Administrative Support Guide (Instructions for the Conduct of the Controlled Assessment Examination)

For certification in 2018 A Level Drama and Theatre (9DR0)

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Edexcel qualifications come from Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding body. We provide a wide range of qualifications including academic, vocational, occupational and specific programmes for employers.

Through a network of UK and overseas offices, Pearson’s centres receive the support they need to help them deliver their education and training programmes to learners.

If you have any subject specific questions about the content of this Administrative Support Guide that require the help of a subject specialist, you may find our Ask the Expert service helpful. For further information, please call our Subject Advisor Paul Webster and his team on

0207 010 2189, email Teachingperformingarts@pearson.com or visit http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/home.html  

The GCE Drama & Theatre homepage link is here.

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Table of contents:

Introduction 4

Key Dates 5

Component 1 – Devising 6

Component 2 – Text in Performance 11

Component 3 - Theatre Makers in Practice 18

Important Information 20

Teaching Support 24

Forms 25

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Introduction

The Administrative Support Guide (ASG) must be used in conjunction with the latest version of the following documents: • A Level Drama and Theatre Specification• JCQ Instructions for conducting non-examination assessments• JCQ Instructions for Conducting Examinations• JCQ Instructions for Conducting Coursework

Teachers should also share the latest version of the following document with their candidates: • JCQ Information for candidates: Non-examination Assessments (NEA)

The ASG is to help teachers to ensure that the requirements and regulations of the assessment process have been met and that all assessment evidence is produced accordingly for the examined and NEA components.

Please note that the information supplied in this ASG relates to the A Level in Drama and Theatre specification for first awarding in 2018.

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Key Dates and summary of events Event Date Other Information

First Teaching September 2016

Submission of text choices 15th September –

31st January

Submission form will be located on the A Level Drama and Theatre

homepage

Preliminary arrangement form for Visiting Examiners Summer 2018 Component 2

End of October

Form sent to all centres with exam entries in previous year.Form can be also be accessed here

9DR0/02: Component 2 Notification of visiting

examiner Subject to visit

Examiners will aim to contact centres a month before their

requested examination period.

9DR0/02: Component 2 Visiting Examiner Window

Beginning of January – End of

March

Approx 10 week window

9DR0/01: Component 1 NEA Submission deadline

15 May 2018 Assessed sample work sent to

allocated moderator by this date

9DR0/03: Component 3 Examination

Time table available on the Pearson website.

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Component 1 (9DR0/01): Devising (40%) 80 marks

This component is internally assessed and externally moderated. There are two parts to the assessment.

1) A portfolio2) The devised performance or design realisation

The portfolio All students must produce a portfolio documenting and reflecting on their exploratory process and the skills and techniques that they have developed in response to the text, and the influence of their chosen theatre practitioner. For further clarification please see page 17 of the specification.

It is important to remember that the portfolio is for assessment purposes, and that the work must be clearly evidenced and accessible for the teacher and moderator to check the assessment of the work. It is a requirement for centres to complete the Non-examination Assessments Sheet for each candidate. It is also a requirement to submit the Component 1 Timesheet for the entire cohort.

Centres are reminded that there are three possible options for portfolio evidence.

Option 1: handwritten/typed evidence between 2500 and 3000 words Option 2: recorded/verbal evidence between 12 - 14 minutes Option 3: a combination of handwritten/typed evidence (between 1250 and 1500 words) and recorded/verbal evidence (between 6 and 7 minutes)

In order to ensure that all the text and practitioner requirements are met, centres are required to submit their choices via an online form. This form must be submitted to Pearson at the beginning of the year of certification.

The content of the portfolio should directly respond to the six statements on page 17 of the specification.

Portfolios may include any of the following elements:

annotations and notes - candidate annotations will contribute towards the final word countbut script extracts and research material from additional sources (including published work)will not contribute towards the word count

annotated photographs, drawings and sketches - (no larger than A3 paper) audio and/or video evidence - centres are reminded that the total running time of recorded

evidence is 12-14 minutes (Option 2) or 6-7 minutes (Option 3) including any hyperlinked /externally sourced clips or internal footage of rehearsal process, digital presentations etc.

