You are here: Subjects > Drama > Higher
Why study Drama?
Drama gives you the opportunity to use your imagination and express yourself in a creative and practical way. It helps you to develop important skills such as problem solving, communication, planning and creative thinking. It is particularly suitable for those who love being creative, getting their ideas across in a dramatic way and communicating their ideas with others.
The skills that you develop in Drama are useful in many different careers, including: communications and media, theatre, film, TV, radio, costume design, production, writing and teaching.
What do I need to get in?
This is at the discretion of the school or college but you would normally be expected to have:
What will I study?
In this course you will develop your creative skills, and learn how to use complex drama skills. You will experiment with presenting through portrayal of character and by using complex production skills. Through creating and presenting drama, evaluation skills will also be developed as you evaluate your own skills and progress, and that of others. You will also consider the cultural values, identities and ideas which influence drama.
The course consists of two compulsory units and the course assessment unit.
Drama Skills (9 SCQF credit points)
In this unit you will:
- explore and develop complex drama skills and ways of communicating thoughts and ideas to an audience
- learn how to respond to stimuli, including text
- learn how to develop character in a range of ways
- develop understanding of form, structure, genre and style when creating and presenting drama
- develop knowledge and understanding of the social and cultural influences on drama
- learn how to evaluate your own progress and that of others.
Note: This unit may be taken with a Scottish Context option, which contributes towards the Scottish Studies Award.
Drama: Production Skills (9 SCQF credit points)
In this unit you will:
- explore and apply complex production skills
- use these skills to enhance drama when presenting
- use problem-solving skills in order to generate ideas for presenting drama.
How will I be assessed?
Course Assessment (6 SCQF credit points)
The course assessment has two components:
- a question paper (40 marks)
- a performance (60 marks).
The question paper will assess your breadth of knowledge, understanding and skills accumulated across the course. The question paper will be set and marked by SQA.
The performance will involve creating and presenting a drama. The question paper will require demonstration of a depth of knowledge and understanding from the course.
Your work will be assessed by your teacher on an ongoing basis throughout the course. You must pass both units and the course assessment to gain the course qualification.
The course assessment is graded A-D. Your grade will depend on the total mark for all the units in your course.
What can I go on to next?
If you complete the course successfully, it may lead to:
Further study, training or employment in:
Which jobs are related to this subject?
Where can my parents find out more?
Your school will give your parents an Options or Choices information booklet, which has detailed information on the curriculum and the individual subjects or courses you can study. It will also invite them along to a Parents’ Information Evening.
They can also read the information leaflet(s):
Highers in a Nutshell - Drama (CfE Higher)