aqa a level music essay mark scheme

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AQA A-Level Music Paper 1 Mark Scheme – June 2018

The 2018 AQA A-Level Music Paper 1 7272/W Tier mark scheme. The exam date for the 7272/W A-Level Music paper was 18th June 2018. View and download AQA A-Level Music past papers .

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• Centre Services
• Associate Extranet
• All About Maths
• Specification
• Planning resources
• Teaching resources
• Assessment resources
• Introduction
• Specification at a glance
• 3.1 Understanding music
• 3.2 Performing music
• 3.3 Composing music

Scheme of assessment

• Non-exam assessment administration
• General administration

Find past papers and mark schemes, and specimen papers for new courses, on our website at aqa.org.uk/pastpapers

This specification is designed to be taken over two years.

This is a linear qualification. In order to achieve the award, students must complete all assessments at the end of the course and in the same series.

GCSE exams and certification for this specification are available for the first time in May/June 2018 and then every May/June for the life of the specification.

All materials are available in English only.

Our GCSE exams in Music include questions that allow students to demonstrate their ability to:

• draw together their knowledge, skills and understanding from across the full course of study
• provide original practical responses
• provide short and extended written responses.

Synoptic assessment of GCSE Music should require students to:

• develop a broad understanding of the connections between the knowledge, understanding and skills set out in the specification as a whole
• demonstrate their understanding of the relationships between theory and practice.

Aims and learning outcomes

Courses based on this specification should encourage students to:

• engage actively in the process of music study
• develop performing skills individually and in groups to communicate musically with fluency and control of the resources used
• develop composing skills to organise musical ideas and make use of appropriate resources
• recognise links between the integrated activities of performing, composing and appraising and how these inform the development of music
• broaden musical experience and interests, develop imagination and foster creativity
• develop knowledge, understanding and skills needed to communicate effectively as musicians
• develop awareness of a variety of instruments, styles and approaches to performing and composing
• develop awareness of music technologies and their use in the creation and presentation of music
• recognise contrasting genres, styles and traditions of music, and develop some awareness of musical chronology
• develop as effective and independent learners with enquiring minds
• reflect upon and evaluate their own and others’ music
• engage with and appreciate the diverse heritage of music, in order to promote personal, social, intellectual and cultural development.

Assessment components

Component 1: understanding music (assessment objectives ao3 and ao4).

Understanding music is assessed through an externally marked exam in two sections lasting one hour and thirty minutes. It is marked out of a total of 96 marks and constitutes 40% of the total marks for the qualification.

Section A: Listening (Assessment objectives AO3 and AO4)

Students will be assessed on their ability to evaluate the music heard in the exam and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of musical elements and musical language (see Subject content ).

Section A will consist of eight sets of linked questions covering all areas of study. Students must answer all questions in this section.

Each question will contain excerpts of music from unfamiliar music representing the styles/genres listed for each area of study.

Students will be played the excerpts a stated number of times (between two and four) depending on the length and tempo of the excerpt and the nature of the question.

Section B: Contextual understanding (Assessment objective AO4)

Students will be assessed on their ability to analyse and evaluate music in written form, using knowledge and understanding of musical elements and musical contexts to make critical judgements about repertoire (study pieces) within the chosen areas of study.

This section will consist of four sets of linked questions (short and extended) one for each Area of study 1–4. Students must answer two linked sets of questions, one of which must be Area of study 1: Western classical tradition 1650–1910.

Component 2: Performing music (Assessment objective AO1)

Performance is internally marked by teachers and externally moderated by AQA , marked out of 72 and constitutes 30% of the total marks for the qualification.

Each student must select, following a discussion with  their teacher, the pieces that the student will perform during the assessment. Each student must perform two pieces lasting a combined minimum time of  four minutes. One  performance must be as a solo and one  performance as part of an ensemble. Each student must perform for at least one minute as part of an ensemble.

If the student’s performance does not meet the required duration a penalty is applied to the mark (the size of the penalty depends on the severity of the timing infringement). It may also result in schools or colleges being investigated for maladministration.

Teachers must check the final performance for assessment of each student's work to ensure it meets the minimum duration requirement.

There is no maximum duration for performances.