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N.B. Materials that are not the candidates’ own work (e.g. copied or printed factual material downloaded from the internet, or which has been edited/altered by anyone other than the candidate at any time) must not be submitted for moderation. Design candidates must evidence the requirements as outlined on page 16 of the specification. The Devised Performance / Design Realisation All performance work must be live and in front of a suitable audience and in the presence of the teacher-examiner. Centres must record all performance work. Centres must adhere to the group size and time limits as outlined on page 11 of the A Level specification.

Presentation of work In line with the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) Instructions for conducting non-examination assessments candidates should insert the following details on each page as a header or footer:

Centre name and 5 digit centre number Full name and candidate number Component code (9DR0 01)

Candidates submitting handwritten work must use permanent ink and write legibly. Written portfolios must be submitted on A4 or A3 paper; card is not acceptable.

It is the centre’s responsibility to ensure that consent has been obtained if videos or photographs/images of candidates are being included as evidence of participation or contribution. Remove bulky covers. Documents sent for moderation purposes must be secured with treasury tags, or stapled - plastic wallets, folders, envelopes, hardbound book format, ring binders, card etc., must not be used and will not be returned to centres. It is the responsibility of each centre to keep all materials for this Component in a secure place until requested for moderation.

Ensure that each candidate’s work is securely fastened and that the awarding body’s cover sheet is fully completed and attached to the work.

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Recording Procedures The purpose of the recording is to evidence all marks awarded, therefore all recordings must be made under examination conditions. It must be understood that the performances and the recording of these are for examination purposes only. Any performances or recordings of performances undertaken by centres outside of the context of the examination must seek copyright permission for works in copyright. Centres must keep a copy of all recordings and portfolio evidence for every candidate. The camera must be positioned to ensure the best possible and unobstructed recording is made of the performance, the recording should be made from a fixed point in the space and must not be cut or edited. Centres may zoom and pan when appropriate. All recordings must be complete and unedited for each performance. Candidates will be required to introduce themselves by their name, candidate number and details of their performance or design role. The recording must show a long shot of all candidates in each group in costume. The recording camera must capture the performance, as closely as possible, from the point of view of the audience. The recording must be clearly labelled with the centre number, name and component code. Centres need to ensure audio/visual is clear for the moderator to see the work of the candidates, that there is sufficient battery power for the recording equipment before use and make sure that your recording device has enough storage before filming. Centres must ensure all files are backed-up and saved on the centre’s system. It is the centre’s responsibility to ensure that a copy is made and retained by the centre until after post results. Teachers will be required to sign a time-sheet to authenticate the work and to state that the candidates shown in the recording are those submitted for assessment / moderation purposes. It is the responsibility of the centre to ensure that the performances have been recorded correctly before submission and that all performances are chaptered. Sampled Candidates The sampled candidates will be indicated via Edexcel Online / EDI. However, your moderator reserves the right to request the work of all candidates. For specific details see your examinations officer. Centres will be required to submit the chosen sample plus the candidates with the highest and lowest overall mark out of 80. Centres must send performances and the portfolio evidence for each candidate in the selected sample. Centres with a cohort of 10 or less candidates must send all work for moderation.

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Submission for Component 1 supporting evidence Centres are required to submit the following evidence for Component 1 to their moderator as soon as possible after the receipt of moderator details on Edexcel Online:

1. Portfolios for sampled candidates2. Recordings of performances and additional evidence for design candidates if applicable

per sampled candidate3. Component 1 Non-examination Assessment Form – one per candidate4. Component 1 Timesheet – as many as needed5. Component 1 Checklist6. A hard copy printout of the Edexcel Online Mark Submission after marks have been

uploaded

Submission of audio/video evidence 1. Refer to your centre’s Data Protection Policy.2. Ensure that the media is playable on VLC media player, QuickTime player and/or Windows

media player3. Place the removable storage device in a protective envelope

Centres can submit video media evidence of the performances on USBs, External Hard Drives and DVDs. Please ensure that the hardware is new and free of viruses. A copy of the evidence must be retained in the centre.

