📚 Performance Skills · 1.4
How the Skills Appear in the Exam
Section A knowledge questions · Section B 6-mark explain answers · what goes wrong and why
📚 What you will learn on this page
- Recognise each type of Section A performance skills question and know exactly what it is asking
- Structure a Level 5–6 Section B answer using NAME → EXAMPLE → EXPLAIN (PEE)
- Identify the six most common errors students make and know the correct answers
- Practise real exam-style questions with revealed mark-scheme answers
Type 1
Define a term
1 mark
Example question"What does the dance term movement memory mean?"
What the mark scheme wants: The specification definition — exactly. One mark for a correct definition. Credit equivalent responses — answers need not be verbatim but must capture the meaning.
Top tip: Refer back to the directory for every specification definition. Single-word answers almost never score.
Top tip: Refer back to the directory for every specification definition. Single-word answers almost never score.
🎯 Try it
"What does the dance term musicality mean?" (1 mark)
[1m]The ability to make the unique qualities of the accompaniment evident in performance.
Credit: responses that convey responsiveness to music quality, rhythm and mood in performance. Do not accept "dancing in time with the music" alone.
Type 2
What type of skill / which category?
1 mark
Example question"What type of technical skill is counterpoint?"
What the mark scheme wants: The correct category AND sub-type where relevant. For counterpoint: Relationship Content (Technical).
Top tip: Know which skills are Duet/Trio only — counterpoint, mirroring, lead & follow etc. are all Relationship Content.
Top tip: Know which skills are Duet/Trio only — counterpoint, mirroring, lead & follow etc. are all Relationship Content.
🎯 Try it
"What type of skill is spatial awareness? State which of the four performance skill categories it belongs to." (1 mark)
[1m]Expressive skill.
⚠️ A very common error: students write "Physical" because it sounds physical. Spatial awareness belongs to the Expressive category — it is about consciously using space for artistic effect, not physical capability.
Type 3
Give two reasons why a skill matters
2 marks
Example question"Give two reasons why it is important for a dancer to have good nutrition." (2 marks)
What the mark scheme wants: [1m] per valid reason (two required). Each must be specific — vague answers ("it helps performance") do not score.
Acceptable answers: provides energy for stamina · prevents fatigue and dizziness · prevents loss of concentration · supports muscle recovery · maintains correct body weight for safe partnering.
Acceptable answers: provides energy for stamina · prevents fatigue and dizziness · prevents loss of concentration · supports muscle recovery · maintains correct body weight for safe partnering.
🎯 Try it
"Give two reasons why a dancer should cool down after a performance." (2 marks)
[1m each — two required]
- Gradually lowers heart rate and breathing to a safe resting level
- Lowers core body temperature gradually
- Helps disperse lactic acid from muscles, reducing soreness
- Prevents blood pooling in the legs
⚠️ Do NOT accept "prevents injury" as a cool-down reason — injury prevention is a warm-up benefit. This is one of the most common errors in this question type.
Type 4
Describe an exercise to improve a skill
1–2 marks
Example question"Describe one exercise a dancer could do to improve their balance." (2 marks)
What the mark scheme wants: [1m] Names a relevant exercise. [1m] Describes it clearly enough to replicate, including duration, repetitions or a progressive challenge.
Top tip: Never just name an exercise — describe the how.
Top tip: Never just name an exercise — describe the how.
🎯 Try it — which answer scores 2 marks?
Q: "Describe one exercise a dancer could do to improve their balance." (2 marks)
Answer A: "Relevé balances." (student stops here)
Answer B: "Passé balance — rise onto one supporting leg with the working foot at the knee (passé position), holding the shape for 4–8 counts. Begin with arm support, then release to arabesque arms, building to an unsupported hold over successive rehearsals."
Answer A: "Relevé balances." (student stops here)
Answer B: "Passé balance — rise onto one supporting leg with the working foot at the knee (passé position), holding the shape for 4–8 counts. Begin with arm support, then release to arabesque arms, building to an unsupported hold over successive rehearsals."
Answer A: 1/2 Names a valid exercise but gives no description of how to perform it or how long to hold it.
Answer B: 2/2 Names the exercise (passé balance), describes the action clearly (rise onto one leg, working foot at knee), gives a duration (4–8 counts), and includes a progression (building to unsupported hold).
Answer B: 2/2 Names the exercise (passé balance), describes the action clearly (rise onto one leg, working foot at knee), gives a duration (4–8 counts), and includes a progression (building to unsupported hold).
