An Introduction to Drama Stage 6 in the New HSC

The new Drama Stage 6 Syllabus replaces the current Drama Syllabus (May 1994).
The new syllabus is for implementation with Year 11 in 2000 and will be first
examined in 2001.

The syllabus provides information that was formerly available in the KLA handbook.
This includes descriptions of course requirements, assessment weightings for internal
and external examination and examination specifications.

What is similar?

The new Drama Stage 6 Syllabus has undergone minor change to content and
structure and is similar to the current syllabus.

What are the overall improvements?

• More explicit information has been included in the Preliminary course content and
assessment sections to assist delivery of the course in the 120 indicative hours and to assist
articulation towards the HSC.
• Amendments to the written components: Australian Drama and Theatre and Studies in
Drama and Theatre, have increased Australian content in the syllabus and have broadened
choice to better meet the needs of students. The choice of topics in the Studies in Drama and
Theatre component allows the inclusion of both non-Australian and Australian material and
removes the outmoded distinction between World and Australian Drama.
• Changes have been made to the requirements for Individual Projects to ensure parity.
• The Rationale for the Individual Projects has been incorporated as an internal assessment
tool.
• The inclusion of a glossary assists clarifies the use of dramatic terms.

The following changes have been made to particular sections of the syllabus

Rationale, Aim and Objectives (pp 6, 9)

The syllabus rationale, aim and objectives have been redrafted to provide greater coherence and
explicit links with outcomes and content. The theoretical underpinning of the course have been
strengthened, as has the importance of experiential and collaborative learning. The practices that

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frame the study of Drama — Making, Performing and Critically Studying, have been used to
organise the revised objectives.
Course structure (p 10)

• An emphasis has been placed on the teaching components in the Preliminary course in an
integrated program of study.
• In the Preliminary course changes have been made to specific components. The component:
Elements of Production in Performance includes a combination of previous syllabus content
from Elements of production, and Performance in the current syllabus. Theatrical Traditions
and Performance Styles is a new component.
• In the HSC course the component Australian Drama and Theatre, formerly called Drama and
Theatre in Australian Societies and Cultures in the current syllabus, is the core written
component. Students study ONE of TWO topics.
• In the HSC component, Studies in Drama and Theatre, topics have been broadened to include
both Australian and non-Australian material. This component was formerly called Drama and
Theatre in Societies and Cultures other than Australian.
• Group Performance was formerly called Group presentation in the current syllabus.
• Individual Project remains the same as the current syllabus with minor changes to the titles
and specifications for projects.

Outcomes (pp 11–13)

• Outcomes in the revised Drama Stage 6 Syllabus explicitly link with syllabus content and
challenge the full range of candidates.
• Outcomes reflect a sequential development and have been written in relation to the
objectives, content and the practices of Making, Performing and Critically Studying in
Drama and Theatre.
• Outcomes in the Preliminary course are progressive and are subsumed in the HSC course
outcomes.

Content (pp 15–27)

• For each component there is a clear differentiation of outcomes and content between
Preliminary and HSC courses with outcomes aligned to course content.
• In the Preliminary course, content in the component: Improvisation, Playbuilding and Acting
has been defined more clearly. Preliminary content areas in the current syllabus have been
combined to become Elements of Production in Performance and describe production in
relation to the context of performance.
• Theatrical Traditions and Performance Styles is a new component which will provide
preparation through experiential learning for the areas of study in the HSC course. In this
study, students may explore any dramatic text or theatrical style not covered in the topics for
HSC course.
• In the HSC course, the major change has been to the written components. Australian Drama
and Theatre is the compulsory core. In the written component Studies in Drama and Theatre
topics may be either non-Australian or Australian.
• Clearer guidelines on the teaching of Group Performance have been included.
• The Individual Project remains as described in the current Drama syllabus. The names of
some projects have been changed slightly ie. Director’s Preparation Production is now
Directors’ Folio; Critical Analysis Research Project is now Applied Research Project; Video
is now Video Drama; Poster Program and Advertising is now Program and Promotion. A
Rationale is required for each Individual project.

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Course Requirements (pp 28–44)

• Information previously contained within the KLA Creative Arts Stage 6 Handbook has been
included in the course requirements of the syllabus. Criteria and specifications for each
component have been clarified. Individual Project specifications and criteria have also been
included.
• Exclusions have been described in the Preliminary and HSC courses to prevent students
duplicating content within the Drama course or in another HSC course.
• Consistent with current practice, topics and prescribed texts will be revised every two years.
In the selection of topics and prescribed texts the availability of resources in schools and
student needs and interests have been considered.
• The Individual Project Rationale has been incorporated as an internal assessment tool for
Individual Projects and will be referred to by examiners during the marking process to verify
the intent of student work.

Assessment (pp 46–55)

• New specifications for internal assessment provide greater guidance and flexibility. Specific
information has been included in the Preliminary course assessment information to assist
delivery of the course in the 120 indicative hours, and weightings to tasks have been
modified.
• In the Preliminary course the components have been weighted to reflect the interrelated
nature of learning within components –
– Improvisation ,Playbuilding and Acting 40%
– Elements of Production in Performance 30%,
– Theatrical Traditions and Performance Styles 30%.
• A suggested breakdown of practical and theoretical tasks for assessment has been given as
workshop/ practical activities 60% and written reflection 40%.
• In the HSC course components have changed in weighting.
– Australian Drama and Theatre 30%
– Studies in Drama and Theatre 30%
– Development of Group Performance 20%
– Individual Project to 20 %,
• External examination specifications remain the same, with the addition of the Rationale for
Individual Projects, which will need to be available for examiners during the marking
process.
• Students will choose one topic for study from a choice of two and will answer a common
question in the written examination in the Australian Drama and Theatre component. There is
no longer internal choice in questions in the topics for Studies in Drama and Theatre.

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What will be needed to teach this subject?

• The Drama Stage 6 Syllabus

• The Drama Stage 6 HSC Course Prescriptions. There are prescribed topics and texts for
Individual Projects/Group Performance as well as the HSC course components Australian
Drama and Theatre, and Studies in Drama and Theatre. These are published on the Board of
Studies website www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au

• The Higher School Certificate Drama Stage 6 Specimen examination paper,

sample marking guidelines and draft performance scale.
Current programs will still operate but will need to be modified to account for
changes to terminology, content, outcomes and assessment.
A further subject-specific document is being developed by the Board of Studies for
distribution later in the year. This will assist teachers with the implementation of the
revised syllabuses.

A list of a number of resources will be placed on the Board’s website,

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au.

The Board of Studies will also provide assessment support materials, which will be
generic across subjects.

Cross-sectoral professional development workshops (Department of Education and

Training, Catholic Education Commission and members of the Association of
Independent Schools) for Drama Stage 6 will be held. Venues and dates for these
workshops have been published on the New HSC website —
http://www.newhsc.schools.nsw.edu.au — and distributed to schools. The materials
from the workshops will be available on this website.

CURRICULUM SUPPORT for Teaching in Creative Arts 7–12 — a publication

distributed each term by the Department of Education and Training — will carry an
HSC supplement.

Assessment and Reporting Bulletin — published each term as a joint venture of the
Department of Education and Training, the Catholic Education Commission and the
Association of Independent Schools — will build on principles outlined in Board of
Studies’ newsletters and assessment support materials.