The file types must be compatible for both Windows and/or Mac devices, therefore file types that can be played on VLC media player, QuickTime player and/or Windows media player must be used.

Files formatted in any other format cannot be used for moderation, and the correct format will be requested by Pearson. Centres must also retain copies of the work sent for moderation and assessment. Awarding Bodies are not liable for the loss of work or damage that occurs during moderation or in transit.

Before the evidence is sent for moderation, the teacher should check that: - it plays on other computers. For instance, if the DVD/USB/external hard drive files were created on an Apple Mac computer, you must check that they can be opened and play on a Microsoft Windows computer, - an audio signal has been successfully recorded, - you should ensure that the camera being used has appropriate facilities for adjusting recorded sound levels, - all introductions are captured on the recording(s). Centres must ensure they place the removable storage device in a protective envelope.

Any DVD(s) and hard protective case should be clearly labelled with centre number and name, and DVD number (if more than one is being provided e.g. 1 of 2).

Each audio and/or visual file should be named according to the following naming convention: [centre #] _ [candidate number #] _ [surname]_[first letter of first name]

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For example, the file name for Joshua Smith with candidate number 1234 at centre 12345 should be named: “12345_1234_Smith_J”. - For monologues, please label centre number_mono_candidate number e.g. 12345_mono_1234- For duologues, please label centre number_duo_candidate numbers e.g 12345_duo_1234_4321- For groups, please label centre number_group_group number e.g. 12345_group_1 (you have to state the group number on the Centre Register)

What constitutes secure storage of digital content? It is the centre’s responsibility to keep the work that candidates have submitted securely. Where work is stored electronically centres are required to restrict access to this material and to utilise appropriate security safeguards such as firewall protection and virus scanning software. An effective back-up strategy must be employed so that an up to date archive of candidates’ evidence is maintained.

Data Protection It is the centre’s responsibility to ensure that their Data Protection Policy is adhered to.

Component 2 (9DR0/02): Text in Performance. (20%) 60 marks

This component is externally examined. There are two parts to the assessment.

1. A group performance/design realisation of one key extract from a performance text.Students may complete this part either as a performer or as a designer.

2. A monologue or a duologue performance/design realisation from one key extract from adifferent performance text. Students may complete this part either as a performer or as adesigner.

It is a requirement that this Component is marked by a visiting examiner and must take place between 8th January and 29th March 2018.

Centres will be contacted by their visiting examiner from early December. Please note that Pearson does not send separate notification of the visiting examiner. Centres should agree with the visiting examiner a mutually convenient date and time when the examiner will visit the centre.

It is important to liaise with your examiner before fixing your date and time. Centres must have a range of possible dates available. Examiners may be allocated to the same centre for consecutive years. Please note that it may not be possible to accommodate changes to the agreed date or time made by the centre.

The visiting examiner will notify Pearson of the agreed arrangements. The visiting examiner will arrive at the centre approximately 30 minutes before the agreed start time of the first performance. All performances should be completed by 9pm at the latest.

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All centres must provide the following information to their visiting examiner at least 7 days before their visit:

1. Map of venue and location of performance space and a contact name and contactnumber in case of emergency – one per centre

2. Component 2 Examiner Mark Grid – one per candidate3. Statement of intention – two per candidate: one for the monologue or duologue and one

for the group performance4. Copies of performance extracts being performed. Full texts must be available for

examiners on the day of the performance.5. Component 2 Performance Schedule – as many as needed6. Component 2 before the examination checklist – one per centre

All centres must provide the following information to their visiting examiner no more than 7 working days after their visit:

1. USB/DVD recordings for all candidates – as many as needed2. Component 2 Timesheet – as many as needed

Centres must keep copies of all evidence sent to their visiting examiner.

