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Read the extract

The section of the exam focused on the set text will start with a short extract. It is important to read this carefully before attempting to answer any questions, as some of them will be directly related to it. It can be useful to try to picture how the scene might look on stage while reading, as the questions will focus on personal interpretation.

Type of question

In this section, there are 45 marks available split across seven questions. Each question provides between 2 and 15 marks.

Different questions require a response from different perspectives:

• performer - consider how physical and vocal skills might be used to portray a character, how the performer uses space and their stage positioning
• designer - focus on the design ideas that are appropriate to the play and the type of staging selected

Command words - name, describe, explain and suggest

Each question will feature exam command words, which relate to how a question should be answered. There are a range of command words in the written exam:

• name
• describe
• explain
• suggest

To name is to identify something using the recognised technical term. When asked to name two rehearsal skills, a response could be hot-seating and improvisation. While name-based questions tend to carry lower marks, the answer must be precise to gain the marks available.

To describe is to set out the characteristics of something, often in detail. For example, a description of a costume could look like this:

I would dress him in a slightly oversized black blazer with some of the buttons missing and the elbows covered with spare patches of mismatched fabric. Under the blazer, he would wear an off-white shirt with small rips.

To explain is to set out the purposes or reasons behind a point that has been made. Some questions will require an explanation as well as a description. The explanation for the above description could look like this:

By dressing the character in this way, I would be able to convey to the audience that the character had fallen on hard times. This would also provide the audience with a key understanding about the historical context of the play and how challenging life could be for working-class people at this time.

To suggest is to present appropriate ideas to create an effect on stage. It is vital that any suggestions show an understanding of the question. For example, in a question asking for suggestions of how vocal skills would be used, the response needs to make reference to specific vocal skills, eg tone, pace and pitch.