What are the four Eduqas Drama and Theatre assessment objectives, how are they weighted, and which component carries which?
The assessment objectives and weightings: AO1 (create and develop), AO2 (apply skills in performance), AO3 (knowledge of how theatre is made), AO4 (analyse and evaluate), their headline weightings, and how each is distributed across the three components.
The four Eduqas A-Level Drama and Theatre assessment objectives (AO1 create and develop, AO2 apply skills in performance, AO3 knowledge of how theatre is made, AO4 analyse and evaluate), their headline weightings of 20, 30, 30 and 20 per cent, and how they map onto the three components.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas assesses Drama and Theatre against four assessment objectives, and the same four run through all three components. AO1 is creating and developing ideas; AO2 is applying skills to realise them in performance; AO3 is knowledge and understanding of how theatre is made and performed; AO4 is analysing and evaluating your own work and the work of others. Their headline weightings are AO1 20 per cent, AO2 30 per cent, AO3 30 per cent, AO4 20 per cent. Knowing what each rewards, and where it is tested, tells you what to prioritise in every piece of work.
The answer
The four objectives and what each rewards
- AO1 (20 per cent): create and develop ideas to communicate meaning, connecting theory and practice. Rewarded by genuine development of a concept, not a single fixed idea.
- AO2 (30 per cent): apply theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performance. Rewarded by specific, controlled vocal, physical and design choices that achieve an effect.
- AO3 (30 per cent): knowledge and understanding of how drama and theatre is developed and performed. Rewarded by accurate knowledge applied as a theatre maker, not recited.
- AO4 (20 per cent): analyse and evaluate your own work and the work of others. Rewarded by clear, supported judgements with evidence.
Where each objective lives
The objectives are not spread evenly. Mapping them to the components tells you what each task is really testing.
- Component 1 Theatre Workshop: AO1 and AO2.
- Component 2 Text in Action: AO1, AO2 and AO4.
- Component 3 Text in Performance: AO3 and AO4.
Examples in context
A Component 1 creative-log evaluation is credited under AO1, the reflecting strand: the marks are in the supported judgements about specific choices, so an answer that only describes what happened, with no judgement, leaves most of the marks on the table.
Try this
Q1. State the headline weighting of each objective. [4 marks]
- Cue. AO1 20 per cent, AO2 30 per cent, AO3 30 per cent, AO4 20 per cent.
Q2. Name the objectives assessed in each of the three components. [3 marks]
- Cue. Component 1: AO1, AO2. Component 2: AO1, AO2, AO4. Component 3: AO3 and AO4.
Q3. Explain the four assessment objectives and what each rewards. [8 marks]
- What the marker wants. AO1 (developing ideas, theory to practice), AO2 (realising choices in performance), AO3 (applied knowledge of how theatre is made), AO4 (supported judgements), each paired with what earns it (AO3).
A note on application
This guide is AI-written and not individually human-reviewed. The objectives, their wording and their weightings are set by Eduqas and reviewed periodically, so always confirm the current assessment grids with your centre and the Eduqas specification.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas A690 SAM8 marksExplain the four assessment objectives in Eduqas Drama and Theatre and what each rewards. [8]Show worked answer →
A knowledge task on the objectives (AO3).
Method. State AO1 (create and develop ideas, connecting theory and practice), AO2 (apply theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performance), AO3 (knowledge and understanding of how drama and theatre is developed and performed) and AO4 (analyse and evaluate own and others' work).
Develop. A strong answer pairs each objective with what earns it (a developed idea, a realised performance choice, accurate knowledge applied, a supported judgement). The best answers note the headline weightings. Weaker answers list the objectives without what they reward.
Eduqas A690 assessment grids6 marksState the headline weighting of each assessment objective across the A-level. [6]Show worked answer →
A recall task on the weightings (AO3).
Method. Give the headline figures: AO1 20 per cent, AO2 30 per cent, AO3 30 per cent, AO4 20 per cent.
Develop. A strong answer notes that AO2 and AO3 carry the most marks overall, and that AO2 is concentrated in the practical components while AO3 is concentrated in the written exam. Weaker answers misstate or omit figures.
Related dot points
- Component 1 Theatre Workshop: a practical reinterpretation of an extract from a text in the style of one chosen practitioner or company, performed or designed, with a creative log, internally assessed and externally moderated (AO1 and AO2).
An Eduqas A-Level Drama and Theatre guide to Component 1 Theatre Workshop: reinterpreting an extract in the style of one practitioner as a performer or designer, the creative log, internal assessment and external moderation, the marks (60, 20 per cent) and how AO1 and AO2 are earned.
- Component 2 Text in Action: two performances from a WJEC stimulus (a devised piece influenced by a different practitioner and an extract from a professionally produced text in a contrasting style) plus a process and evaluation report, assessed by a visiting examiner (AO1, AO2 and AO4).
An Eduqas A-Level Drama and Theatre guide to Component 2 Text in Action: a devised piece influenced by a different practitioner and a performance of an extract from a professionally produced text, both from a WJEC stimulus, plus a process and evaluation report, assessed by a visiting examiner over 120 marks (40 per cent) against AO1, AO2 and AO4.
- Component 3 Text in Performance: a 2 hour 30 minute written exam in three sections on two complete set texts (one pre-1956, one post-1956) and an extract from a third, answered as a theatre maker, assessing AO3 and AO4 across 120 marks (40 per cent).
An Eduqas A-Level Drama and Theatre guide to Component 3 Text in Performance: the 2 hour 30 minute written exam, its three sections on two complete set texts (one pre-1956, one post-1956) and a printed extract from a third, answered as a theatre maker, assessing AO3 and AO4 across 120 marks (40 per cent).
- The creative log for Component 1: documenting research into the practitioner, the development of the reinterpretation, and a reflective evaluation of the process and outcome, so the written evidence supports AO1, the researching, developing and reflecting strand.
What the Eduqas Component 1 creative log must contain: research into the practitioner, the development of the reinterpreted extract, and a reflective evaluation, written as evidence of the theatre-making process to earn AO1, the researching, developing and reflecting strand, rather than as a diary or a plot summary.
- Answering as a theatre maker and open-book technique: realising the text in performance (specific staging and design choices tied to audience effect) rather than writing literary criticism, and using the clean open-book copy for accuracy and precise reference, not reading on the day (AO3 and AO4).
How to answer Eduqas Component 3 as a theatre maker: realising the set text in performance through specific staging and design choices tied to audience effect rather than literary criticism, and using the clean open-book copy for accuracy and precise reference rather than reading on the day, to earn AO3 and AO4.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas A Level Drama and Theatre specification (A690) — Eduqas (WJEC) (2023)
- Eduqas A Level Drama and Theatre assessment grids — Eduqas (WJEC) (2025)