The complete play text for every candidate must be available at the examination session.

All performances must be recorded and the recordings must be made under examination conditions. The recording must be a complete, unedited recording of each examination performance and student introductions must be immediately before the performance. Centres are reminded that recordings are not returned, therefore you must make a copy for your own records.

Centres should allow approximately 3 minutes between each monologue, and 5 minutes between each duologue performance. Examiners will need a longer break after approximately 10 candidates.

Group sizes, time limits and sessions

Group Performance The regulatory requirements are that students must meet the minimum performance times below. Students (performance and design) who do not meet the regulatory minimum performance requirements will be awarded 0 marks for AO2. The examiner and teacher must therefore agree a clear signal for the start and end of the examination prior to beginning the examination.

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Group size Recommended minimum performance times

Maximum performance times

3-4 performance students 20 minutes 30 minutes

5-6 performance students 35 minutes 45 minutes

A group must have between a minimum of three and maximum of six performance students. In addition, there can be up to one designer per role, per group. The regulatory requirements are that groups must complete a minimum performance time of 6 minutes for this component.

Once the candidates have begun the performance, there are no second attempts.

Centres wanting to offer design roles to students should refer to Appendix 3: Design roles minimum resource guidance for centres.

Monologue and duologue The regulatory requirements are that students must meet the minimum performance times below. Students (performance and design) who do not meet the regulatory minimum performance requirements will be awarded 0 marks for AO2. The examiner and teacher must therefore agree a clear signal for the start and end of the examination prior to beginning the examination.

Number of performers Minimum performance times Maximum performance times

Monologue (1 performer) 2 minutes 3 minutes

Duologue (2 performers) 5 minutes 6 minutes

Monologue candidates must perform alone with no other students present in the performance space. Duologues must be performed by two examination candidates with no other students present in the performance space. Both duologue candidates must be given the same running order number.

Once the candidates have begun the performance, they cannot restart and there are no second attempts.

All candidates must introduce themselves to the camera by name, candidate number, role played and the name of the text immediately before each performance.

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As candidates are awarded individual marks for the performance, centres are reminded that examiners need to be able to identify all candidates at all times during the performance. It is the centre’s responsibility to ensure that any costume considerations should enable identification and any change of costume should be indicated to the examiner before the performance begins. Candidates can only be assessed in one performance group. Centres have a choice when selecting texts. However, the two key extracts must be from two different performance texts. These texts must meet the following criteria.

Be professionally published, substantial and have a running time of at least 60 minutes Offer students the opportunity to access the demands of this component as a performer

and/or designer Be different from the texts studied in Component 1 and Component 3, so students study

a range of performance texts Cannot be any prescribed text from the Component 3 lists

Sessions

3 – 10 candidates

1 session

11 – 20 candidates

A total of 2 sessions

21 – 30 candidates

A total of 3 sessions

31 – 40 candidates

A total of 4 sessions

41 – 50 candidates

A total of 5 sessions

51 – 60 candidates

A total of 6 sessions

Design Candidates Design candidates are not expected to give a presentation.

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They may only offer one theatre design skill and there can only be one designer per role per group. Designers will be assessed on their ability to realise artistic intentions through the:

use of design skills understanding of context and communication interpretation of text.

The chosen skill of the design student must support the performer/s as part of the group performance and/or monologue/duologue. Design skills must be realised in the live performance examination. The candidate must complete and have available their design documentation, see page 39 of the specification for further details. All documentation must be recorded and included with the performance recordings. The documentation and any other materials must be available for the examiner to see but will not be taken away. Some documentation may be requested after examination for general standardisation purposes. The materials must be kept in a secure place until the end of 2018. During the examination session The examiner must be provided with the facilities and conditions that will enable him or her to mark in confidence and without being overlooked by candidates or audience. Please ensure that the examiner is provided with adequate facilities at the venue to examine the performance; a chair and table away from the audience and a suitable light source must be provided. Centres must provide a private area for the examiner to allow them to consider their marking. Examiners may stay in the performance space between the monologues/duologues. This should be agreed with the examiner and centre staff. For the purposes of monitoring an examiner may be accompanied by other members of the examination team. Centres will be notified in advance by the visiting examiner where this is the case; however, the running time of the session should not be affected. The recommended examining session is defined as approximately 3 hours in a centre. The examiner will only attend the number of sessions the centre is entitled to, based on the number of actual candidates entered. Submission of examination evidence The following information applies to the submission of practical evidence for A level component 2:

