GCSE Music – Unit 2 (42702)
Unit 2 Guidance
This unit is worth 20% of the final assessment, with the composition and its appraisal each being
worth 10%. Both elements are marked out of 20 and this is an examined component, with the final
submission being sent to an AQA examiner.
The final submission will be:
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the score of the composition (as explained below)
a recording on CD or mini-disc (playable on conventional equipment)
the Candidate Record Form
the Appraisal Booklet.
The composition submitted for unit 2 must be different from that submitted for unit 4.
Composition
One composition is required for this unit: it must link to the strand of learning selected by AQA for
that examination year and each student must choose at least two areas of study as the basis of
the composition. Each area of study (AoS) contains two of the Elements of Music and, therefore,
by choosing two of these areas of study, a student has a range of four possible routes to form a
link into the given Strand of Learning. For example, choosing AoS1 Rhythm & Metre and AoS2
Harmony & Tonality, the student is able to link to the given strand through any one of these four
distinct elements (though it is, of course, quite permissible to link through more than one, even all
four).
Students do not have to compose a piece of music based particularly closely on the strand: they
are simply to choose two (or more) areas of study and link their composition to the strand. The
two areas of study and the link must be identified in the Appraisal and a range of possible links will
be explored in this document.
There are ten possible combinations of the areas of study and many possible links with each
strand, whether specific (a characteristic instrument, a scale, a rhythmic device, a form or
structure) or more general (contrast of timbre and/or texture as in the concerto principle, contrast of
dynamics). There is no suggestion as to the minimum duration of the composition but it is unlikely
that very short pieces will enable students to demonstrate sufficiently their ability to develop
musical ideas to satisfy the criteria of the higher mark bands.
Initial teaching for this unit can be combined with that for unit 4 Composing Music. Many teachers
will have their own tried and tested methods of teaching composition and what follows are merely
suggestions for possible approaches.
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Teaching composition: possible approaches
As all compositions are based on the areas of study which, in turn, combine pairs of the Elements
of Music, early work could be to revise and build on aspects of compositions undertaken as part of
the Key Stage 3 course. Though some of these will have been done in groups, it is essential for
GCSE that students get used to working individually. Some students may already have developed
a preference for composing in a particular style/genre or for a specific medium, such as voice and
piano, voice and guitar, their own instrument, the instrumental group in which they play, or the rock
band of which they are a part. If this is so and their work has already shown promise, it would
seem sensible to help them to build on this knowledge and expertise and develop their techniques
further. However, it is important that as wide an understanding and appreciation of compositional
techniques as possible can be gained prior to deciding on the type of piece to be submitted and
then undertaking various preparatory tasks. Additionally, skills as a performer – whether they are
vocal or instrumental – or preferences in listening and appraising should be harnessed wherever
possible.
For example, Melody (AoS3) could be illustrated through simple pieces such as ‘question and
answer’ phrases, moving on, perhaps, to look at longer forms, including binary, ternary and rondo.
From there, more complex structures could be explored (AoS5).
The starting point could be as simple as ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star’: The first four bars are a good
example of ‘question and answer’ phrasing and the whole tune follows a ternary pattern.
An example of a variation on this form can be found in the traditional song made famous by Elvis
Presley – ‘Love me tender’. In this song, the first four bars are repeated exactly. Subsequently,
there is a different, contrasting line before an altered version of the opening bars returns to
complete the melody, giving an overall structure of A¹ A¹ B A²:
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Many other examples can be found of similar melodic structures and forms. Extension work can
take in AoS5 Structure & Form:
Binary Form, as in Bach’s ‘Minuet in G’,
Rondo Form, perhaps using the last movement of a Mozart Horn Concerto or Beethoven’s First
Piano Concerto, and
Variations Form, with examples such as Mozart’s ‘Ah! Vous dirai-je, maman’, the second
movement of Haydn’s ‘Surprise’ Symphony, Britten’s ‘Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’,
Rachmaninov’s ‘Variations on a Theme of Paganini’ and/or the last movement of Shostakovich’s
‘Leningrad’ Symphony.
Examples of Minuet and Trio Form can be found in most symphonies from the ‘Classical’ period
or within Baroque Suites (though here they might be identified simply as Minuet I and Minuet II).
Similar structures using other dances, such as the Bourrée or Gavotte can also be found in
Baroque music or, in the case of the Gavotte, in Prokofiev’s First Symphony – the ‘Classical’.
Songs can provide examples of strophic, varied strophic, through-composed and verse and chorus
forms, whether in the songs of Schubert, in folk music, or in popular song.