Type 5
Give two ways to improve a skill
2 marks
Example question"Give two ways a dancer could improve their timing when performing as part of a group." (2 marks)
Accepted answers (any two): count aloud during rehearsal · systematic repetition of the section · use peripheral vision to stay aware of others · analyse the counts using a count grid · film and review against the music · seek teacher or peer feedback to identify where timing breaks down.
🎯 Try it
"Give two ways a dancer could improve their ability to perform in a stylistically accurate way." (2 marks)
[1m each — two required]
- Watch professional dancers in the relevant style and identify specific features
- Ask the teacher for style-specific corrections and check in the mirror
- Film yourself and compare your performance to a model video, listing differences to target
- Systematic repetition focusing on the characteristic posture, footwork or energy of the style
✏️ Section A — Practice Test
10 exam-style questions · answer all, then Submit
1. What does the dance term "balance" mean?
2. What type of technical skill is "mirroring"?
3. A student answers: "A cool-down is important because it prevents injury." How many marks should this score?
4. "Describe one exercise to improve coordination." Which answer scores 2 marks?
5. Which of these is a valid answer for "Give two ways to improve timing in a group"?
6. "Isolation" in dance means:
7. Which of the following is a correct cool-down reason?
8. "Rhythmic content" is which type of technical skill?
9. A student is asked to "name two ways to improve performing in a stylistically accurate way." They write: "Watch videos of professional dancers and ask the teacher for corrections." How many marks?
10. "What does 'phrasing' mean?" Which answer is most likely to score the mark?
📸Screenshot your score and paste into your ePortfolio.
The Three Question Types
Set Phrase
Explain how physical skills contributed to your performance
6 marks
Focus on how accurately the choreography is reproduced in performance. Aim for 5–6 different physical skills. State what your dance is about first. For each skill: NAME → EXAMPLE → EXPLAIN why effective (PEE).
Duet/Trio
Explain how expressive skills contributed to your performance
6 marks
Focus on performance artistry and what it communicates to the audience. You can now use Musicality and Sensitivity to Other Dancers. Each skill: NAME → EXAMPLE (specific moment) → EXPLAIN why it enhanced the audience's understanding (PEE).
Either
Explain how mental skills contributed to your performance
6 marks
Can relate to either rehearsal (6 skills) or performance (4 skills) or both. Name the skill, give a specific example from rehearsal or on-stage, and explain how it improved the quality of the outcome.
Mark Scheme — Level Descriptors
1
Description of one skill and its contribution.
2
Description of at least two skills and their contribution.
3
Limited explanation of contribution — skills named with examples but explanation of effect is thin.
4
Sound knowledge; specific examples provided alongside explanation.
5
Highly developed; good examples clearly illustrate the contribution to performance.
6
Excellent knowledge; well-selected, specific examples clearly illustrate the contribution throughout.
✏️
How to reach Level 5–6
Name 5–6 different skills drawn from two or three areas. Every skill must have: (1) a named skill, (2) a specific moment from YOUR dance, (3) an explanation of why it was effective. Vague phrases like "it helped me dance better" score Level 1–2 at most.
Poor vs Strong Answer — Physical Skills (Set Phrase)
❌ Poor answer — likely Level 2 (2 marks)
I used control and balance in my set phrase. Control helped me to move well. Balance was important when I was standing on one leg. I also used strength to jump.
✓ Strong answer — Level 5–6 (5–6 marks)
My set phrase required significant alignment as a physical skill. In the landing sequence on count 4, my knees tracked directly over my toes as I absorbed the impact into a deep plié, keeping the spine lifted throughout. This was effective because it kept the landing safe and preserved the visual line of the phrase — without correct alignment the shape would have collapsed and risked injury to my knees.
I also relied heavily on stamina. The phrase builds in intensity over 90 seconds and the final travelling sequence demands accurate footwork after two minutes of sustained movement. Good stamina was effective because it meant my timing remained accurate even in the final section when fatigue was a factor — without it the precision of the footwork would have deteriorated noticeably.
Control was essential in the sudden freeze on count 6 — I had to arrest all movement from a fast travelling section into complete stillness. This was effective because it created a sharp visual impact that matched the musical accent and communicated precision and commitment to the audience.
I also relied heavily on stamina. The phrase builds in intensity over 90 seconds and the final travelling sequence demands accurate footwork after two minutes of sustained movement. Good stamina was effective because it meant my timing remained accurate even in the final section when fatigue was a factor — without it the precision of the footwork would have deteriorated noticeably.
Control was essential in the sudden freeze on count 6 — I had to arrest all movement from a fast travelling section into complete stillness. This was effective because it created a sharp visual impact that matched the musical accent and communicated precision and commitment to the audience.
