Diploma help

Please see ATCL Impromptu talk support document.

Please see Improvisation support document.

For the purposes of these examinations, 'lyric' is defined as being primarily the thoughts and feelings, moods and meditations of a single voice in verse or prose form.  'Narrative' is defined as being primarily a description of a series of events developing in a sequential order, told in the first, second or third person, possibly involving direct or indirect speech from one or more characters and/or some form of reflective commentary by a narrator.  Virtually every poem has both lyrical and narrative qualities, so candidates should focus on bringing out the lyrical qualities of their chosen poem.

This will be a solo piece of text, it could be a poem, prose or play extract. It’s not a sight reading test. The text is chosen to allow candidates to demonstrate understanding and preparation processes towards text which has different characteristics from the ones they have performed. For instance if they have done a lot of serious drama they might be given something lighter or vice versa.

The Integration Mark is used by examiners to record a holistic impression of candidate's ability to integrate the skills, knowledge and awareness covered in each unit, and the degree to which they can produce and present work which shows cohesion, spontaneity, creativity, individuality and personal investment.

Candidates are required to demonstrate all skills outlined in the syllabus but they have more freedom in devising the programme.

Yes. One of the aims of the LTCL is that candidates deliver courses to "a range of learners". The wider the range of students (in age, ability, teaching context, experience, needs etc) the wider the range of strategies the candidate will be able to demonstrate - for which they will receive credit when their work is marked.

In order to meet the requirements of the syllabus, a group needs to be 10 or more students. This is to demonstrate that a candidate can teach a range of learners, manage a group and build creatively on the unexpected.

No. The requirements of the LTCL are so subject-specific that it is not possible to map them to a PGCE in any meaningful way.

In current educational practice:

Teachers (and in some cases students) organise their study into periods of learning – usually a 10 or 12-week term but could be longer or shorter. At the outset the teacher defines some projected learning outcomes for the forthcoming period.

Formative assessment is ongoing assessment of a student’s (or “learner’s”) progress during that period – could be a workbook, weekly seminars, self-assessment by keeping a diary, discussion, a chart on the wall awarding stars to different individuals etc. The quality of the work may vary from week to week but that wouldn’t necessarily mean that the student wasn’t gradually acquiring new skills and understanding.

Summative assessment is assessment at the end of the period of learning – could be an exam, performance (and feedback) on a performance event, a termly report, an interview. Usually the purpose of this is to assess how far the student has achieved the learning outcomes that were set at the outset and the results of this may be used to define the learning outcomes for the next period.

A straight dance class (eg: beginner ballet) would not be suitable. But a dance-based class which introduced other musical theatre skills (eg: acting a role) would be ok.

No need for formal knowledge of procedures for competitive debating is required.

If they are telling a story for instance – how might they identify and convey the idea of different “voices” within a narrative.

The focus here is on communicating with the specified audience. Ensure you identify the age, number and reasons for attending. The method and engagement with the audience is what is being assessed as well as how appropriate the content is to the audience. You may also want to think about why you are reading to the children and so what the emphasis should be on. Are you trying to teach them something about a specific topic? Is it to engage their imagination?

The radio news feature can be a story that you make up or it can be an existing story that you have read about and have adapted to fit with the criteria. The focus here is on the two different aims of the story. One should be aimed at entertainment, while one should be for a serious news programme. For example you could invent a story about a celebrity turning up to the Oscars in a controversial outfit. The entertainment side of this could focus on what they were wearing and how this was perceived by other celebrities. Alternatively the serious news programme could focus on why they chose the outfit and what message it was meant to send out or what the social implications of this action are.

No need for transcripts of ATCL speeches as the candidate should adopt an extempore (without preparation) style and memorisation is not being tested. A summary of the speeches and intended audiences would however be useful for the examiner.