Performance must be through one or a combination of the following methods:

• playing music
• singing music
• realising music using music technology.

Administrative and assessment requirements for solo and ensemble performance

You are responsible for ensuring the following requirements are met in administering and assessing the solo and ensemble performance s :

• performances should take place in a suitable venue  in a live setting
• performances should be recorded using good quality audio equipment
• performances must be under the supervision of a teacher for authentication purposes
• audio recordings of performances and production must be submitted complete and without post-performance editing  or augmentation
• performances must take place in the year of certification
• performances must meet the specified minimum duration
• where available a copy of either the score(s) or lead sheet(s) must be submitted with the performance for assessment. Where a written score or lead sheet does not exist other means of showing the performance intention should be submitted. For example annotation(s) or guide recordings.

Assessment evidence

Audio recordings and performance documentation must be submitted as evidence as well as a signed Candidate record form (CRF).

Assessment evidence for this component will be marked using the Component 2: Performing music assessment grids for performance/production.

Audio recording of performance

Performances should be saved digitally and must be produced in accordance with the Guidance for audio recording assessment on the AQA website.

Instrumental/vocal audio recordings of performances must be submitted complete and without post-performance editing.

Performances produced via technology must be submitted complete and in their final state as completed by the student without any further editing or augmentation.

Each student's recording of the performance for assessment must be kept under secure conditions until sent to AQA for assessment by the specified date given at aqa.org.uk/keydates

Performance documentation

The performance documentation is referred to when marking the audio recording of the performance, using Component 2 assessment grids. Students must submit one or a combination of the following, as appropriate, for each of the pieces performed for assessment.

Component 3: Composing music (Assessment objective AO2)

Each student must compose two pieces. One composition must be in response to an externally set brief and the other composition must be freely composed by the student.

• Creative and effective selection and use of musical elements
• Appropriate selection and use of musical elements (to the compositional intention)
• Technical and expressive control in the use of musical elements.
• at least two of rhythm, metre, texture, melody, structure, form
• at least two of harmony, tonality, timbre, dynamics, phrasing, articulation.

Composition 1 – Composition to a brief

The composition must include at least four types of musical element (as above) and be in response to one brief from a choice of four externally set briefs. The briefs will be released on or as near as possible to 15 September of the year of certification. Students must be given the externally set briefs in their entirety; they must not be edited, changed or abridged in any way.

• a poem or a piece of text
• photographs, images or film

Composition 2 – Free composition

Free compositions need not reference areas of study or a given brief but students should refer to the suggested audience/occasion , and include a minimum of four types of musical element (as above) .

Compositions 1 and 2

Together, the compositions must last a combined minimum time of three minutes.

If the student’s combined compositions do not meet the required duration a penalty is applied to the mark (the size of the penalty depends on the severity of the timing infringement). It may also result in schools or colleges being investigated for maladministration.

Marks are not awarded specifically for the duration of the composition. There is no specified maximum duration for composition.

For each student, you are responsible for ensuring the following requirements are met in administering the final compositions for assessment:

• the final compositions for assessment of each student’s work meet  the minimum duration requirement
• the audio recordings of the final compositions are recorded from start to finish
• each student must be wholly responsible for the creation of their complete compositions and this must be their own unaided work
• the student is not required to perform the composition but may do so if they wish .

Please refer to Component 3: Composing music assessment grid for information on how the component will be marked.

Supervising students

Students must have sufficient direct supervision to ensure that the work submitted can be confidently authenticated as their own.

You may provide guidance and support to students so that they are clear about the requirements of the tasks they need to undertake and the marking criteria on which the work will be assessed.

You should encourage students to reflect upon and evaluate their own music, including considering the success of meeting the brief/intent, during their composition process.

You are expected to follow the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) instructions regarding the provision of feedback to students.

See also Non-exam assessment administration

Audio recordings and composition documentation must be submitted as evidence for both compositions as well as a signed Candidate record form (CRF).

The audio recordings are marked alongside the composition documentation, to derive the overall mark for the component, using Component 3: Composing music assessment grid .

Audio recording of compositions

The student is not required to play on the recording but may do so if they wish.