The ‘Rondeau’ from ‘Abdelazar’ by Henry Purcell, perhaps already known to students through its
use by Benjamin Britten in his ‘Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’ features a melody which
demonstrates triadic movement, stepwise movement and sequence (in this instance, an example
of a modulating sequence), even the idea of the note of anticipation.
Texture (AoS3) could start with unaccompanied melody before moving on through duets,
accompanied melodies and trios to more and more complex textures until reaching a full symphony
orchestra. Musical terms such as homophonic and polyphonic should be introduced (if not already
known) and explained through examples. A similar approach could be made with vocal
compositions: the possibilities are virtually endless.
Students in the group can demonstrate different examples of Timbre (AoS4) through their
performances, either alone or in groups. From this, extension work could provide examples of
chamber music groupings (violin & piano, string quartet, clarinet quintet, woodwind trios, wind
quintets), before moving on to the string orchestra, symphony orchestra, brass band and military
band. Examples from the world of popular music will incorporate guitars, percussion, synthesisers
and the manipulation of sound through the use of technology.
Schools and colleges will be able to draw on their own library of recorded music, and students
should be encouraged to bring in their own music to exemplify or extend areas studied in a lesson.
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At all stages and no matter which area of study is the focus, performances by students within the
group should be encouraged as these can stimulate discussion of the use of specific elements as
well as the idiomatic use of voices and instruments. Such study can also lead quite easily to
practice compositions.
There are many approaches to the teaching of composition, including:
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presenting the idea of a link through a specific compositional brief
seeing how the compositional skills and interests of individual students develop before
suggesting possible pairings of areas of study and then introducing exercises and
compositional tasks which will further enhance abilities and techniques
look to the performing skills of students and focus compositional techniques around these,
looking to aspects of timbre and idiomatic writing
give students appropriate listening and appraising tasks that will stimulate ideas
being aware that some students will come to the course with preferences in composition
already established, such as song-writing, working through piano, writing for a particular
combination of voices and/or instruments, and so on: such students should be encouraged
to continue with their preferred medium.
Links to the Strand
When deciding on the style or genre of the composition to be undertaken, teachers and students
should not be intimidated by the thought that the music must link very closely to the designated
strand of learning. Links can include:
Western Classical Tradition
AoS1: Rhythm and Metre
Crisp dotted rhythms
Regular time signatures
Contrast of rhythms
Specific rhythmic patterns
Syncopation
Waltz rhythms
Scotch snap
Use of triplets within duple time signatures
Use of 2 against 3, 3 against 4, and so on
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AoS2: Harmony and Tonality
Use of major/minor scales and/or modes
Musical devices such as pedal, drone
Exploring modulation
Contrast of consonance and dissonance
Clearly marked cadences
Chromatic harmony
Contrast of keys
AoS3: Texture and Melody
Imitative writing
Contrapuntal writing
Use of ornaments
Use of sequences
Melody with accompaniment
Homophonic writing
Dialogue between soloist and orchestra/ small group and large group/ voices and instruments/ solo
voice and choir
Antiphonal writing
Ornamentation
Unison
Single melody line
AoS4: Timbre and Dynamics
Contrast of groups of instruments
Dynamic contrast
Instrumental (pizzicato, tremolando, use of pedal, etc)/vocal techniques (falsetto/vibrato)
String Quartet
Piano Trio
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also encompassing the idea of small ensembles not directly related to the Western Classical
Tradition, such as electric instruments, tuned and un-tuned percussion instruments, including
electronic sound sources and sampled sounds.
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AoS5: Structure and Form
Main dance forms (binary, ternary etc)
Ground bass
Rondo form
Use of continuo
Variations
Linking movements
Use of cadenza
Da capo aria
Through composed
Strophic
Since the western classical tradition underpins much of the musical development also found in
popular music and to some extent world music, a link can be found in any piece - in any style or
genre - in binary/ ternary/sonata/rondo/variation/arch shape/minuet and trio/through composed/da
capo aria/ ground bass/continuo/strophic or any other appropriate structure/form for any
combination of instruments and/or voices. The piece need not necessarily be in a ‘western
classical’ style or genre.
