Drama - Preparing for an exam

Which syllabus should I be using?

If you will be taking your digital or face-to-face exam before 31 August 2023 please use the 2020 drama specifications. If you will be taking your exam after this time please use the 2023 specifications.

Which Drama exam is right for me?

Trinity offers a wide range of graded, certificate and diploma exams across a variety of genres. We have exams for solos, pairs and groups, as well as in production exams for live productions. Please refer to the Drama section of our website for full details of all our drama exams.

Which drama specification is right for my students?

This depends on your student’s interests and skills, each of our drama specifications has a different focus.

• Acting suits learners who want to focus on vocal, physical and characterisation skills in dramatic performance.
• Drama and Speech is designed for candidates who want to develop their skills by engaging with a variety of forms including poetry, prose and play extracts in a range of styles from different periods.
• Musical Theatre is suited to learners who want the opportunity to integrate acting, singing and movement skills.
• Performance Arts allows learners the freedom to combine a diverse variety of performance arts skills.
• Communication Skills is designed to support candidates in developing a range of 21st Century communication skills that can have a positive impact in both education and the workplace.

How can I prepare/plan a programme for the exam? 

Candidates and teachers should refer to the guidance pages of the syllabus when selecting material for their performance programmes. They can also refer to our Drama Support Resources.

How do I prepare for an exam?

Requirements for the exam can be found in the relevant specification, available to download free of charge from the Drama section of our website, or a hard copy can be ordered by emailing [email protected] with the following details

• Which specification you would like
• How many copies you require
• The postal address you want them to be sent to

Trinity publishes a range of supporting publications and other resources; again please refer to the Drama section of our website for full details. Each specification also has a range of FAQs online to answer any key questions you may have about delivery.

The validity period of all of our Drama specifications is included in the publications and documents that relate to them, please refer to the Drama section of our website for further details.

Are there any prerequisites required before entering for an exam?

There are no prerequisites to enter any of our graded or certificate exams.

Trinity’s drama diplomas are open to all candidates. There is no requirement to have passed lower grade(s)/diploma levels, or other qualifications.

However, the graded exams and diplomas represent a system of progressive development and the outcomes for each level assume mastery of the outcomes of previous levels. We therefore recommend that candidates have taken the previous level, particularly at these higher levels.

Are there any age requirements for entering Trinity’s drama exams?

There are no age requirements for graded exams, certificates or diplomas. There are however recommended minimum ages for diplomas as follows

• ATCL - 18 and over
• LTCL – 19 and over