School-assessed Coursework report: VCE
Drama 2014–2018
This report is provided for the first year of implementation of this study and is based on the
coursework audit and VCAA statistical data.
Unit 3
General Comments
Responses to the Unit 3 School-assessed Coursework audit survey for VCE Drama indicate that
teachers have successfully made the transition from the previous study to the reaccredited Drama
Study Design 2014−2018. Almost all assessment tasks submitted referred to the revised lists of
elements of drama, performance and expressive skills and the description of non-naturalism.
Teachers are advised to review the 2014 study design carefully to ensure that they are using
terminology correctly and that the tasks they design are compliant with the study requirements.
Students undertake three School-assessed Coursework tasks for Unit 3 Drama. The first task, the
Ensemble, is developed over an extended period. Teachers need to ensure that instructions to
students for this task include details such as themes, stimulus, performance style/s, performance
focus time, requirements for each group to show work in progress and documentation.
For all tasks, teachers must inform students not just of the format and structure of the task, but also
about how it will be assessed (for example by providing a rubric that outlines the assessment
criteria and weighting of each aspect of the task). The task description from the study design
should be included in the instructions developed by the school. Information about how student
work will be authenticated should also be provided in the task instructions. In the tasks submitted
during the audit many teachers indicated they were using interviews, journals or class discussions
as a way of monitoring progress during the development stage for the Outcome 1 Ensemble.
These strategies allow teachers to authenticate each student’s contribution to the development of
the ensemble.
All tasks in Unit 3 provide opportunities for students to learn and use drama terminology. Many of
the tasks submitted during the audit process demonstrated how teachers are incorporating specific
terminology in pre-task learning activities. Teachers are also advised to consider how the tasks for
Outcomes 2 and 3 can be used to familiarise students with the terminology and question types
they will encounter in the written examination.
The material submitted revealed teachers’ care in designing and writing tasks to suit the needs of
students in their classes.
Teachers are advised to prepare their responses using the question summary before they begin to
complete the online survey. Some questions may require consultation with colleagues, for
example, locating the school provider number or details of the school redemption policy.
© VCAA 2015
School-assessed Coursework report: VCE Drama 2014–2018
Authentication
Teachers need to be aware of the authentication requirements set out in the VCE and VCAL
Administrative Handbook. Any work set over an extended period of time should include a process
for authentication of student work. Many tasks audited did not provide details about the procedure
used to authenticate student work. It is recommended that particular attention is paid to
authentication for Unit 3 Outcome 1 and that as much work as possible is observed, completed in
class, initialled and dated by the teacher on a regular basis and specific dates for auditing of
stages is provided to the students at the commencement of the outcome.
Specific information
Unit 3 coursework
Outcome 1
Develop and present character/s within a devised non-naturalistic ensemble performance.
Task type options
Development and presentation of character/s within an ensemble performance
This outcome contributes 80 out of 120 marks allocated to School-assessed Coursework for Unit 3.
Almost all schools that submitted material during the audit process had given their students access
to interesting themes and/or topics that would stimulate their interest and enrich their opportunities
to create interesting, dramatic characters within non-naturalistic settings.
The tasks submitted were generally tightly structured and used language from the study design
and other appropriate drama language extensively. Playmaking techniques were strongly implicit in
the tasks to ensure students would develop their ensembles in stages, and a suitably long
gestation period from the initial research phase to final presentation was built into timelines. Most
schools prescribed particular theatre practitioners and relevant conventions, or a choice of several,
to broaden student understanding and experience. Most schools also required students to focus on
particular Dramatic Elements which would enhance the non-naturalism choices made by the group.
All schools required students to document the processes used to construct an ensemble, across a
range of methods, whether by logging entries in a journal, blog or other method. This task is the
major task for a semester’s work. Teachers varied in their approach to what should be included in
the initial guidelines. Some teachers used a booklet of information approach, some a handout that
could potentially be too complex for students, some a handout which omitted key knowledge, but
these were often clarified in class and certainly in the evaluation rubric students were provided
with.
The course allows teachers flexibility. Some performance skills and the exploration of conventions
and of Dramatic elements would be developed by some teachers as an introduction to this task
and their importance emphasised then. Whereas other teachers begin the Ensemble task initially
and introduce workshops for these areas within their outcome timeline.
The strengths of the tasks set lay in the dramatic potential of the stimulus material and other
components of the structure provided to students. Weaknesses in some of the tasks submitted
included:

omissions in the Outcome 1 description, such as leaving out clear guidelines about stimulus,
conventions or dramatic elements or omitting clear indications about the focus time per
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School-assessed Coursework report: VCE Drama 2014–2018

student (as opposed to the performance duration) for their final presentation. Schools did not
omit all of these in any instance, but several omitted one such area
a lack of recognition of changes in terminology – this was rare, but probably occurred because
teachers were not sufficiently precise in updating documents before giving them to students.
The assessment task could be improved if the initial handout (instructions) to students included:





the theme, stimulus, style, theatre conventions, dramatic elements, stagecraft elements
required
the focus time per student
a timeline for the Ensemble’s development stages
the record-keeping detail required to document the process used
a copy of the evaluation rubric.
Assessment
All of the schools assessed the task with reference to the chart on page 28 of the study design and
the performance descriptors in the assessment handbook. Most schools used the opening
sentences (bold text) of the sections of the descriptor as criteria and based their mark allocation on
the example provided on page 23 of the assessment handbook, (20 marks allocated to the use of
play-making techniques to create and develop the solo, 30 marks allocated to use and
manipulation of non-naturalistic performance styles etc. to communicate meaning in the devised
ensemble performance and 30 marks allocated to consistency and synchronisation in the use of
performance and expressive skills to present engaging and convincing characters). Some schools
weighted the task more towards the development phase, perhaps to ensure that all students in a
group would see the importance of these stages and enable them to contribute equitably to the
ensemble in order to demonstrate more depth or complexity. However, this work should be evident
in the final performance and the intention of the task is that the majority of marks should be
allocated on the basis of the student’s contribution to the devised ensemble performance.
Outcome 2
Analyse the use of processes, techniques and skills to create and present a devised ensemble
performance
Task type options
Any one of the following:


a written report
structured questions.
This outcome contributes 20 out of 120 marks allocated to School-assessed Coursework for Unit 3.
This task was generally approached very much in line with all guidelines in the current assessment
handbook and study design. Most schools chose the ‘structured questions’ option, but chose some
the written report. Nearly all teachers utilised the marking range suggested in the assessment
handbook, and by their questions and evaluation rubrics, showing clear understanding of the
purpose and intention of the assessment task.
However, there were a few who revealed one or more of the following traits:

the allocation of more time for the completion of this task than is either expected or desirable –
more than 90 minutes. This is undesirable because it is poor preparation for the constraints of
the November written exam
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School-assessed Coursework report: VCE Drama 2014–2018
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
allowing students to write a response at home, which they may bring to class to rewrite,
thereby allowing the possibility that it is not the student’s work. School-assessed Coursework
tasks must be completed primarily in class time
using the performance descriptors from the assessment handbook as the assessment task
instead of breaking these down for students into more focused questions, or areas, to ensure
that students were presented with a task that was both manageable in 60 to 90 minutes and
unseen, therefore not a task for which a response could be learnt by rote.
Teachers are advised to consider carefully the choice of prompts for questions, for example, using
terms from the key skills: describe, analyse, evaluate or discuss. Other terms such as those used
in the sample examination material may also be used. Note that the skill of comparison is not
required for this outcome.
Assessment
As discussed earlier, the marking rubrics submitted by most schools indicated a good
understanding of the current assessment handbook and study design.
However, some did not. For example, there were submitted marking schemes that:



did not include the mark allocation per question/section so that students would not know how
to distribute their time, or develop examination technique
had not been changed from the previous study design
added up to a total that was not the required allocation, for example, 20, with no explanation
provided about how the mark was to be converted to a score out of 20 for submission to
VCAA.
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School-assessed Coursework report: VCE Drama 2014–2018
Unit 4
General comments
Responses to the Unit 4 School-assessed Coursework audit survey for Drama indicate that
teachers have mostly made a successful transition from the previous study to the reaccredited
Drama Study Design 2014−2018. Teachers showed that they had clearly read the new Study
Design and that they had changed their marking schemes accordingly for Outcome 1. Most
teachers indicated clearly that they were familiar with:


changes to the terminology used for styles and conventions, dramatic elements and
performance skills
the duration of both performances and written reports.
Use of old formats for assessment tasks
The significant area of change for Unit 4 was in relation to Outcome 1. The scope of the task was
essentially reduced to make it easier for students to focus more completely on the playmaking
techniques involved (and, incidentally, so that students could complete the task within a short time
frame − two weeks being the most popular choice). This would ensure that students could
concentrate on the major Solo outcome sooner, be better able to apply the playmaking techniques
gained and also hopefully give them better preparation for developing skills needed for the solo
segment in the external written exam in November. However, many teachers were reluctant to let
go of ‘tried and tested minisolo’ formats they have been using in recent years. Consequently, they
tried to use them to fit the new short solo. This was often repeated with written analysis tasks for
this outcome, when only a description of the non-naturalistic qualities of their response to the
stimulus material is now required.
Teachers need to be aware that comments made in relation to the ‘Use of other schools’
assessment tasks’ in Unit 3 apply equally as well here to assessment tasks devised prior to 2014.
Coursework audit survey
In regard to the audit survey, teachers sometimes demonstrated ambiguity in relation to either
drama language or the assessment and/or authentication process. This meant that many schools
needed to go to the next stage of presenting actual evidence.
Teachers need to be aware that comments made in relation to Unit 3 about the authentication and
terminology under the coursework audit survey heading for Unit 3, also apply to Unit 4.
Overall, audited teachers were very thorough in their documentation to support their students and
students were given very clear guidelines of what was required for all outcomes, including how
they would be assessed.
Specific information
Unit 4 coursework
Outcome 1
On completion of this unit the student should be able to devise a solo performance in response to
given stimulus material and describe the non-naturalistic qualities of the performance.
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School-assessed Coursework report: VCE Drama 2014–2018
Task type options
Both of the following:

a short written statement that identifies the non-naturalistic qualities of their response to the
stimulus material

a one- to three-minute presentation of a solo response to stimulus material.
As mentioned earlier, there was a tendency for teachers to modify previously used task outlines for
both Task 1 and Task 2 for this outcome. By doing this the scope of the task was often made much
bigger than was intended or than is considered appropriate – see page 22, Drama 2014−2018
Advice for teachers: ‘The stimulus chosen for this task should be deliberately limited in scope so
that students’ energies are focused on developing their understanding of relevant playmaking
techniques.’
Exemplary teachers included stimuli for Task 2 that was accessible to all levels of student ability
with brief succinct outlines. The stimuli were clearly interesting springboards from which student
ideas could flow, using the playmaking techniques required in the study design. The research
component was necessarily limited in scope.
Moreover, the expectations of the written statement (Task 1) component were very clearly oriented
to a description of the students’ understanding of how they had used the non-naturalistic
transformations of time, place, object and time. To this end students were expected to complete
the task within a short time frame, employing very clear rubrics and performance descriptors.
Weightings were applied appropriately to reflect the depth, complexity or detail required. Indeed,
the latter comment about weightings was true of nearly all teachers audited.
All teachers need to similarly:


