Practical components overview: how the WJEC A-Level Drama and Theatre Component 1 Theatre Workshop and Component 2 Text in Action non-exam assessments work

This overview maps the two non-exam assessment components of WJEC A-Level Drama and Theatre: Component 1 Theatre Workshop and Component 2 Text in Action. Together they are the practical heart of the qualification and carry 60 per cent of the marks, with the Component 3 written exam carrying the other 40 per cent. Where the written paper tests knowledge in writing, these components test the making and performing of theatre, assessed through live work and through your own documentation.

What the practical components are for

The practical components are where you apply, in live theatre, the methods you learn across the course. Both are built around the applied influence of a practitioner or recognised company, and both ask you to make deliberate, sustained choices and to document them. They develop the skills of creating, performing and evaluating that the written paper then tests in essay form.

Component 1: Theatre Workshop

Component 1 is worth 20 per cent and is the introductory practical component.

• The task. You reinterpret an extract from a text chosen from a list supplied by WJEC, using the working methods of one practitioner or recognised company.
• Your role. You contribute as a performer or a designer.
• The documentation. A creative log records your research, practical exploration, the practitioner influence and your evaluation of your own work and of live theatre seen.
• Assessment. Internally assessed by your centre and externally moderated by WJEC.

The full detail is on the Theatre Workshop overview page.

Component 2: Text in Action

Component 2 is worth 40 per cent and is the largest single component.

• The task. Working from a stimulus supplied by WJEC, you create two contrasting pieces: a devised piece using one practitioner or company, and a performance of a text extract in a clearly different style.
• Your role. You contribute as a performer or a designer.
• The documentation. A process and evaluation report records how you developed both pieces from the stimulus, the practitioner influence and your evaluation.
• Assessment. Assessed externally by a visiting WJEC examiner who watches the live performances.

The full detail is on the Text in Action overview page.

How the two components differ

Both are practical, but they differ in scale and in how they are assessed.

1. Source material. Component 1 reinterprets a supplied text extract; Component 2 devises from a stimulus and also stages a text extract, producing two pieces.
2. Assessment route. Component 1 is centre-marked and moderated; Component 2 is assessed live by a visiting examiner.
3. Weighting. Component 1 is worth 20 per cent; Component 2 is worth 40 per cent.
4. The practitioner. Use a different practitioner or company in each, to show a range of approaches.

The assessment objectives in the practical components

Both components assess AO1 (developing ideas and applying a practitioner's methods), AO2 (realising intentions in live performance) and AO3 (understanding how theatre is made, shown in your log and report). AO4, the formal evaluation of others' work, is chiefly tested in the written exam, though the evaluation strands of your log and report rehearse it.

How to study the practical components

The practical components reward application and consistency over description.

1. Master two practitioners. Know one for Component 1 and a different one for Component 2 in real depth.
2. Turn techniques into choices. Apply a practitioner's methods as concrete, sustained choices across a whole piece.
3. Plan the contrast. In Component 2, design the two pieces to differ clearly in style.
4. Document as you go. Keep the creative log and process report live, recording decisions and their audience effect.
5. Rehearse for the visit. Bring Component 2 to a performance standard for the visiting examiner.

Where this fits in the qualification

Components 1 and 2 are the practical, non-exam assessments; Component 3 is the written exam. The practitioners you apply here are the same ones you draw on when writing about staging in the written paper. For the official specification, the supplied text and stimulus lists and the assessment arrangements, see wjec.co.uk, and always confirm the current arrangements with your centre because they are reviewed periodically.