New Syllabus: 2024 - 2029

Key changes to Introductory and Performance Syllabi

With effect from 1 August 2024

There’s only one thing LAMDA Teachers are talking about this week, and that’s the new syllabi that have just been released for download on the LAMDA website. If you don’t have yours yet, you can find them here. If, like me, you were very quick off the mark, you will have initially downloaded the final draft rather than the published version which they’ve now updated.

These Syllabi will come into effect from 1st August 2024 (so if you are working with students who are taking their exam before then keep using the current 2019 - 2024 Syllabi!)

We don’t yet have the Anthologies (I think they are being released on 25th April) but we do have the titles of pieces. More on that below, in the Acting section…

I have trawled through all the new Syllabi with a fine-toothed comb and I think I’ve found all the important changes, which I’m going to go through below. I have NOT looked at the Group Introductory exams (as I don’t teach these) and I’ve ignored tiny changes in wording that I don’t think will make a big difference to the way we teach:

e.g. Verse and Prose Grade 4 Assessment and Grading Criteria:

2019 Syllabus:

3.1 Apply body language and facial expression to reflect the text and engage the audience

2024 Syllabus:

3.1 Apply appropriate posture, body language and facial expression to reflect the text and engage the audience

So they have added in the phrase ‘appropriate posture’ as well as body language and facial expression. I’m not saying this isn’t important, but I don’t think it will have a huge impact on the way we teach - so I’m NOT going to include small changes like this in the following list as it may be overwhelming and the really important changes will get lost.

In this post I will talk about general changes, and changes to the Introductory Syllabus and the Performance Syllabus (Acting, Devising and Miming). I’ll do another post in the next few days that will cover changes to the Communications Syllabus (Verse and Prose, Reading for Performance and Speaking in Public).

GENERAL CHANGES THAT EFFECT ALL EXAMS:

1) WHAT DOES PUBLISHED MEAN?

LAMDA have been more specific about the definition of ‘published’. The rules state:

Own Choice Pieces must be Published by a professional Third Party (e.g. a Publishing House). Self-Published Pieces that have not been reviewed and published by a third party are not allowed.

and in the Glossary it states:

For the purposes for these qualifications, LAMDA defines published as a text which is verifiably available to the public in a printed book, in an e-book or online and has been published by a third party. Self-published works are not allowed. Learners must be able to state the author, original publication date and publisher.

The problem with this is that SO MANY PEOPLE (including me) self-publish their own books these days. So does that mean all of these books (which are verifiably available to the public in a printed book etc etc etc) are not permitted? For example The Year I Lived Twice by Alex Woolf has been self-published. So has this collection of Monologues for Children by Kim Gilbert. I’m going to write to LAMDA about this and see what they have to say. Will keep you all posted!

2) RUNNING OVER TIME

There is a new rule that states: where a maximum timescale is stated, if a Learner exceeds this time, the Examiner will not mark anything presented after this time.

I think this makes perfect sense! And is probably in there to satisfy OFQAL as I think GCSE and A Level drama performances have a similar rule.

3) SOUND EFFECTS

It now states in the rules for all Communications Exams (Speaking in Public, Verse and Prose, Reading for Performance) it states: Use of sound effects are not permitted

I can imagine using sound effects in a Reading for Performance exam, and I have had a learner use a sound effect in a Speaking in Public exam (to demonstrate an aural illusion!) so I think it’s a shame they’ve taken out this option for those exams.

4) LENGTH OF EXAMS

This will only really affect people who run their own private centres. There have been some changes here, especially for duologue exams (so just the Performance Exams). I won’t go through every single one but generally speaking you can add 5 minutes to the length of any duologue exam. See the syllabus for details when you are preparing your timetable!

INTRODUCTORY EXAMS

No big changes here but worth nothing the following:

1) STAGE 1

2019: they should bring in a ‘toy or object’

2024: they should bring a ‘favourite toy, souvenir or piece of memorabilia’ so they’ve been more specific about what sort of thing they should bring. For example, I recently had a student bring in a pair of swimming goggles because that was his favourite hobby. He wouldn’t be allowed to do this anymore - unless they were a souvenir from a particular pool I suppose!

2) STAGE 2

2019: they should bring in a picture, photograph or postcard

2024: they should bring in a picture, photograph, drawing or postcard - I think this is a nice addition. I’ve had students who have wanted to bring in one of their best pieces of artwork and this will now be permitted. They have also added ‘favourite food’ to the categories of what the picture could show.

ACTING EXAMS