Higher Drama

On 19 May 2025, we updated the Higher Drama course specification and Higher Drama specimen question paper for session 2025-26 onwards.

The documents reflect the changes we’ve made to the Higher Drama question paper. The updated course specification also contains a revised recommended text list for the Higher Drama performance.

You’ll find information on these changes in the ‘history of changes’ section of the course specification, which outlines what you need to do differently from session 2025-26.

Feedback from practitioners and learners

We sought the views of teachers, lecturers and learners on these changes. In March, we issued two surveys – one for practitioners, and one for learners. We received responses from 283 practitioners, and 257 learners who had previously sat the Higher Drama exam.

In June, we published a full report of our survey findings, along with technical and accessible summaries.

We also discussed our proposals with members of our National Qualifications Support Team (NQST) for Drama, who supported the changes.

Current documents

The current course specification and specimen question paper will continue to be available until this year’s appeals service closes.

We’re running an Understanding Standards event for Higher Drama on Friday 10 October 2025 from 10 am to 4 pm.

The event will take place at our Glasgow office, with an option to join online for those unable to travel.

We’re also running a separate online webinar for Higher Drama on Thursday 30 October 2025 from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm.

What the event and webinar will cover

Both the event and webinar will focus on the revised Higher Drama question paper and marking instructions, and they’ll also cover the Higher Drama performance. You’ll review and discuss candidate evidence with colleagues during workshop activities.

If you’re attending the event in Glasgow, you don’t need to book onto the webinar, as it will cover the same content.

Book a place

Places are limited to one representative from each school, college or training provider.

To book a place on the event or webinar, please use our online booking system at athena.sqameet.net. You’ll need a username and password to access the booking system.

If you book a place at the Glasgow event, our Events team will contact you to confirm if you’re planning to attend in person or online.