AQA A-Level Drama and Theatre practical components: a complete overview of Component 2 (Creating Original Drama) and Component 3 (Making Theatre)

AQA A-Level Drama and Theatre (specification 7262) is assessed through one written exam and two practical components. This guide is a house-style overview of those two practical, non-exam assessments: Component 2, Creating Original Drama, and Component 3, Making Theatre. Together they make up 60% of the A-level. They are practical and process-led rather than a body of written knowledge to revise, so this guide explains how they are structured and assessed rather than teaching content to memorise.

The two practical components at a glance

Both components are worth 60 marks and 30% of the A-level, and both require the influence of one practitioner chosen from AQA's prescribed list.

• Component 2: Creating Original Drama. Devising. You create an original piece influenced by the methodology of one prescribed practitioner. Assessed by a working notebook (40 marks) and a devised performance (20 marks). Marked by the centre, moderated by AQA.
• Component 3: Making Theatre. Text-based interpretation. You explore three extracts from three different plays and perform the third, assessed extract in the style of a prescribed practitioner. Assessed by the performance of the assessed extract (40 marks) and a reflective report (20 marks). Marked by an AQA examiner.

Component 2: Creating Original Drama

Component 2 is the devising component. From a stimulus, your group creates an original piece of theatre that must show the influence of one prescribed practitioner. You specialise as a performer, designer or director, and you keep a working notebook documenting your research, your practitioner influence, your creative decisions and your evaluation. The notebook carries 40 of the 60 marks, so the quality of your documentation and reflection is as important as the performance. The component chiefly assesses AO1 through the notebook and AO2 through the performance.

Component 3: Making Theatre

Component 3 is the text-based practical component. You practically explore three extracts from three different plays, applying knowledge from across the course. The third extract is performed and assessed, and it must show the influence of a prescribed practitioner who is different from the one you used in Component 2. A reflective report analyses and evaluates your interpretation of all three extracts. The performance carries 40 marks and the report 20, and the whole component is marked by an AQA examiner. It chiefly assesses AO2 through the performance and AO4 through the report.

How the practitioners connect the components

The prescribed practitioner list runs right through the qualification. You study practitioners as knowledge for the written exam, then apply one in Component 2 and a different one in Component 3. Because you need two different practitioners for the practical work, it pays to know several from the list in depth: Stanislavski, Brecht, Artaud, Berkoff, Joan Littlewood, Jacques Lecoq, Frantic Assembly, Complicite, Kneehigh, Katie Mitchell, Punchdrunk and DV8.

How to approach the practical components

1. Know several practitioners well. You need two different ones for the practical components, so depth across the list gives you flexibility.
2. Choose a practitioner that suits the material. Match the methodology to your stimulus or extract rather than forcing a fashionable choice.
3. Apply specific techniques. Name and use concrete methods, not a vague sense of the practitioner's style.
4. Document and reflect as you go. The notebook and report carry a third of each component's marks, so capture decisions, intentions and evaluation throughout.
5. Focus on your specialism. Keep your evidence and assessment centred on the role you are assessed in.

For the official specification

AQA publishes the full specification (7262), including the prescribed practitioner list and the requirements for both practical components, at aqa.org.uk. Always work from the current specification, because the prescribed list and component requirements are board-specific.