Popular Music of the 20th and 21st Century
AoS1: Rhythm and Metre
Use of syncopation
Strong pulse
Rhythmic improvisation
AoS2: Harmony and Tonality
Harmonic patterns
Use of 7th chords
Melody harmonised using 3rds and 6ths
AoS3: Texture and Melody
Rhythmic and melodic riffs
Blues scale
Decoration of melody (single words sometimes)
Passing notes
Syllabic underlay, using original or existing lyrics
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AoS4: Timbre and Dynamics
Big Band combination
Strong bass line
Instrumental techniques (pizzicato bass)
Use of brass mutes
Use of accents
Small/large jazz combos
Solo instrumental/vocal feature within a larger ensemble
Vocal ensembles as found in musicals
Electronically-produced sounds
Samples sounds
AoS5: Structure and Form
Arch shape
Verse/Chorus
Use of Middle 8
Improvised sections within compositions
World Music
AoS1: Rhythm and Metre
Syncopation
Polyrhythms
Rhythmic imitation
Cross-rhythm
AoS2: Harmony and Tonality
Singing in harmony (3rds /5ths)
Use of chords I, IV & V
Use of a drone
AoS3: Texture and Melody
Pentatonic scale
Modal scale
Raga
Ornamentation
Improvisation
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AoS4: Timbre and Dynamics
Generic instruments, such as the sitar, dilruba or tabla
Steel bands
Instrumental techniques
AoS5: Structure and Form
Call and response
Sectional compositions
Pieces which gradually evolve/develop
Latin-American dance forms
Assessment of the composition
It is important that all students understand the need for transparency of process while composing.
They should also be made fully aware of the assessment criteria against which their composition
will be assessed. These can be found on page 10 of the specification and fall into six bands of
three or four marks.
The composition is marked in the light of the selected areas of study and its overall success will be
measured against the realisation of the key elements with due consideration paid to the following
musical aspects:
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the imaginative use of sound
a sense of musical balance
the creation and development of musical ideas
an understanding of the chosen medium
the appropriate and idiomatic use of instruments, voices and other sound sources
appropriate uses of musical elements, devices, techniques and conventions.
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Choosing the areas of study
Although the task is to write a piece of music which contains two of the areas of study, it is likely
that compositions will include more than these. In such cases, the student can select the two
areas which are best illustrated for the focus of their assessment or may choose a wider brief. The
link to the given strand must also be stated.
Initial composition tasks might well focus on specific elements or pairs of elements, using the two
elements contained within each area of study.
For example: work for AoS4 Timbre & Dynamics might start by exploring the sounds of a single
instrument/voice and then a duet before moving on to a small group of instruments and/or voices,
possibly those readily available within the group. Short research tasks could be undertaken to find
out about the characteristics and ranges of the different instruments/voices with, wherever
possible, students demonstrating range and techniques available. From there, compositions might
move on to combining pairs or small groups of instruments, trying, wherever possible, to
encourage students to incorporate their own specialism into their piece. Finally, in terms of this
area of study, students should experiment with the application of dynamics and dynamic shading.
Related listening could include music for individual instruments from both western music and world
music, a capella and antiphonal singing, call and response techniques as a means of contrast,
excerpts from concertos, chamber music and pop groups.
The final decisions as to which areas of study will form the focus of the composition may come
about in advance of starting to compose – eg music using AoS1 Rhythm & Metre and AoS4 Timbre
& Dynamics and using a range of percussion sounds – or the composition might be started and
well-developed before deciding that the best combination of areas of study would be, for example,
AoS2 Harmony & Tonality and AoS5 Structure & Form (where the composition is in a set form for
pitched instruments/voices).
The score and recording
Alongside composition should be an increasing understanding of notation, as appropriate to the
style or genre. Wherever possible, there should be encouragement of traditional staff notation as it
is such a precise way of conveying musical information. However, other forms of notation can also
be used – TAB, graphic, a written account/annotation – or any combinations of two or more. The
important thing to be borne in mind is that the final score submitted, using whichever form of
presentation, is capable of conveying the detailed, final intentions of the composer.
A recording of the final completed composition must be submitted. It will not be assessed
separately but it is important that the score as presented corresponds to the recording, and that
both accurately reflect the student’s intentions. The score and recording complement each other
and must both be submitted.
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If students receive help during the recording of the composition which has an impact on the
composition, then this must take place within the supervised time allocation and must be clearly
acknowledged on the Candidate Record Form. In this way, the examiner will know precisely what
the student’s contribution was to the final submission.
Supervised Time: informal supervision
The composition will be done in 20 hours of supervised time: this means that students will, in
general, work under the supervision of a teacher, more often than not their Music teacher, but not
necessarily so. The teacher must, at the end of the compositional process, be able to authenticate
the work as that of the student unless specific details are given of input by others. More
information is provided in the ‘Controlled Assessment Guidance’ document (which includes
guidance on supervised time for this unit).