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Group performance/design realisation Monologue or duologue/design realisation

All performance examinations must be live and in front of a suitable audience. Centres must record all examination performances and any design candidates additional evidence. Centres must adhere to the group size and time limits as outlined on page 36 of the A level specification.

Candidates must provide a performance or design explanation for both the group performance and monologue/duologues. This should be between 150 and 250 words, see page 40 of the specification. The brief explanation should be attached to the Component 2 Examiner Mark Grid

Recording Procedures

Centres must keep a copy of all recording evidence for every candidate.

The camera must be positioned to ensure the best possible and unobstructed recording is made of the performance, the recording should be made from a fixed point in the space and must not be cut or edited. Centres may zoom and pan when appropriate. All recordings must be complete and unedited for each performance.

Candidates will be required to introduce themselves by their name, candidate number and details of their performance or design role. The recording must show a long shot of all candidates in each group in costume. The recording camera must capture the performance, as closely as possible, from the point of view of the audience. The recording must be clearly labelled with the centre number, name and component code.

Centres need to ensure audio/visual is clear for the examiner to see the work of the candidates, that there is sufficient battery power for the recording equipment before use and make sure that your recording device has enough storage before filming. Centres must ensure all files are backed-up and saved on the centre’s system. It is the centre’s responsibility to ensure that a copy is made and retained by the centre until after post results.

Teachers will be required to sign a time-sheet to authenticate the work and to state that the candidates shown in the recording are those submitted for assessment / examination purposes. It is the responsibility of the centre to ensure that the performances have been recorded correctly before submission and that all performances are chaptered.

Submission of audio/video evidence 1. Refer to your centre’s Data Protection Policy.

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2. Ensure that the media is playable on VLC media player, QuickTime player and/or Windowsmedia player

3. Place the removable storage device in a protective envelope

Centres can submit video media evidence of the performances on USBs, External Hard Drives and DVDs. Please ensure that the hardware is new and free of viruses. A copy of the evidence must be retained in the centre.

The file types must be compatible for both Windows and/or Mac devices, therefore files types that can be played on VLC media player, QuickTime player and/or Windows media player must be used. Files formatted in any other format cannot be used and the correct format will be requested by Pearson.

Centres must also retain copies of the work sent to the examiner. Awarding Bodies are not liable for the loss of work or damage that occurs during moderation or in transit.

Before the evidence is sent for moderation, the teacher should check that: - it plays on other computers. For instance, if the DVD/USB/external hard drive files were created on an Apple Mac computer, you must check that they can be opened and play on a Microsoft Windows computer- an audio signal has been successfully recorded, - you should ensure that the camera being used has appropriate facilities for adjusting recorded sound levels, - all introductions are captured on the recording(s). Centres must ensure they place the removable storage device in a protective envelope.

The DVD(s) and hard protective case should be clearly labelled with centre number and name, and DVD number (if more than one is being provided e.g. 1 of 2). Each audio and/or visual file should be named according to the following naming convention:

[centre #]_[candidate number #]_[surname]_[first letter of first name]

for example, the file name for Joshua Smith with candidate number 1234 at centre 12345 should be named: “12345_1234_Smith_J”.

What constitutes secure storage of digital content? It is the centre’s responsibility to keep the work that candidates have performed in the examination securely. Where work is stored electronically centres are required to restrict access to this material and to utilise appropriate security safeguards such as firewall protection and virus scanning software. An effective back-up strategy must be employed so that an up to date archive of candidates’ examination is maintained.

