Why study Drama?

Drama gives you the opportunity to use your imagination and express yourself in a creative and practical way. It helps you to develop important skills such as problem solving, communication, planning and creative thinking. It is particularly suitable for those who love being creative, getting their ideas across in a dramatic way and communicating their ideas with others.

The skills that you develop in Drama are useful in many different careers, including: communications and media, theatre, film, TV, radio, costume design, production, writing and teaching.

Career Pathways

To see what career areas this subject could lead to and the routes to get there, download and view these career pathways:

Communications and Media

Performing Arts

What do I need to get in?

Entry is at the discretion of the school or college but you would normally have achieved:

• National 4 Drama

What will I study?

Drama is a practical, hands-on subject where you will explore and develop a range of drama skills and approaches to communicating thoughts and ideas to an audience. You will develop a range of acting skills in relation to portraying characters. You will also develop a knowledge and understanding of social and cultural influences on drama, as well as learn how to evaluate your own progress and that of others.

During this course you will:

• explore and develop a range of drama skills and ways of communicating thoughts and ideas to an audience
• develop a range of skills as an actor
• learn how to respond to stimuli, including text
• develop your understanding of how to portray character
• develop your knowledge and understanding of form, structure, genre and style when creating and presenting drama
• extend your understanding of social and cultural influences on drama
• reflect on your own progress and that of others.
• develop a range of production skills and use these skills to enhance drama when presenting
• use problem solving skills in order to generate ideas for presenting drama.

How will I be assessed?

Course Assessment

The course assessment has two components totalling 120 marks:

• Component 1: question paper – worth 60 marks
• Component 2: performance – worth 60 marks.

The question paper will be set and marked by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

For the performance component, you will create and present a drama. This will be set by your school or college and assessed by an SQA visiting assessor.

The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across all course assessment components.

The course assessment is graded A-D.

Study Materials

• SQA Past Papers Drama National 5
• SQA Specimen Paper Drama National 5
• SQA Understanding Standards Drama
• BBC Bitesize National 5 Drama

What can I go on to next?

If you complete the course successfully, it may lead to:

• Higher Drama

Further study, training or employment in:

• Communications and Media
• Performing Arts

Which jobs are related to this subject?

• Drama - Related Careers

Where can my parents find out more?

Your school will give your parents an Options or Choices information booklet, which has detailed information on the curriculum and the individual subjects or courses you can study. It will also invite them along to a Parents’ Information Evening.

They can also read the information leaflet(s):

Nationals in a Nutshell - Drama (National 5)