The audio recordings of the final compositions for assessment must be:

• recorded from start to finish
• saved digitally
• kept under secure conditions until sent to AQA for assessment by the specified date given at aqa.org.uk/keydates
• submitted complete and in their final state as completed by the student without any further editing or augmentation.

Composition documentation

Programme note.

• the compositional intention, including the intended audience/occasion
• the types of musical element selected
• details of the software and hardware used in the compositional process .

For both compositions, students must also provide one or more of the following which details the composition’s structure and how musical elements have been used .

Please note: if composition documentation is not submitted for assessment with the audio recording, the audio recording of the final composition will still be accepted as assessment evidence. However, this will compromise how clearly the evidence supports the mark awarded by the centre, meaning centre marks are more likely to be adjusted at moderation.

Assessment objectives

Assessment objectives (AOs) are set by Ofqual and are the same across all GCSE Music specifications and all exam boards.

The assessments will measure how students have achieved the following assessment objectives.

Assessment weightings

The marks awarded on the papers will be scaled to meet the weighting of the components. Students’ final marks will be calculated by adding together the scaled marks for each component. Grade boundaries will be set using this total scaled mark. The scaling and total scaled marks are shown in the table below.

Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria below must be applied to the assessment of students’ work for the performing music and composing music components.

You should refer to standardisation materials available at aqa.org.uk/music for information regarding assessment grids.

Marking to the correct standard

Online exemplification materials are provided on e-AQA with written commentaries which explain how the marks have been awarded.

• access the online exemplification materials provided before you mark your own students' work
• ensure a senior music representative from your school, with responsibility for conducting internal standardisation, completes online standardisation.

Level of response marking instructions

Level of response mark schemes are broken down into mark bands, each of which has a descriptor. The descriptor indicates the quality that will be expected in the student’s evidence for that mark band.

Identifying the correct mark band

The work must be assessed against each criterion separately. Start at the lowest mark band and see whether the evidence meets the descriptor for that mark band. If it meets the lowest mark band then go to the next one and decide if it meets this mark band, and so on, until you have a match between the mark band descriptor and the student's evidence.

For assessment grids with more than one mark per band

Instrumental (including DJ)/vocal assessment grids and Compositions 1 and 2 assessment grids have three marks within each mark band. Once you have identified the correct mark band (as above), you need to decide which mark to allocate within the band. The lower mark indicates that the student has just met the requirement described in that particular band level descriptor. The next mark indicates that evidence is clear . The higher mark indicates that evidence is convincing but that the student has not quite met the requirements set out in the next band.

Determine an overall mark

The marks for each criteria need to be added up, following the instructions below, to determine the final overall mark for each component.

Component 2: Performing music assessment grids

The performance component is marked out of a total of 72 marks. Each of the performances is out of a maximum of 36.

You are required to provide a mark for each of the assessment grids separately in accordance with the assessment criteria and a total mark out of 72 must be provided for the component. The assessment grid must be used to identify the student's level of performance in relation to each of the areas.

The marks are made up from the following assessment grids.

Instrumental (including DJ)/vocal

The assessment grids refer to the individual part performed by the student either as a soloist or as part of an ensemble.

Levels of demand

• instrumental/vocal grades refer to nationally recognised accredited music grades
• for non-standard instruments the levels of demand for instrumental/vocal must be used

Teachers must refer to online exemplification materials which show how marks are awarded for each level of demand across all performance types. Please refer to e-AQA

Both the common level descriptor and additional descriptors, as appropriate to the type of performance, should be used to locate the correct mark.

Levels of demand assessment grid

Instrumental (including dj)/vocal assessment grid, production via technology assessment grid, component 3: composing music assessment grid.

Each assessment criteria must be marked separately to derive a mark (out of 18) using the composition assessment grid. These marks must then be added together to derive the overall mark for each composition (out of 36). The overall mark for each composition must then be added together to derive a total mark for the component (out of 72).

• Creative and effective selection and use of elements

Indicative Examples

To guide marking, indicative examples of musical elements which students may typically select and use at the level of ability described in the mark band, are provided for each element type in each mark band.

