Drama 7–10 Syllabus (2003)
Find out more about the Drama 7–10 Syllabus (2003) and access teaching and learning support materials.
New syllabus implemented from 2026
The new Drama 7–10 Syllabus (2023) is to be implemented from 2026.
• 2024 and 2025 – Plan and prepare to teach the new syllabus
• 2026 – Start teaching the new syllabus
School sectors are responsible for implementing syllabuses and are best placed to provide schools with specific guidance and information on implementation given their understanding of their individual contexts.
Detailed implementation information, including key features and resources, is available on the Creative Arts syllabus development page.
About the course
The study of drama enables young people to develop an interest in and enjoyment of investigating and enacting a wide range of theatrical forms, styles and acting methods. Through critical reflection and acquiring understanding, knowledge and skills, students respond to the ideas and dramatic works of others by creatively and collaboratively developing their own ideas into dramatic action for performance.
Drama enables young people to develop knowledge, understanding and skills individually and collaboratively to make, perform and appreciate dramatic and theatrical works. Students take on roles as a means of exploring both familiar and unfamiliar aspects of their world while exploring the ways people react and respond to different situations, issues and ideas.
The Drama Years 7–10 syllabus includes Life Skills outcomes and content for students with special education needs.
All students undertake a unit of playbuilding in every 100 hours of the course. Playbuilding refers to a group of students collaborating to make their own piece of drama from a variety of stimuli. At least one other dramatic form or performance style must also be studied in the first 100 hours. Examples of these include improvisation, mime, script, puppetry, small screen drama, physical theatre, street theatre, mask, comedy and Shakespeare. Students also learn about the elements of drama, various roles in the theatre, the visual impact of design, production elements and the importance of the audience in any performance.
Students learn to make, perform and appreciate dramatic and theatrical works. They devise and enact dramas using scripted and unscripted material and use acting and performance techniques to convey meaning to an audience. They learn to respond to, reflect on and analyse their own work and the work of others and evaluate the contribution of drama and theatre to enriching society.
Board Developed Course
Course number(s):
- 2010 Drama 200 hours
- 2011 Drama 100 hours
- 2012 Drama Life Skills 200 hours
- 2013 Drama Life Skills 100 hours
Exclusions: Students may not access both the Drama Years 7–10 outcomes and content and the Drama Life Skills outcomes and content.
Students may undertake either 100 or 200 hours of study in Drama in Stage 4 and/or Stage 5.
Information about curriculum requirements for the RoSA are available on Assessment Certification Examination (ACE).
Assessment information and support
Teaching and learning support
Use these support materials to guide and plan your teaching and assessment.
The Life Skills outcomes worksheet can be used to collect information on the outcomes that a student has achieved before recording them in Schools Online.