check the study design, advice for teachers and assessment handbook more rigorously to
ensure that they are totally au fait with the revised approach in Outcome 1
avoid ‘cherry picking’ the parts they like out of the new guidelines to fit existing handouts. They
would be better advised to write totally new task outlines and assessment rubrics from the
examples given.
Weakness in the tasks submitted
Task 1
Some teachers requested students to answer a broad range of questions in relation to their short
solo instead of adhering to the intention of a brief description of the ways in which non-naturalism
was used in their performance.
Such teachers also allotted far more time to the task − even as much as an hour − than was
expected.
Task 2
Many teachers still included prescribed detail in their stimuli and guidelines that were more
appropriate to the current major Solo Exam. Accordingly, some included three prescribed dot
points, assigned dramatic elements and specific non-natural styles. Some other teachers were
using very complex stimuli, for example, a whole picture book or a whole graphic text. A very small
number were using stimuli related to prescribed structures published for the current year or
previous years in the VCE Drama Performance Examination Specifications, a practice completely
contrary to specifications in the study design (as well as those of previous study designs).
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School-assessed Coursework report: VCE Drama 2014–2018
Moreover, some teachers were not thorough when adapting documents to fit the new prescriptions
and consequently held on to old criterion, old time limits or old structures.
This indicated that their approach was only being changed by the new marking scheme rather than
the intention of the study design and indicated that they were not drawing on all the available
resources, such as the example supplied in the current Advice for Teachers.
There were also a small number who needed to be careful when revising the wording of task
outlines, for example, regarding ‘disjointed time’ instead of including time as one of ‘the four
transformations’, which is the current terminology.
Although it is felt that the teachers’ intentions were good (they presumably felt that having similar
guidelines to the major solo exam better prepared students for Outcome 2), the study design must
be made entirely relevant to all outcome tasks.
One last point for teachers to consider is to limit student choices for Outcome 1. Too much choice
for students for a task with such a short time frame could result in students taking too long to make
up their minds definitively, and half the preparation time could have elapsed before they do.
Assessment
The student’s level of achievement will be determined by School-assessed Coursework.
Teachers should not use out-of-date:


marking schemes, because the marks weighted to assess the combined components of the
task will not ‘fit’ VASS when they are ready to enter them
criteria for assessing the written component that are not specific to students’ understanding of
how they used non-naturalism in their short solo.
Neither should any teacher allow students to write a draft for Task 1 at home to bring to the lesson
for the supervised task, because it does not fall within the range for authentication.
However, most teachers had updated their assessment descriptors and marking rubrics
appropriately for the new guidelines.
Outcome 3
On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse and evaluate the creation,
development and presentation of a devised non-naturalistic solo performance.
Task type options
A written report that uses the language of drama to analyse and evaluate the solo performance
developed in Outcome 2.
Teachers were very familiar with this task, which has not changed in essence, and had welldeveloped guidelines, carefully structured tasks and clear rubrics to administer and assess it.
There was a small number of teachers who needed to ensure that in future their students were
prompted to include analysis and/or evaluation as well as description components within their
report to ensure students:


met the requirements of the outcome
were better prepared in related skills for the written exam in November.
There were also a few teachers who allowed students too much time for the administration of this
assessment task. All teachers need to be aware that shorter time frames for assessment tasks
develop better exam technique.
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School-assessed Coursework report: VCE Drama 2014–2018
However, most teachers fully demonstrated that they were on top of all aspects of this outcome.
Assessment
The student’s level of achievement will be determined by School-assessed Coursework.
As discussed earlier, almost all teachers demonstrated an excellent level of understanding of
assessment rubrics and performance descriptors, which were clearly developed using the
suggested VCAA assessment criteria. Weightings were applied appropriately to reflect the depth,
complexity or detail required.
End-of-year written examination
Description
Key knowledge and skills that underpin Unit 3, Outcomes 2 and 3, and Unit 4, Outcomes 1 and 3,
are examinable. A panel appointed by the VCAA will set the examination.
© VCAA 2015
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