Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
Sign In Skip to Content

Advice for teachers -
Drama

Unit 4 - Sample approaches to developing an assessment task

Outcome 3

The assessment task for Unit 4 Outcome 3 requires students to analyse and evaluate the creation, development and presentation of the solo performance they have devised in response to a prescribed structure for Outcome 2. The analysis and evaluation may be presented in one or both of the following formats:

  • an oral presentation 

  • written responses to structured questions.

The following provides advice on documenting work on the solo performance and a process for preparing and presenting the analysis and evaluation.

Task design

The task design needs to allow for equity across the class while catering for the needs of individual students.  For example, students will respond to the same prompts or questions irrespective of the prescribed solo performance structure they have chosen. The assessment task should focus on how students have:

  • used stimulus material to create and develop a solo performance
  • used play-making techniques in developing a devised solo performance
  • manipulated performance styles, conventions, dramatic elements and production areas
  • applied symbol and transformation of character, time and place
  • used expressive skills and performance skills to communicate characters and convey meaning within a devised solo performance.

Task conditions

The task is worth 25 marks and contributes 5 per cent of the School-assessed Coursework for Unit 4 to the VCE Drama study score.

Where possible all students in a class should be assessed under common conditions; for example, all students will be given a short period of time to prepare written responses to structured questions and then complete an an oral presentation of their work in another session.

Preparing for the task

Students should maintain documentation about the creation, development and presentation of the solo performance, from initial generation of ideas and research to evaluation of the performance. The documentation should refer to each of the play-making techniques and may be kept in electronic format (notes and images stored and annotated using an app), as a visual diary or storyboard, or in hard-copy written form. The documentation might include research evidence, feedback from peers/teachers, reflection, script excerpts, costume sketches and/or ideas for use of other production areas.

Teachers might provide a framework to prompt students to include notes about relevant topics in their documentation.

Authentication

Authentication issues can be minimised if teachers monitor students’ work and sight their documentation on a regular basis. For example, students might give a weekly report to the class about their progress in creating and developing the solo.