I remember when I was doing my A Levels there weren't a whole lot of resources particularly when it came to A Level Drama coursework. So I compiled the guide that I used to write my Concept Pro Forma to achieve an A* (57/60) in my NEA: Exploring and Performing Texts unit for OCR A LEVEL DRAMA in 20...
AIM: To demonstrate understanding of the whole text and focus on what/why selections made +
individual response the candidate is making, during the examined performance extract.
DO: ensure concept pro-forma is within the suggested length, proof-read responses to avoid spelling
and grammatical errors, recognise importance of writing about decisions on setting, lighting and
sound in shaping the atmosphere, good responses reflected practitioners they had studied and how
this might influence their own thinking on the way they would interpret the text and perform it.
DON'T - The most common issues were:
● Grappling w/ overall vision for the performance but then fall back into the role played by the
individual candidate or a potted history of the social, cultural and historical context of the text.
● Approaching the text from the single standpoint of the role they were playing.
● Focusing on rehearsal process/ individual role – in isolation to performance text as a whole.
● Devoting too much attention to the start of the document, and running out of steam later on.
● Scattergun approach, throwing out references to practitioners or drama terminology without
really understanding what they were writing = no point if irrelevant to the text explored.
● Most common causes of not passing Under-rehearsal; acting role with insufficient demand
● Avoiding potential malpractice: writing of the concept pro-forma is an individual activity and
must not contain common sections or paragraphs
● Needed to be more focused on the whole text rather than the scene being performed.
What are the demands of the text? You should consider the original intentions of the
playwright and how this may have been performed by others for a present-day audience. You
must include examples from your practical work on the whole text. (recommended 500 words)
Q1: Don't talk about individual performance, offer comparative research on other productions (not just
a few basic details from online) + don't say you ‘read the synopsis’ rather than the whole play, don't
mention extract(s)/chosen, nor the way they are to be performed in the examination. FOCUS ON:
● Demands of the whole play: style, setting, characters, action, use of language, period, any
challenges that the actors/directors/designers face, contemporary audience demands etc
● How this has been performed in the past / for a present day audience (this was often ignored)
● Examples should quote understanding based on practical work on the whole text. This could
include the work done in studying the whole text before selecting the extracts.
● What does the candidate know about performing the play that has been selected, researched,
studied and practised? eg. intention of playwright, theatrical reviews
Examiner Report - WWW:
● High-level analysis of own dramatic intentions, applying dramatic knowledge and
understanding of techniques and practitioners and clear in-depth understanding of their texts
● Good understanding of the characters and plot of the performance text, generally combined
with the ability to set it in its social, cultural and historical context.
● Strong answers addressed the context of the playwright and the genre and style of the play.
● Good practice included commenting on previous productions that were then compared to their
own interpretation + considered in light of the modern day audience perspective
ERRORS - Need to balance when the heading is asking for more than one thing
● Writing about either the challenges of the content of the play, or the challenges of the specific
role they were allocated to perform.
● Sweeping generalisations about socio-economic significance of the text studied
● Sweeping generalisations about the intentions of the playwright in portraying these issues
● Lengthy accounts of playwright’s intentions which made the actual demands forgotten
● While there was some contextual understanding, this could have been enhanced with further
depth and looking into previous productions of the play.
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