Pearson Edexcel A-Level Drama and Theatre Studies Past Papers & Mark Schemes

This archive of 52 resources covers the Pearson Edexcel legacy A-Level Drama and Theatre Studies specification (units 6DR01–6DR04), which was the predecessor to the current Drama and Theatre (9DR0) qualification. Although the specification structure has changed, the core analytical and practical skills remain identical, making these papers valuable preparation material for any student studying drama at A-Level. The legacy specification was divided into four units across two tiers. At AS Level, Unit 1 (6DR01) — Exploration of Drama and Theatre — was a coursework unit requiring students to create a portfolio demonstrating practical exploration of two contrasting plays through the lens of at least two recognised theatre practitioners. Students were expected to show how practitioner techniques (Stanislavski's emotional memory, Brecht's gestus, Artaud's use of sensory assault) could be applied to specific scenes and characters. Unit 2 (6DR02) — Theatre Text in Performance — was the AS written paper (1 hour 30 minutes, 60 marks). Section A required students to explain how they would perform or design for a specific extract from their set text, demonstrating understanding of staging, vocal delivery, physicality, and audience impact. Section B required an evaluation of a live theatre production, analysing how performers and designers created meaning through specific production choices. At A2 Level, Unit 3 (6DR03) — Exploration of Dramatic Performance — was a second coursework unit assessing a devised performance accompanied by a documented creative process showing research, rehearsal development, and evaluation. Unit 4 (6DR04) — Theatre Text in Context — was the A2 written paper (2 hours 30 minutes, 80 marks) and the most demanding component. It included a pre-released Source Booklet containing extracts from critical writings, practitioner theories, and historical documents related to the set text. Students had to analyse their set text in its original performance context, evaluate critical interpretations, and explain their own directorial vision with precise staging detail. The Source Booklet questions in Unit 4 are particularly distinctive — they require students to synthesise information from unfamiliar critical and historical sources with their own textual knowledge, a skill that develops sophisticated academic argumentation transferable to university-level study.