The Digital Grades in drama are available for all of our solo drama grades in Acting, Musical Theatre, Performance Arts, Speech and Drama. They enable candidates to record their performance at a place and time of their choice and then submit the video recording via our online platform to be assessed by our expert examiners. The exams have the same academic rigour as our face-to-face exams, and candidates gain full recognition for their achievements, with the same certificate and UCAS points awarded as for the face-to-face exams.
Designed for digital
Responsive to a changing world, these exams have been designed to support teaching, learning and assessment through a digital medium.
Your performance, your choice
Sitting alongside our face-to-face graded exams, digital exams provide even more choice and flexibility in how a regulated graded qualification can be achieved.
Digital support content
Comprehensive online resources provide support to candidates and teachers throughout their digital exam journey.
Exam requirements
At this time Digital Grades and Diplomas will be available for solo grades only in all subjects, except Communication Skills. To understand how the digital exams compare to face-to-face exams, and to help candidates identify what they need to record on their video, please see the table below. Please see the syllabus specifications for full information.
Exam element
Face-to-face Graded Exams
Interim Stop Gap Exams Summer 2020
Digital Graded Exams
Performance
The candidate performs their prepared pieces
The candidate performs their prepared pieces
The candidate performs their prepared pieces
Reflection/
Discussion
The candidate has a discussion with the examiner about their performance work.
Calculated result
The candidate reflects on their performance work using set questions
Supporting tests
Candidates are presented with stimuli in the exam to respond to.
Calculated result
The candidate accesses prescribed stimuli from the Trinity website to respond to in their exam.
This is changed weekly and candidates must use the stimuli that is on the website in the same week they video and upload their exam for assessment.
Communication Skills (individual) Graded exams
Communication Skills graded exams are not included in the Digital Grades and Diplomas. We will be releasing a digital version of Communication Skills grades separately, and an announcement will be made in the next few weeks.
Syllabus specification documents
To understand the exam requirements, you will need to read:
- The relevant Digital Grades syllabus specification (above)
- The Drama Digital Grades and Diplomas Support Guide
- The weekly supporting task (see the Supporting Tasks page for further details on how to access this)
- The Reflection Task questions which are listed in the Supporting Guide
There are further support and guidance materials on the website, including instructions on how to film, upload and submit.
Syllabus specifications
What you need to do next
- Select your performance pieces according to the relevant syllabus specification (above)
- Access your supporting task from the Supporting Task page
- Access your reflection task questions from the detailed in the Supporting Guide
- Download and complete your submission information form
- Take photos or scan your texts (please see the guidance document)
And also:
- Check the Covid-19 Special Arrangements for Digital Drama exams page if there are restrictions due to Covid-19.
Weekly Supporting Tasks – starting 23 November 2020
Drama exams require candidates to respond to a stimulus in the supporting task. Being able to respond creatively to a given stimulus is a critical skill in drama performance and the Digital Grades and Diplomas include this as a requirement. In a face-to-face drama exam this stimulus is provided by the examiner and candidates have a limited timeframe in which to perform their response in the exam.
For the Digital Grades and Diplomas, this stimulus will be provided on our website and refreshed on a weekly basis. Candidates will need to access the stimulus for their supporting tasks in the same week in which they are recording their exam. For example:
- If a candidate intends to make their video recording on the 3 December, they will need to access that week’s task which is posted on Monday 30 November and will be valid from 30 November – 6 December
We have created a sample set of tasks. These cannot be used for the exam, but have been created so that you know what to expect when the real ones are published.
Download a sample set of tasks now
It’s important for candidates to ensure they are responding to the correct stimulus, so it’s recommended that on the day of their recording they check the web page to ensure they are working with the correct materials.
The first stimulus will be posted on the website on the 23 November. Please check back here on this date to access the link to the web page.