The Student Room Group

Edexcel GCSE Music 2016-2017

Hey guys!

I've started a thread for those taking the Edexcel GCSE Music exam. Here, you can help others revise and give each other tips. This was largely inspired by the threads in the past for the Music exam but I wanted to make one that was more recent.

I liked the questions that the 2014 thread asked in order for everyone to get to know each other better so here they are below:

1. Favourite set work
2. Least favourite set work
3. Most confident set work
4. Least confident set work
5. Hows your coursework coming along?
6. What did you get in your mock?
7. Do you like GCSE Music?
8. Are you doing A Level Music?

Also, the 2014 thread linked here: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2614680 has links for past papers with audio files, which are really useful. :smile:

Happy GCSE Music-ing!

Scroll to see replies

Hi @lucylai26 ! My name is Rosita :wavey:

1. Favourite set work:
Grace- Jeff Buckley

2. Least favourite set work: Rag Desh

3. Most confident set work: Moby- Why does my heart feel so bad?

4. Least confident set work: Koko-Yiri

5. How’s your coursework coming along? Good! My teacher has given me the following grades: Composition 1 (Pop composition): A*

Composition 2 (based on Minimalism): A

Solo performance: A*

Ensemble performance: Still needs to mark it! :lol:

6. What did you get in your mock? In my Year 10 mock I got an A*. I don't know what I have got in my Year 11 one (did it a few weeks ago) because we get our results after the Christmas Holidays (we have a mock results day on the 6th of Jan:sleep:)

7. Do you like GCSE Music? I love music and enjoy GCSE music, but I have pretty much the worst teacher in the world:shot:. Our school was so desperate and he got fired a few years ago for being so bad but they were so desperate they brought him back. The head of department is amazing but he left 2 days ago and has never been my teacher (although he marked my coursework because my teacher- the bad one- doesn't know how to!:shot: I really really wish the head of department was my teacher though). If I were in another school with a good music department I would definitely do really well at GCSE Music but at this rate, I really don't know if I will. I really want to do well though because Music is my strongest subject, and I’m taking it for A level (hopefully!) but with this bad teacher, I will never reach my full potential at GCSE and get the grades I need to get to do A level music in other schools.

8. Are you doing A Level Music? I do not want to stay at my own school for sixth form because I really want to take A level music. I've applied to other schools with much better music departments (can't get worse than my current school's department tbh:puke:) so hopefully I will get accepted into the other schools and be able to do A level music. I've applied to my current school's sixth form for backup but haven't put down Music as one of the A level's so hopefully other school's will accept me so I can take A level music. :flute:
Does anyone have any predictions for which piece, the essay question, at the end of the GCSE Edexcel music, listening and appraising exam, will be based on?
Original post by rosita.zadeh
Hi @lucylai26 ! My name is Rosita :wavey:

1. Favourite set work: Grace- Jeff Buckley

2. Least favourite set work: Rag Desh

3. Most confident set work: Moby- Why does my heart feel so bad?

4. Least confident set work: Koko-Yiri

5. How’s your coursework coming along? Good! My teacher has given me the following grades: Composition 1 (Pop composition): A*

Composition 2 (based on Minimalism): A

Solo performance: A*

Ensemble performance: Still needs to mark it! :lol:

6. What did you get in your mock? In my Year 10 mock I got an A*. I don't know what I have got in my Year 11 one (did it a few weeks ago) because we get our results after the Christmas Holidays (we have a mock results day on the 6th of Jan:sleep:)

7. Do you like GCSE Music? I love music and enjoy GCSE music, but I have pretty much the worst teacher in the world:shot:. Our school was so desperate and he got fired a few years ago for being so bad but they were so desperate they brought him back. The head of department is amazing but he left 2 days ago and has never been my teacher (although he marked my coursework because my teacher- the bad one- doesn't know how to!:shot: I really really wish the head of department was my teacher though). If I were in another school with a good music department I would definitely do really well at GCSE Music but at this rate, I really don't know if I will. I really want to do well though because Music is my strongest subject, and I’m taking it for A level (hopefully!) but with this bad teacher, I will never reach my full potential at GCSE and get the grades I need to get to do A level music in other schools.

8. Are you doing A Level Music? I do not want to stay at my own school for sixth form because I really want to take A level music. I've applied to other schools with much better music departments (can't get worse than my current school's department tbh:puke:) so hopefully I will get accepted into the other schools and be able to do A level music. I've applied to my current school's sixth form for backup but haven't put down Music as one of the A level's so hopefully other school's will accept me so I can take A level music. :flute:


Someone replied, I'm so happy! :biggrin: I honestly forgot I made this thread and didn't expect anyone to reply.

Congratulations on your coursework so far though, I'm happy that you did well. I had my mock in November and did well on my questions. However, my teacher's not given us our essay mark yet and I'm really scared because I'm just so bad at writing essays (this is in all subjects not just Music). :frown: Do you have any tips?

With A level Music, I've got the opposite dilemma to you. I'm thinking of moving for VI Form because my school isn't great for Sciences but their Music Department is absolutely incredible. I've not heard good things about my first choice school's Music Department so I'm a bit worried but I'm probably going to take the risk anyway.

And with regards to the essay question, I have absolutely no clue, sorry!
Hey again @lucylai26 ! :hi: I'm glad you made this thread! Hopefully more GCSE Edexcel music students will join this thread, and then all of us can help each other out.