It is possible, and indeed is to be encouraged, that students continue to think about and develop
their pieces in between these supervised sessions. This additional work may take the form of
research into a particular instrument’s characteristics, or listening to how other composers have
written for a particular instrument/voice or ensemble or used a specific structure/form, or continuing
to improve a harmonic technique they wish to incorporate. The results of this work can be brought
along to the next session, but the teacher must be satisfied that any additional work done towards
the composition is of a standard consistent with the student’s abilities and with work done up to
that point. To this end, students must be made fully aware of their own responsibility in respect of
declaring any specific help received.
It is for individual schools and colleges to decide how the 20 hours are to be assigned and at what
stages of the course the final compositions for units are undertaken, but a record needs to be kept.
It is inevitable that a reasonable amount of time will be spent teaching, extending and refining
compositional skills, as soon as possible making them specific to each individual student’s
declared intentions.
Once the final composition has been started, teacher feedback should be restricted to the general,
rather than the specific.
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Appraisal
The appraisal, worth 10% of the final assessment and half the marks for unit 2, is completed in an
Appraisal Booklet which will be provided by AQA. Students can write their appraisal directly into
this booklet or can word-process it and attach the document to the booklet. The appraisal will
consider the process of composition and its final outcome. The booklet will list some points to give
students a framework around which to structure their response, thus ensuring that all areas will be
covered. Responses can be prepared in advance and it would be sensible to encourage students
to develop a habit of keeping a log or diary of the composition and recording processes.
Assessment of the appraisal
Students should be made aware of the assessment criteria for the appraisal so that they can better
appreciate exactly what needs to be done to access the higher mark bands: these criteria are set
out on page 11 of the specification and fall into four bands of five marks.
Teachers and students should note that the appraisal should be written in continuous prose.
Marks will be awarded for the student’s ability to:
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use good English
organise information clearly
use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.
Suggestions for approaches to the appraisal
The points which students are asked to address are set out below, with suggestions on how they
might be approached.
What areas of study did you choose and what is the focus of your composition within the given
strand?
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Here, the student makes a simple statement as to which two areas of study were chosen
and makes clear the focus within the given strand. This focus might be a form, a scale, an
instrument or group of instruments, a characteristic rhythm or one of many other
possibilities.
Why did you choose these areas of study and the particular focus within the given strand?
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Reasons might include a preference for using these elements, the fact that they afford
appropriate possibilities in terms of the desired composition or a conviction that composing
strengths lie in the use of these two areas of study in particular.
How did you go about composing your music and how was the final recording achieved?
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This is best approached chronologically: students should keep a record of their progress
with their composition to help them prepare for this question. Similarly, when it comes to
recording the finished composition a careful log of the process should be kept, mentioning
as appropriate, positioning of microphones, adjustments to dynamics and/or placement of
performers, how any matters of poor intonation were resolved, and so on.
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What difficulties did you encounter during the task and how did you overcome them?
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This might include reference to access to the chosen medium, computer software
problems, a realisation that the original choice of areas of study might not be the best; it
might be a problem more directly related to a compositional matter, including use of
imitation, modulation, sequence, instrumental techniques and/or range.
Whatever the difficulty mentioned, explain the steps taken to overcome it.
What makes your composition successful in relation to the areas of study and the focus chosen
within the given strand?
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Success in relation to the chosen areas of study will arise if the finished piece really
showcases the elements within the chosen areas of study. Students will need to explain
how their composition successfully exploits the chosen link, be it a rhythm, a form, an
instrument or group of instruments, and so on.
What is the relationship of your composition to its context?
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Any piece of music written will fall into a particular context and reflect the style of a
particular genre. It is in this section that students will set out how their piece relates to this
context. It might be that the composition is a pop song, a string quintet, a percussion piece,
a piece in a minimalist style, a showcase for a single instrument, a pastiche in the style of a
specific composer, style or period. Students should explain the extent to which their
composition reflects the genre or style and, where appropriate, a historical period.
Controlled time: formal supervision
Students have up to 2 hours under formal supervision to complete the appraisal. Any work
prepared in advance can be taken into the room where the appraisal is to be written. Although up
to two hours are allocated for this task, this is for the final writing process: much of the work should
be prepared in advance to ensure that best use is made of the time available. The two hours do
not have to be taken continuously but any work completed during the supervised time for final
submission must be retained securely between sessions.
The guidance document on Controlled Assessment also includes information about controlled time
for this unit.
Exemplar compositions and appraisals
Exemplar compositions and appraisals along with examiner commentaries can be found on Secure Key
Materials (SKM) on e-AQA.
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