Exams and coursework – experience of exams in university context.

Having submitted most of my assessed work for teaching block 1 last week, I only have my assessed choreography performance and the choreography workfile left to hand in. We have hit the ground running with Choreography since coming back, with no timetabled lessons we have been in the department from 9-5 most week days, rehearsing and polishing our piece. I didn’t get as far ahead as I would have liked to over christmas with my coursework, however returned to Bristol early (around the 3rd February) and so used the time to catch up and finish off all my work. As I’ve mentioned in my previous post our department does not have written exams, and so the preparation for our exam period is more about organisation than revision. Most of the time you will have some form of practical assessment, and if not that will be made up by essays and coursework. This can seem a big load to bear however with the right preparation and organisation , the work can easily be broken down into small chunks and be tackled individually. Pacing yourself is an important skill, especially in the theatre department as there are so many opportunities to get involved, I have ended up being responsible for the lighting and set design for our choreography piece, which means often once we finish rehearsal I have to stay in the department to meet with staff to discuss how things will work or organise timings to meet up again to complete a task. The technical elements of our performance (lighting, sound, set design, costume etc) are not assessed for this unit, and so I had to be careful of investing too much time into making them happen.

Production weeks (known as intensive weeks) for assessed shows are always (as the name suggests) intense. I am required to be in the department from 9 to 5 most days for various things including lighting plots, sound plots, technical and dress rehearsals, and alongside all of this our group will still be rehearsing for the final piece. This is why it is very important to get work done early if deadlines for other modules are during an intensive week, as chances are it’s hard to find time to finish that work off, whilst also finding time to relax (as you need this too!)

Overall however I am on top of my work at the moment, and more importantly there are people I know I can contact if I feel overwhelmed, such as my personal tutor, my subject tutor, and (specifically first years) can always talk to senior residents or hall staff for support, it’s important to remember the support is always there, but it doesn’t necessarily find you unless you try to find it.

Jamie