Some elements are typically only selected and used at higher levels and others only at lower levels of ability. As such the indicative examples provided are the same for the top three mark bands (10–18 marks), whilst progressively fewer examples are provided in the bottom three mark bands (1–9 marks).

The lists of indicative examples are not a ‘required range’ for the mark band, ie depending on the student’s compositional intent, a narrower range of elements and/or other elements (that have not been suggested) may have been selected and used.

Compositions 1 and 2 assessment grid

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As and a level music - h143, h543.

Full assessment teaching materials, including secure assessment materials, are now only available on Teach Cambridge. Examples are shown below.

Question papers, mark schemes and reports

2022 - june series.

• Question paper - Listening and appraising H543/05 - PDF 960KB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising insert H543/05 - PDF 1MB
• Mark scheme - Listening and appraising H543/05 - PDF 527KB
• Examiners' report - Listening and appraising H543/05 - PDF 2MB
• Moderators' report - Performing H543/01/02 - PDF 341KB
• Moderators' report - Composing H543/03/04 - PDF 370KB
• Modified papers ZIP 3MB

2021 - November series

• Question paper - Listening and appraising H543/05 - PDF 684KB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising insert H543/05 - PDF 2MB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising instructions for exams officers H543/05 - PDF 964KB
• Mark scheme - Listening and appraising H543/05 - PDF 508KB

2020 - November series

• Question papers H143/H543 - interchange login required
• Question paper - Listening and appraising H543/05 - PDF 1MB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising insert H543/05 - PDF 8MB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising instructions for exams officers H543/05 - PDF 1MB
• Mark scheme - Listening and appraising H543/05 - PDF 482KB

2019 - June series

• Question paper - Listening and appraising - Insert H543/05 - PDF 1MB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising - Instructions for exams officers H543/05 - PDF 983KB
• Mark scheme - Listening and appraising H543/05 - PDF 756KB
• Examiners' report - Listening and appraising H543/05 - PDF 1MB
• Moderators' report - Performing H543/01/02 - PDF 394KB
• Moderators' report - Composing H543/03/04 - PDF 397KB
• Modified papers ZIP 0KB

Sample assessment materials

Marking instructions are included at the beginning of specimen assessment material mark schemes and were accurate at the time of publication. Marking instructions may be revised in live papers as appropriate during the lifetime of the qualification.

We're currently revising our SAMs to update third-party copyright agreements. For question examples see our question papers, marks schemes and reports.

• Taster booklet H543 - A Level sample assessment materials taster booklet. PDF 624KB
• Performing A marking criteria H543/01 - PDF 766KB
• Performing B marking criteria H543/02 - PDF 858KB
• Composing A marking criteria H543/03 - PDF 1MB
• Composing A and B composition briefs H543/03/04 - PDF 776KB
• Composing B marking criteria H543/04 - PDF 764KB
• Listening and appraising H543/05 - Sample question paper and mark scheme. PDF 732KB
• Listening and appraising insert H543/05 - PDF 1MB

Non-exam assessment (NEA)

• Composing briefs for June 2023 H543 - PDF 704KB
• Composing briefs for June 2024 H543 - PDF 680KB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising H143/03 - PDF 930KB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising insert H143/03 - PDF 1MB
• Mark scheme - Listening and appraising H143/03 - PDF 470KB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising H143/03 - PDF 3MB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising insert H143/03 - PDF 3MB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising instructions H143/03 - PDF 964KB
• Mark scheme - Listening and appraising H143/03 - PDF 495KB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising insert H143/03 - PDF 2MB
• Question paper - Listening and appraising instructions for exams officers H143/03 - PDF 972KB
• Mark scheme - Listening and appraising H143/03 - PDF 515KB
• Taster booklet H143 - AS Level sample assessment materials taster booklet. PDF 580KB
• Performing marking criteria H143/01 - PDF 844KB
• Composing composition briefs H143/02 - PDF 775KB
• Composing marking criteria H143/02 - PDF 835KB
• Listening and appraising H143/03 - Sample question paper and mark scheme. PDF 727KB
• Listening and appraising insert H143/03 - PDF 941KB
• Composing briefs for June 2023 H143 - PDF 690KB
• Composing briefs for June 2024 H143 - PDF 692KB