Examiner's report advice Drama

Candidates were most comfortable when writing about ‘characters’, less so when dealing with ‘themes’ apart from 1(b) and 5(b). In these cases where candidates really got to grips with the key terms of the question and produced many excellent responses in which they explored Friel’s and Russell’s dramatic techniques in depth. Theme questions were answered better at (f) tier where candidates followed the bullet format successfully. In general, examiners found that dramatic techniques were still a differentiator between higher and lower achieving candidates with the former providing a sustained focus on these that moved far beyond a reliance on stage directions, though they noted, also, that there was an increase in the appropriate usage of drama specific vocabulary.

Higher achieving candidates demonstrated their capacity to be analytical in their responses whilst others lapsed into explanation, description or narrative and paraphrasing, particularly with 4(a) and 5(a) which produced too many character profiles with insufficient focus on ‘changes for the better’ and ‘pitied’. Though many examiners did note that there were fewer narrative responses this year and an increase in candidates’ ability to assimilate material successfully from ‘elsewhere in the play’ into their arguments, apart from 4(b) which produced a narrow focus on Birling and Mrs Birling.

Finally, many candidates are still determined to incorporate AO4 into this section when it is not asked for or examined. Whilst I would not wish to discourage students from making meaningful contextual comments that enhance an argument in relation to the stem of the question, too many are wasting a considerable effort and time providing unnecessary information on Priestley’s political leanings or a history of Thatcherite Britain as seen in Blood Brothers.