RED = NAME the skill
BLUE = EXAMPLE (specific moment)
GREEN = EXPLAIN why effective
🔗 Match the Skill to the Example Moment
Click a skill on the left, then click the matching example on the right. Examples are drawn from set phrase and duet/trio contexts. When all 8 are matched, hit Check.
Skill
Alignment
Physical
Physical
Projection
Expressive
Expressive
Movement Memory
Mental
Mental
Dynamic Content
Technical
Technical
Phrasing
Expressive
Expressive
Systematic Repetition
Mental
Mental
Extension
Physical
Physical
Spatial Awareness
Expressive
Expressive
Example moment from the dance
Set phrase"I built the energy towards the jump on count 8, matching the swell in the music before the final section."
Duet/Trio"Throughout the contact lift I maintained awareness of where my partner was, tracking their position without looking directly at them."
Set phrase"I performed the floorwork section without any hesitation or pausing to recall counts — it came automatically."
Set phrase"My knees tracked over my toes on every plié landing, keeping the line clean and preventing strain."
Set phrase"I used sudden and strong dynamics in the elevation, contrasting with slow and light in the controlled descent."
Duet/Trio"My energy reached the back of the hall even during the quiet, slow section — I directed it outward towards the audience throughout."
Set phrase"My pointed toe completed the visual line from hip to tip in the arabesque extension."
Set phrase"I isolated the difficult floorwork section and drilled it 15 times in each rehearsal until it was embedded."
These six errors appear repeatedly in student scripts. Each one loses marks that are genuinely there to be earned. Learn them, own them.
⚠️
✕"Spatial awareness is a physical skill — it's about your body in space."
✓Spatial awareness is an Expressive skill — the S in SPF SPF MC. It is about consciously using space for artistic effect, not physical capability.
⚠️
✕"I used isolation — I performed the phrase alone in the corner of the stage."
✓Isolation = an independent movement of part of the body (e.g. a shoulder pop while the rest of the body stays still). It has nothing to do with performing alone or in a separate area.
⚠️
✕"Cool-down is important because it prevents injury."
✓Cool-down reasons: lowers heart rate · lowers core temperature · disperses lactic acid · prevents blood pooling. Injury prevention belongs to the warm-up, not the cool-down.
⚠️
✕"Counterpoint and canon are the same thing — they both involve overlapping movement."
✓Counterpoint = dancers performing different phrases simultaneously. Canon = dancers performing the same phrase but starting at different times (overlapping/ripple effect). These are completely different.
⚠️
✕"Counterpoint is a dynamic skill" / "Counterpoint is a spatial arrangement."
✓Counterpoint is Relationship Content — a Technical skill. It describes how two or more dancers relate to each other, not how energy is used or how the space is arranged.
⚠️
✕"I used action content in the professional work — the choreographer used gesture and floorwork." (written in a Section C anthology answer)
✓Technical skills assess accuracy of execution in YOUR performance (Section B). In Section C anthology questions, the same vocabulary (gesture, floorwork, dynamics) is called choreographic content — not "technical skills". The categories have different names depending on whether you are discussing your own work or a professional work.
✏️ Watch-Outs — Test Yourself
10 questions on the most common errors · answer all, then Submit
1. Which performance skill category does Spatial Awareness belong to?
2. In dance, "isolation" means:
3. Which of these is a correct reason for cooling down after a performance?
4. How does counterpoint differ from canon?
5. Counterpoint belongs to which technical skill category?
6. A student writing a Section C question about a professional work says "the dancer used action content — they performed gestures and floorwork." What's the issue?
7. A student writes: "I showed isolation — I practised the section on my own without my partner." How many marks for this use of "isolation"?
8. Which of these is the correct relationship between blood pooling and cool-down?
9. Two dancers perform completely different movement phrases at the same time. Is this counterpoint or canon?
10. Which statement about "technical skills" in GCSE Dance is correct?
📸Screenshot your score and paste into your ePortfolio.
📌 Revisit This
Section A rulesAlways give the full specification definition. For exercises, always describe HOW, not just NAME.
Cool-down ≠ injury preventionLactic acid · heart rate · temperature · blood pooling
Section B: 5–6 skillsNAME → EXAMPLE → EXPLAIN why effective (PEE)
Counterpoint ≠ CanonDifferent phrases together · vs · same phrase at different times
Isolation ≠ performing aloneIndependent body part movement while the rest stays still
Spatial AwarenessExpressive — not Physical ⚠️