BTEC Tech Awards Performing Arts

Type of Qualification

Pearson BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award in Performing Arts

Performing Arts (2022) | BTEC Tech Awards | Pearson qualifications

The Pearson BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award in Performing Arts is ideal for you if you are a pre-16 student working at level 1 or level 2 and would like to develop practical skills and find out more about performing arts. This course offers a practical introduction to life and work in the performing arts industry. The qualification, which is 120 GLH, is the same size and level as a GCSE. 

Course Content

This course will give you the opportunity to develop knowledge and technical skills in a practical learning environment. You will also develop key skills, such as creating performance or design content for a real vocational scenario.

Everyone taking this qualification will study three components, covering the following content areas:

Component 1: Exploring the Performing Arts Learners will develop their understanding of the performing arts by examining the work of performing arts professionals and the processes used to create performance.

Component 2: Developing Skills and Techniques in the Performing Arts Learners will develop their performing arts skills and techniques through the reproduction of acting, dance and/or musical theatre repertoire as performers or designers.

Component 3: Responding to a Brief Learners will be given the opportunity to work as part of a group to contribute to a workshop performance as either a performer or a designer in response to a brief and stimulus

This qualification is for learners interested in taking a hands-on course alongside their GCSEs that will offer them an insight into what it is like to work in the performing arts sector. This course enables learners to develop the foundational skills that are integral to a wide range of roles (from performing to designing and directing) across the creative industries, including film and television, theatre, games, and advertising. Learners will receive a general introduction to the sector, crammed with opportunities to learn and try out new skills, techniques, and styles, allowing them to make an informed decision about their future learning and career.

Through this course, learners will acquire sector-specific applied knowledge and skills through vocational contexts by studying professionals’ work and processes used, the skills and techniques used in different roles, and how to contribute to the creation of a performance in either a performance or non-performance role. Learners will also have the opportunity to develop their own technical, practical and interpretative skills through workshops and classes, and to apply them in the internal and external assessments. In addition, learners will develop transferable and employability skills such as responding to a brief, self-development, planning, time management and communication.

How is the course assessed?

As a creative subject with a focus on application, there is no written exam. All components, including the externally assessed synoptic component, are assessed through engaging, open, and flexible set tasks, designed to give learners as much freedom as possible in how they respond, allowing them to work to their own strengths and interests, and to focus on the area of the performing arts sector that most excites and appeals to the

Where will this course take me?

This Tech Award complements the learning in GCSE programmes such as GCSE Drama and GCSE Dance by broadening experience and skills participation in different types of performance activities, with the opportunity to practically apply knowledge and skills through project work, such as developing ideas and performing for specific audiences. It is a great stepping-stone into further vocational or academic study in the Performing Arts sector

Once you have completed the qualification, you will have developed a practical understanding of the performing arts industry, and the roles and responsibilities of the people involved in performing arts industries. Because you will be building useful skills, which are not generally covered in GCSE courses, you will have a better understanding of whether the performing arts industry is for you. This will allow you to decide whether this is an area you want to continue to study. The course will also help you to develop specific skills and knowledge, such as self-evaluation and group work, which will benefit you wherever you progress to next.

If you decide to go on to further study of performing arts, the best option for you will depend on the grades you have achieved in this and the other qualifications you have taken, and what you enjoy doing. You could progress to a Level 2 Technical Certificate or to a Level 3 programme, such as A Levels, a T Level or a BTEC National, either on its own or in combination with A levels.