Data Protection It is the centre’s responsibility to ensure that their Data Protection Policy is adhered to.

Safeguarding

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Pearson staff or representatives of Pearson should never be left on their own with children and will withdraw their services rather than find themselves in this situation. It is the responsibility of the centre to provide an environment where Pearson staff or representatives of Pearson can carry out their duties without the likelihood of finding themselves left unsupervised with children. For more information regarding the Safeguarding Children Policy please go to the Pearson website.

International Centres International Centres are required to complete the Preliminary arrangement form for Visiting Examiners to ensure that they are assigned an examiner. There is no longer a postal moderation option and therefore it is pivotal that the form is completed in order for us to guarantee that an examiner will be allocated. During the examined performance, it must be recorded and the centre should obtain this copy in order for us to process any re-marks/EARs.

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Component 3 (9DR0/03): Theatre Makers in Practice. (40%) 48 marks Written examination: 2 hours 30 minutes.

This component will be marked by an external examiner.

There are three areas to be covered:

Section A - Live Theatre Evaluation Section B - Page to Stage: Realising a Performance Text Section C – Interpreting a Performance Text

Section A - Live Theatre Evaluation Candidates are allowed to use theatre evaluation notes of up to a maximum of 500 words. Theatre evaluation notes must be kept in a secure place by the centre until the day of the exam, and placed on desks with the answer booklet. These notes must be focused on one live performance only.

These notes may include reference to:

performers, including performers in specific roles design considerations, including the use of costume, set, lighting and sound the director’s concept/interpretation and the chosen performance style impact on the audience, including, specifically, on the student, and how this was achieved the use of the theatre space how ideas were communicated during the performance.

Sketches, drawings and diagrams may also be included in the notes and used to support the response to the question if required. No pre-published material, including programmes and photographs, may be taken into the examination or form part of the notes. Notes may be handwritten or word processed but the total word limit must not be exceeded.

Notes must not be submitted with the examination paper, but retained by the centre and kept until after post-results services deadline.

The Component 3 Live Theatre Evaluation notes form must be attached to the front of the notes.

Centres are reminded that the choice of live theatre performance cannot be a performance text that is on the prescribed list of this specification.

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Section B - Page to stage: Realising a performance text For this section of the examination, candidates will write about the complete performance text they have studied from the prescribed set text list. Candidates will respond to an unseen extract from their chosen performance text from their examination

Performance text Prescribed edition*

Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, Dario Fo (adapted by Gavin Richards)

Methuen Drama ISBN 9780413156105

Colder Than Here, Laura Wade Oberon Modern Plays ISBN 9781840024715

Equus, Peter Shaffer Penguin Classics ISBN 9780141188904

Fences, August Wilson Penguin Books (reissue edition 1991) ISBN 9780452264014

Machinal, Sophie Treadwell Nick Hern Books ISBN 9781854592118

That Face, Polly Stenham Faber & Faber ISBN 9780571244218

* The prescribed editions will be used to reproduce extracts for examination purposes.Centres are free to choose a different edition for teaching purposes.

Section C – Interpreting a Performance Text Students must practically explore a complete performance text (from List B) in the light of a chosen practitioner in order to outline and justify their ideas for a production concept.

Performance text Prescribed edition*

Antigone, Sophocles (adapted by Don Taylor)

Methuen ISBN 9780413776044

Doctor Faustus, Christopher Marlowe*

Norton & Company ISBN 9780393977547

Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen (adapted by Richard Eyre)

Nick Hern Books ISBN 9781854598424

Lysistrata, Aristophanes (translated by Alan H. Sommerstein)

Penguin Classics ISBN 9780140448146

The Maids, Jean Genet (translated by Bernard Frechtman)

Faber & Faber ISBN 9780571251148

The School for Scandal, Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Dover Thrift ISBN 9780486266879

The Tempest, William Shakespeare

Oxford University Press ISBN 9780198325000

Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett

Faber & Faber ISBN 9780571229116

Woyzeck, Georg Bűchner (translated by John Mackendrick )

Berg Publishing ISBN 9780413388209

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Centres are reminded that they must complete a form regarding text choice and should refer to page 7 of the specification for further details. Please note candidates must take in clean copies of their performance texts for section C, but no other printed materials. Candidates cannot bring any materials in for section B, all extracts will be provided for section B.

