but I don’t see why this performance counts. Is the examiner coming to the assembly? Seems unlikely.

The teacher has thought your DD would improve the performance of the ones who should not be doing the subject. They should have been grouped together and your DD should have been in a like minded group. If this is a collaborative effort, it will be difficult for her. Collaboration is not a group of one!

I might ask the teacher if she can move groups. It’s only February of the first year.

Scabbersley · 23/02/2018 00:05

and can try to push to be put with different kids for the real thing

No, the groups are set now and they need to work together for their performance

TeenTimesTwo · 23/02/2018 10:47

DD1 did drama under the old specs. They did their examined performance straight after Easter in y11. Before that, the teacher spent a lot of time experimenting with different group combinations to try to find groups that fitted well together and to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each pupil. This meant that they could be put into sensible groups and allocated 'suitable' performance pieces that would show their strengths and hide their weaknesses.

In y10 they did 'Bouncers' and DD was dire in it. It didn't suit her at all. But she got an A for her actual performance piece in y11. The group and the piece can make a tremendous difference.

I really hope for your DD that this is just a trial, or at least something that can be discarded if not good enough.

BubblesBuddy · 23/02/2018 11:05

Both my DDs got 1 mark below full marks for their acting pieces but of course the quality of the piece counts. Neither were great actors. The whole year was given a theme in y11 and then they devised pieces based on the genre. So melodrama for one and I’m not sure what the other was, but it was black humour and gothic! Lighting, costumes, stage management, and lots of other things came into it. Not least co-operation with others. The whole finished production was based on each group acting their piece with a link narration to thread it together.

If the teacher is so ridiculously rigid and is prepared to compromise your DDs results, I wonder why your DD is continuing? I would take this further and not accept this compromise. I would want a lot more information about how the devised acting element is constructed and staged. For a child that does acting outside school an A* in the acting part is easily achievable.

Do they really get loads of chances at doing a piece? Who is marking it? Ask how it will be marked. What about costume, lighting, stage management, props, sound and music, programme notes for the examiner etc? My DDs school made sure the girls did all of this to the highest level. I think you sadly have a second class drama department. It seems very odd to do this at an assembly in y10.

MrsSnitch · 23/02/2018 13:13

This sounds like one of the various internally moderated pieces they do, not the filmed performance in front of the examiner.

Original poster
SheffEeled · 23/02/2018 19:42

Update - there is no update. I expect I'll hear on Monday.

DD is still sure it is assessed and for her final grade. She doesn't think it is being recorded or that an outside assessor is coming in. From looking at the spec it says marked by teacher, externally moderated, so I assume they will video it. If in fact this is the real one. Having said that, we have no candidate number that we know of Hmm

Will keep you posted!

OP posts:
AppleKatie · 23/02/2018 21:24

She might well be given the candidate number on the day. But if she isn’t and especially if it isn’t videod it won’t count. Did DD watch others do it today? Were they videod?

New posts on this thread. Refresh page