CCEA A-Level Performing Arts skills: the assessment objectives, disciplines, portfolio and evaluation explained

CCEA A-Level Performing Arts (specification first taught 2016) is set and marked by CCEA in Northern Ireland, and it is wholly coursework: there is no written exam. Beyond the content of each unit, the course rewards a set of skills that run across every unit, the four assessment objectives, command of a chosen discipline, a clear evidence trail, and critical evaluation. This overview maps each skill and how to practise it.

The four assessment objectives

Every unit is marked against four objectives, and knowing them tells you what to put in your portfolio.

• AO1 - apply skills and knowledge. Demonstrate practical performance or production skills in a real context.
• AO2 - use research and resources. Investigate repertoire, practitioners and styles, and let that research drive your decisions.
• AO3 - plan, develop and realise. Plan and deliver a piece or event, working effectively alone and within a group.
• AO4 - evaluate and reflect. Judge the process and outcome critically, with evidence.

The AS units lean towards AO1 and AO2; the A2 units lean towards AO3 and AO4.

The disciplines

You specialise in a pathway rather than covering every art form.

• Performance: acting (voice, movement, characterisation), dance (technique, choreography, control), music (musicianship and ensemble), and musical theatre (the integration of all three).
• Production and technical: lighting, sound, stage management, set, costume and direction, each marked on design intent and disciplined process.

You are assessed on the depth of a chosen discipline, not the breadth of the form.

The portfolio and supporting document

Because there is no exam, the portfolio is the assessment. It typically holds a skills audit, a research log, a rehearsal record, a risk assessment, and a record and evaluation. The planning units add a supporting document that tracks how an event was planned, developed and realised. The rule is to evidence decisions with reasons, keep the record live and dated, and signpost the objective each entry serves.

Evaluation and reflection

AO4 runs through every unit. A top-band evaluation:

• States the intention it is judging against.
• Assesses process and outcome with specific evidence (footage, surveys, feedback).
• Balances strengths and weaknesses honestly.
• Reaches a forward-looking conclusion about what you would change and why.

The lowest band is general and unsupported; specificity and a forward step lift the band.

How to practise these skills

A coursework subject is revised by building habits, not by cramming facts.

1. Treat the objectives as the constant. Match your evidence to the objective each unit prizes.
2. Go deep in one discipline. Name a specific skill, practise it deliberately, and log it.
3. Keep the portfolio live. Write dated entries as work happens, and signpost the objectives.
4. Evidence decisions, not activity. Record choices with reasons and the research behind them.
5. Reflect continuously. Judge each run with evidence and set the next target.

The skills, dot point by dot point

Each skill has a dedicated page with worked questions and cross-links, plus a quiz. Browse the full set at /ccea-a-level/performing-arts/syllabus.

For the official specification

CCEA publishes the full specification and support materials at ccea.org.uk. Always work from the current CCEA specification and your centre's controlled-assessment guidance, because requirements are board-specific.