Important Information Access arrangements, reasonable adjustments, special consideration and malpractice Equality and fairness are central to our work. Our equality policy requires all students to have equal opportunity to access our qualifications and assessments, and our qualifications to be awarded in a way that is fair to every student. We are committed to making sure that: students with a protected characteristic (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) are not, when

they are undertaking one of our qualifications, disadvantaged in comparison to students who do not share that characteristic

all students achieve the recognition they deserve for undertaking a qualification and that this achievement can be compared fairly to the achievement of their peers.

Access arrangements Access arrangements are agreed before an assessment. They allow students with special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries to: access the assessment show what they know and can do without changing the demands of the assessment. The intention behind an access arrangement is to meet the particular needs of an individual student with a disability, without affecting the integrity of the assessment. Access arrangements are the principal way in which awarding bodies comply with the duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’. Access arrangements should always be processed at the start of the course. Students will then know what is available and have the access arrangement(s) in place for assessment. Reasonable adjustments The Equality Act 2010 requires an awarding organisation to make reasonable adjustments where a person with a disability would be at a substantial disadvantage in undertaking an assessment. The awarding organisation is required to take reasonable steps to overcome that disadvantage. A reasonable adjustment for a particular person may be unique to that individual and therefore might not be in the list of available access arrangements.

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Whether an adjustment will be considered reasonable will depend on a number of factors, which will include: the needs of the student with the disability the effectiveness of the adjustment the cost of the adjustment; and the likely impact of the adjustment on the student with the disability and other students.

An adjustment will not be approved if it involves unreasonable costs to the awarding organisation, timeframes or affects the security or integrity of the assessment. This is because the adjustment is not ‘reasonable’. Special Considerations Special consideration is a post-examination adjustment to a student's mark or grade to reflect temporary injury, illness or other indisposition at the time of the examination/ assessment, which has had, or is reasonably likely to have had, a material effect on a candidate’s ability to take an assessment or demonstrate their level of attainment in an assessment. In relation to live theatre access for Component 3, any extenuating circumstances requests, which come through via special arrangement, will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Further information Please see our website for further information about how to apply for access arrangements and special consideration. For further information about access arrangements, reasonable adjustments and special consideration, please refer to the JCQ website: www.jcq.org.uk. Applications for special consideration along with the appropriate documentation, such as a medical certificate, should be sent to: The Special Requirements Department Pearson 190 High Holborn London WC1V 7BH E-mail: uk.special.requirements@pearson.com Candidate Malpractice Candidate malpractice refers to any act by a candidate that compromises or seeks to compromise the process of assessment or which undermines the integrity of the qualifications or the validity of results/certificates. Candidate malpractice in NEA’s discovered before the candidate has signed the declaration of authentication form does not need to be reported to Pearson.

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Candidate malpractice found in NEA’s after the declaration of authenticity has been signed, and in examinations must be reported to Pearson on a JCQ M1 Form (available at www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/malpractice). The completed form can be emailed to pqsmalpractice@pearson.com or posted to Investigations Team, Pearson, 190 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BH. Please provide as much information and supporting documentation as possible. Note that the final decision regarding appropriate sanctions lies with Pearson and will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Failure to report candidate malpractice constitutes staff or centre malpractice. Staff/centre Malpractice Staff and centre malpractice includes both deliberate malpractice and maladministration of our qualifications. As with candidate malpractice, staff and centre malpractice is any act that compromises or seeks to compromise the process of assessment or undermines the integrity of the qualifications or the validity of results/certificates. All cases of suspected staff malpractice and maladministration must be reported immediately, before any investigation is undertaken by the centre, to Pearson on a JCQ M2 (a) Form (available at www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/malpractice). The form, supporting documentation and as much information as possible can be emailed to pqsmalpractice@pearson.com or posted to Investigations Team, Pearson, 190 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BH. Note that the final decision regarding appropriate sanctions lies with Pearson and will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Failure to report malpractice itself constitutes malpractice. More-detailed guidance on malpractice can be found in the latest version of the document JCQ General and Vocational Qualifications Suspected Malpractice in Examinations and Assessments, available at www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/malpractice. Centre marking training will be organised by Pearson and will include training on the administrative requirements and best practice so as to avoid potential maladministration and/or malpractice.

