Changes to 2021 exams for GCSE Dance

Published: Monday 14 Sep 2020

We’ve been working hard to make the relevant changes to our qualifications following Ofqual’s decisions on summer 2021 exams, so here are the changes you need to know about.

Please see changes to 2021 exams for GCSE (8236) Dance.

Component 1 – Performance

  • Students will complete two dance performances (one set phrase and one solo, duet or trio) with a combined minimum duration of one and a half minutes (if all solo performances) or two minutes (if including performance as part of a group, ie duet/trio).
  • Students will only need to complete and submit one set phrase, rather than two (specification page 13). Teachers will mark this single set phrase out of 12.
  • The solo/duet/trio must be based on two of the remaining three set phrases (specification pages 13-14).
  • We’ll be adapting the ‘solo performance assessment grid’ (set phrase) on page 30 of the specification so that it can be used to assess a single set phrase (instead of two). We'll publish the revised assessment grid on e-AQA.
  • We’ll be adapting the ‘duet/trio performance assessment grid’ on page 31 of the specification so that it can also be used to assess solo performances. We'll  publish the revised assessment grid on e-AQA. Teachers will mark this work out of 24.
  • The time penalty will apply as normal to the new minimum time requirement.

Component 1 – Choreography

  • The choreography papers will be available on e-AQA as normal on 15 September.
  • Students will choreograph either a complete solo dance of at least one and a half minutes in duration or a complete group dance of at least two minutes in duration.
  • We'll only be able to accept evidence in the form of audio-visual recordings of complete performance (as we currently do), which can be performed by the student or someone else.
  • Teachers will mark this out of 40 as usual.
  • The time penalty will apply as normal to the new minimum time requirement.

Component 2 – Dance Appreciation

The three six-mark questions in Section B of the written paper relate directly to the student’s work on the NEA component (Performance and Choreography). We'll therefore make sure that these three questions reflect the changes to the NEA component appropriately, so that no student is disadvantaged by the changes.

We know that you’ll want to know more about the changes for next summer. We’ll be publishing further guidance about the summer 2021 exams over the coming months.

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