Tour operators and travel agents: roles, services, distribution channels

IGCSE Drama (0411) – Syllabus Notes (Revised)

1. Aims & Learning Outcomes

The IGCSE Drama course develops students’ ability to:

• Enjoy and appreciate drama as a creative and cultural activity.
• Analyse, interpret and perform extracts from published plays (AO1).
• Devise original drama from a stimulus, demonstrating planning, rehearsal and evaluation (AO2).
• Apply practical performance techniques – voice, movement, characterisation and use of space (AO3).
• Use specialist terminology accurately and communicate ideas clearly in written and oral tasks.

2. Syllabus Structure & Assessment Overview

2.1 Command‑Word Table (Exam Use)

2.2 Assessment Criteria (Levels 1‑5) – Summary

2.3 Component 2 Checklist (Practical Assessment)

• Extract work
  • Choose a 2‑minute extract from the approved list (e.g., Shakespeare, Ibsen, contemporary play).
  • Rehearse to achieve clear diction, appropriate projection and purposeful movement.
  • Record in a well‑lit, quiet space; camera steady; whole performance visible.
  • File name: CandidateNumber_Extract.mp4.
• Devised work
  • Select a stimulus (poem, picture, song lyric, news article, object).
  • Follow the four‑stage devising process (see §7).
  • Performance must be 2 minutes (±10 %).
  • Record with clear audio, visible actors, and simple set/props.
  • File name: CandidateNumber_Devised.mp4.
• Both videos must be submitted before the deadline and conform to the Cambridge video‑recording standards (resolution ≥ 720p, frame rate ≥ 25 fps, no editing that alters performance).

3. Core Elements of Practical Drama

These are the building blocks examined in the syllabus. Each element should be demonstrated in rehearsals and performances.

• Structure & Plot – Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. Example: In Romeo & Juliet, the climax is the double suicide.
• Characterisation – Creation of believable, consistent characters through voice, movement, objectives and choices.
• Dialogue – Spoken language that reveals character, advances plot and creates rhythm.
• Physicality & Movement – Body language, gesture and choreography that convey meaning beyond words.
• Pacing & Timing – Speed of action and strategic pauses that build tension or release.
• Tension & Conflict – The struggle that drives the drama forward.
• Proxemics (Spatial Relationships) – Use of distance, level and orientation to show relationships and power.
• Audience Communication – Direct address, eye‑contact, breaking the fourth wall and other techniques that involve the audience in the drama.

4. Performance Skills

• Vocal Techniques – Projection, articulation, pitch, pace, emotional tone and breath control.
• Physical Techniques – Balance, coordination, gesture, facial expression and controlled movement.
• Use of Space – Moving confidently on stage, creating focus points, using levels and off‑stage areas.
• Role Creation – Research, imagination and experimentation to develop a character’s objectives, obstacles and relationships.
• Sustaining a Role – Maintaining character consistency throughout a performance.
• Audience Interaction – Adjusting performance in response to audience reaction, using eye‑contact and timing.

5. Staging & Design

Design elements support and enhance the dramatic text.

• Set – Physical environment (flats, platforms, scenery). Example: A single broken chair can suggest poverty.
• Costume – Clothing and accessories that indicate character, period and status.
• Props – Objects used by actors; must be functional and purposeful.
• Lighting – Mood, focus, time of day and symbolic meaning (e.g., a red wash for danger).
• Sound & Music – Ambient sounds, effects and score that create atmosphere or cue action.
• Stage Space – Proscenium, thrust, arena or black‑box configurations and their impact on audience‑actor relationships.

6. Working with Published Plays (Extract Work)

1. Analyse the Text – Identify genre, style, theme, character relationships and key dramatic moments.
2. Actor’s Perspective – Choose objectives, sub‑text and physical choices for the role.
3. Director’s Perspective – Decide on staging, pacing, emphasis and overall concept.
4. Designer’s Perspective – Propose set, costume and lighting ideas that support the director’s vision.

Sample Extract (Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act II, Scene 1)

PUCK:
How now! what art thou?
…
LOVER:
I am a spirit of the forest.

Possible focus: contrast the fairy’s mischievous tone with the lover’s romantic longing; choose moonlit lighting, ethereal costumes and fluid movement.

7. Devising Original Drama from a Stimulus

7.1 Types of Stimulus (Cambridge approved)

• Poem (e.g., William Blake – “The Tyger”).
• Picture or photograph.
• Song lyric.
• Social issue or news article.
• Physical object (e.g., a broken clock).

7.2 Devising Process (Four Stages)

1. Brainstorm & Scenario – Generate ideas, emotions and a clear situation with a beginning, middle and end.
2. Character & Conflict Creation – Define characters, their objectives and the obstacles they face.
3. Rehearsal & Refinement – Experiment with dialogue, movement and design; edit for clarity and pacing.
4. Evaluation – Reflect on how well the piece responds to the stimulus, meets dramatic criteria and uses theatrical conventions.

7.3 Example Stimulus & Outline

Stimulus: Poem – “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost.

• Scenario: Two siblings stand at a crossroads after a family tragedy, each choosing a different path.
• Characters: Older sister (pragmatic) & younger brother (idealistic).
• Conflict: Diverging values – responsibility versus freedom.
• Structure: 2‑minute piece – exposition (the crossroads), climax (the decision), resolution (a moment of silent understanding).
• Design Ideas: Minimal set – a painted road on the floor; lighting shifts from warm amber to cool blue as the decision is made.

8. Glossary of Key Drama Terminology

9. Key Points for Examination

• Remember the four stages of devising and be ready to apply them to any stimulus.
• When analysing an extract, comment on: genre, theme, character objectives, dramatic techniques, and possible staging choices.
• Use terminology precisely; the command‑word table guides how you structure answers.
• In performance‑skill questions, refer to specific techniques (e.g., “projected voice at 80 dB” or “low centre of gravity for a crouching character”).
• Link design choices to dramatic meaning (e.g., “a stark white set creates a sense of isolation”).
• For Component 2, check the video‑recording checklist and ensure the performance length is within the required limits.

10. Suggested Diagram – Devising Flowchart

11. Practice Questions

1. Explain how a director might use lighting to highlight tension in a scene from a published play.
2. Using the poem “The Road Not Taken” as a stimulus, outline the four stages of the devising process and suggest one possible dramatic outcome.
3. Identify three performance‑skill techniques that help an actor sustain a role throughout a two‑hour performance.
4. Compare the ways in which a set designer and a costume designer each contribute to the audience’s understanding of a character’s social status.
5. Analyse the sub‑text in the following extract (provide a short excerpt of your choice) and suggest a staging choice that would reveal it.