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Moderators for the NEA component will be trained in the administrative arrangements that are required of centres. The following examples of possible centre maladministration or malpractice should be brought to the attention of Pearson: incorrect group sizes incorrect times allocated to groups recordings not being made recordings not sent to moderator recordings sent in unusable format candidate costume making candidates hard to identify candidates not identified on recordings inappropriate use of non-assessed candidates extremely small roles allocated to candidates.

Non-assessed individuals Non-assessed individuals should be used only when: the total number of students in the cohort does not meet the minimum group size

requirement a student has withdrawn from the performance near to the assessment date a student is absent on the day of the assessment.

Non-assessed individuals may be used to read out the lines of the absent student(s) to support the performance group. Please note that a non-assessed individual may be a class peer, student from a different year group or a member of staff. Assessed and non-assessed individuals must be clearly identified at the start of the recorded evidence to aid moderation. Permission must be sought from Pearson in advance for the inclusion of non-assessed individuals. Please email your requests to drama.assessment@pearson.com.

Absent students Absent students should be indicated with an “A” on the assessment forms/attendance register. Where a candidate is disadvantaged or affected by circumstances that are beyond his or her control, or is suffering from illness or a temporary condition at the time of examinations, you can submit a request for special consideration. Component 1 If a student is absent during the performance recording for submission to the moderator, then the centre may decide to record an additional performance and only assess the student who was absent from the first performance, this must be completed before the submission deadline. Special considerations must be applied to absent student if the centre is not able to able to run an additional performance.

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Component 2 For the performance examination, if a student is absent on the day of the examination, then a non-assessed individual may be used to support the performance group and read out the lines of the absentee. Please identify the assessed and non-assessed individuals clearly to the examiner. A non-assessed individual may be a class peer, student from a different year group or a member of staff. Please note that examiners will not make extra visits to a centre due to student absence. Examiners will only make visits to centres for what they are entitled and within the visiting window set by Pearson. The centre must apply for special considerations for absent students. Centres must email drama.assessment@pearson.com for permission to use non-assessed candidates. Component 3 Special consideration may be applied for absent students at the time of the written examination if they have been disadvantaged or affected by circumstances beyond their control. For further information on access arrangements or special consideration and all the necessary forms please go to the Joint Council website and consult your Examinations Officer. If there are extreme extenuating circumstances regarding the access of live theatre, for example the occurrence of natural disasters or students are hospitalised, then centres need to apply for special arrangements to allow for a suitable live theatre alternative such as NT live or other live theatre broadcast. Applications must be made to drama.assessment@pearson.com. Centre guidance Paul Webster is the Performing Arts and Drama Subject Advisor at Pearson. For any subject specific queries, please contact Paul on 0207 010 2189 or email TeachingPerformingArts@pearson.com. The primary purpose of the Subject Advisor team is supporting teachers in the delivery of our qualifications: Subject advisors act as the public face and a focus of expertise for their subject both to

customers and within the business They offer an excellent responsive service for teachers providing subject expertise through

emails, the telephone and other channels The subject advisor will bring the customer view into the business and be responsible for

creating or contributing to solutions They lead virtual teams across the business of those involved with the sectors; this includes managing the “Ask the Expert” service. We have produced many resources to aid you in the delivery of the course including an FAQ which you can find here.