GCSE Music specification
GCSE Music develops students as performers, composers and informed listeners, combining practical music-making with the analytical study of music across genres, periods and traditions. It builds aural perception, musical literacy (including staff notation) and the ability to appraise music using technical vocabulary.
Assessed across three components common to all boards: Performing (non-exam assessment, internally marked and externally moderated - typically two pieces, one solo and one ensemble - weighted ~30%), Composing (non-exam assessment - two compositions, one free and one to a board-set brief - weighted ~30%), and a written/listening Appraising exam (~40%, roughly 1h15–1h45) responding to extracts including set works / areas of study. The two NEA components together make up ~60% of the qualification. OCR is the exception: since summer 2021 its two NEA tasks sit in a single 'Integrated Portfolio' worth 60% (one performance + one composition), with the Listening and Appraising paper at 40%.
High-level topics
The main areas of content and what a student is expected to know and do.
Students perform on their chosen instrument(s) or voice, including at least one solo and one ensemble piece, demonstrating technical control, expression and interpretation. Assessed as non-exam assessment, internally marked and externally moderated.
Students compose two original pieces - one a free composition of their own choice and one written in response to a brief released by the board. Compositions are assessed for use of musical elements, structure, technical skill and creativity.
Aural analysis of extracts (familiar set works/study pieces and unfamiliar music), identifying and describing musical elements, context and devices using accurate musical language and, where required, staff notation.
Study of forms, devices and styles of the Western art-music tradition (c.1650–1910 in AQA terms), including the concerto, sonata, and orchestral/instrumental writing.
Vocal writing across periods and styles, from Baroque song (e.g. Purcell) to popular vocal music, covering word-setting, texture and accompaniment.
Conventions of popular styles (rock, pop, fusion, jazz/blues), covering instrumentation, harmony, rhythm and production techniques.
Music written for film, television and musical theatre - leitmotif, mood, underscoring, diegetic vs non-diegetic sound and dramatic function.
Traditional musics of the world and cross-cultural fusions, covering rhythm, texture, instrumentation and the blending of styles.
The vocabulary and theory underpinning all study: melody, harmony, tonality, rhythm/metre, texture, timbre/sonority, structure/form, dynamics and tempo, plus reading and writing staff notation.
Exam boards
The awarding bodies that offer this qualification, how their papers are structured, and what's distinctive about each - with links to the official specification.
AQA GCSE Music
Papers & assessment
Three components. Component 1 Understanding Music (listening exam): 1h30, 96 marks, 40%, Section A unfamiliar-music questions across all four areas of study, Section B two linked sets of questions of which one must be Area of study 1. Component 2 Performing: NEA, 72 marks, 30%, two pieces (one solo, one ensemble), combined minimum 4 minutes, internally marked / externally moderated. Component 3 Composing: NEA, 72 marks, 30%, two pieces (one to a brief, one free), minimum 3 minutes total.
What's distinctive
Organises content as four broad AREAS OF STUDY rather than fixed named set works: (1) Western classical tradition 1650–1910, (2) Popular music, (3) Traditional music, (4) Western classical tradition since 1910. Each area has four topic areas plus a 'study piece' (e.g. Beethoven for AoS1, Queen for AoS2). Area of study 1 is compulsory in the Section B exam questions.
Past papers & mark schemes
Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Music
Papers & assessment
Three components. Component 1 Performing: NEA, 30%, solo and ensemble performance, combined minimum 4 minutes. Component 2 Composing: NEA, 30%, two compositions (one free, one to an Edexcel-set brief), each at least 1 minute, minimum 3 minutes total. Component 3 Appraising: written/listening exam, 1h45, 80 marks, 40%, based on the eight prescribed set works; Section A questions on extracts of set works, Section B an extended comparison of a set work with an unfamiliar work from the same area of study.
What's distinctive
Uses eight named PRESCRIBED SET WORKS across four areas of study: (1) Instrumental Music 1700–1820 - J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, 3rd mvt; Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8 'Pathétique', 1st mvt. (2) Vocal Music - Purcell, 'Music for a While'; Queen, 'Killer Queen'. (3) Music for Stage and Screen - Schwartz, 'Defying Gravity' (Wicked); J. Williams, 'Main Title / Rebel Blockade Runner' (Star Wars). (4) Fusions - Afro Celt Sound System, 'Release'; Esperanza Spalding, 'Samba Em Preludio'. Most prescriptive of the boards on specific repertoire.
Past papers & mark schemes
OCR GCSE (9-1) Music
Papers & assessment
Two assessed units (since summer 2021). Integrated Portfolio (NEA, 60%): one performance on the student's chosen instrument/voice plus one composition to the student's own brief. Listening and Appraising (written paper with audio): 40%. (The original 2016 model had separate Performance, Composition and Listening units at 30/30/40; the dedicated 'Practical Component' second NEA task was removed from summer 2021, leaving a single 60% portfolio.)
What's distinctive
Built around five AREAS OF STUDY: AoS1 My Music (the student's own performing/composing focus), AoS2 The Concerto Through Time, AoS3 Rhythms of the World, AoS4 Film Music, AoS5 Conventions of Pop. Uses areas of study with broad repertoire rather than fixed single set works, and uniquely frames the student's own music (AoS1) as an area of study.
Past papers & mark schemes
WJEC Eduqas GCSE Music
Papers & assessment
Three components. Component 1 Performing: NEA, 30%, solo and ensemble, minimum 4–6 minutes combined. Component 2 Composing: NEA, 30%, two compositions (one free, one to an Eduqas-set brief released 1 September of the exam year). Component 3 Appraising: listening exam, 1h15, 40%, eight questions across the four areas of study including questions on two prepared set works.
What's distinctive
Four AREAS OF STUDY each with a prepared focus, plus TWO specific set works studied in depth: AoS1 Musical Forms and Devices (set work: Bach, Badinerie from Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor) and AoS4 Popular Music (set work: Toto, 'Africa', from summer 2022). AoS2 is Music for Ensemble and AoS3 is Film Music. Sits between AQA's open areas of study and Edexcel's eight set works by prescribing two named works.
Specification
Past papers & mark schemes
All boards share the same three-discipline shape (Performing ~30%, Composing ~30%, Appraising ~40%) with the two practical components delivered as non-exam assessment (~60% combined), and all are untiered and linear. The biggest difference is how the listening/appraising content is prescribed. AQA uses four broad AREAS OF STUDY (Western classical 1650–1910, Popular, Traditional, Western classical since 1910) with study pieces but no fixed set works, giving teachers repertoire freedom. Edexcel is the most prescriptive, with EIGHT NAMED SET WORKS (e.g. Bach Brandenburg No. 5, Beethoven 'Pathétique', Purcell 'Music for a While', Queen 'Killer Queen', Schwartz 'Defying Gravity', Williams Star Wars, Afro Celt Sound System 'Release', Esperanza Spalding 'Samba Em Preludio'). Eduqas sits in between, prescribing TWO set works (Bach Badinerie and Toto 'Africa') within four areas of study. OCR is structurally distinct: since summer 2021 its two NEA tasks are combined into a single 60% Integrated Portfolio (one performance + one composition), its listening paper covers five areas of study including 'My Music' (the student's own focus), and it avoids fixed single set works. Composition briefs are board-set on all boards but timing/release dates differ (e.g. Eduqas releases the brief on 1 September of the exam year).
Original sources
Straight from the awarding bodies - the specifications these summaries are drawn from.
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