As for the essay question, I suggest writing an essay, for six pieces, within either Area of Study 1 and 2, or Area of Study 3 and 4. The 2 essay questions at the end (where you choose one of them) will definitely be between a piece from either Area of Study 1 and 2, or Area of Study 3 and 4. So, technically if you learn to write essays for just six pieces (for example, just the pieces within Area of Study 1 and 2) you'll do really well in the essay question because question 9 will definitely be on one of the pieces from Area of Study 1 and 2. You could also just learn to do essays for the six pieces within Area of Study 3 and 4 because question 10 will definitely be on one of those pieces. Either way, you only need to learn to write essays for six pieces, as opposed to twelve, in order to do well! :jiggy:

The attachment image is from one of the examiner reports explaining what I have just explained above, in case what I've said makes no sense! :nutcase:

I suggest writing the essays in the "MR HSTTTODD" structure. M- melody, R- Rhythm, H- Harmony, S-Structure, T- Timbre, T- Tonality, T- Texture, O- Orchestration, D-Dynamics, D-Duration. If you learn 2-3 facts about each of these for each piece, as well as when and where it was written, where it would be performed and its musical style, then you'll do great in the essay question. :rave: What I'm going to do nearer the exam time (perhaps from Jan/Feb onwards) I'm going to write an essay for each of the six pieces within Area of Studies 3 and 4 (I prefer these two Area of Studies in comparison to Area of Studies 1 and 2) in exactly the way I explained above, get my teacher to mark it (or the new head of department which will hopefully be good) and try to memorise them as best as I can. Perhaps you could do the same. I think it will make you feel more comfortable with the essay question. :smartass:

Also, don't forget to revise all the pieces though, for the other questions! Revise the rest of the other six pieces in the way you would revise for the listening part of the exam. Then, focus on six pieces from either combination of Area Studies, for the essay question. :thumbsup:

I saw in previous years' threads that many of them discussed and predicted which question will come up as the essay questions, and in most years, their predictions were right, so that's why I asked :giggle: Maybe, as more people join this thread, we can get some predictions :groovy:

What A Levels have you chosen/ are going to take? :jive:

Hope the advice I gave helps!! :hugs:

Best wishes,
Rosita Xxx :smile: :flybye:
Original post by rosita.zadeh
Hey again @lucylai26 ! :hi: I'm glad you made this thread! Hopefully more GCSE Edexcel music students will join this thread, and then all of us can help each other out.

As for the essay question, I suggest writing an essay, for six pieces, within either Area of Study 1 and 2, or Area of Study 3 and 4. The 2 essay questions at the end (where you choose one of them) will definitely be between a piece from either Area of Study 1 and 2, or Area of Study 3 and 4. So, technically if you learn to write essays for just six pieces (for example, just the pieces within Area of Study 1 and 2) you'll do really well in the essay question because question 9 will definitely be on one of the pieces from Area of Study 1 and 2. You could also just learn to do essays for the six pieces within Area of Study 3 and 4 because question 10 will definitely be on one of those pieces. Either way, you only need to learn to write essays for six pieces, as opposed to twelve, in order to do well! :jiggy:

The attachment image is from one of the examiner reports explaining what I have just explained above, in case what I've said makes no sense! :nutcase:

I suggest writing the essays in the "MR HSTTTODD" structure. M- melody, R- Rhythm, H- Harmony, S-Structure, T- Timbre, T- Tonality, T- Texture, O- Orchestration, D-Dynamics, D-Duration. If you learn 2-3 facts about each of these for each piece, as well as when and where it was written, where it would be performed and its musical style, then you'll do great in the essay question. :rave: What I'm going to do nearer the exam time (perhaps from Jan/Feb onwards) I'm going to write an essay for each of the six pieces within Area of Studies 3 and 4 (I prefer these two Area of Studies in comparison to Area of Studies 1 and 2) in exactly the way I explained above, get my teacher to mark it (or the new head of department which will hopefully be good) and try to memorise them as best as I can. Perhaps you could do the same. I think it will make you feel more comfortable with the essay question. :smartass:

Also, don't forget to revise all the pieces though, for the other questions! Revise the rest of the other six pieces in the way you would revise for the listening part of the exam. Then, focus on six pieces from either combination of Area Studies, for the essay question. :thumbsup:

I saw in previous years' threads that many of them discussed and predicted which question will come up as the essay questions, and in most years, their predictions were right, so that's why I asked :giggle: Maybe, as more people join this thread, we can get some predictions :groovy:

What A Levels have you chosen/ are going to take? :jive:

Hope the advice I gave helps!! :hugs:

Best wishes,
Rosita Xxx :smile: :flybye:


Thanks so much for that! I'm thinking of learning AOS 3 and 4 because I genuinely hate Something's Coming. :grumble: I mean it's a nice tune and all but I hate writing about it. I'm not really a fan of AOS 2 on the whole anyway. :argh:

For A levels, I'm thinking about a career in Medicine in the long run so I'm going to do Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Music A levels. How about you?
Reply 6
Original post by rosita.zadeh
Does anyone have any predictions for which piece, the essay question, at the end of the GCSE Edexcel music, listening and appraising exam, will be based on?

These are mine which I made for the exam. Hope they help but be free to make your own predictions from the table as well!
Screenshot_32.png
@homeland.lsw Memories.. :moon:
Original post by TheOtherSide.
@homeland.lsw Memories.. :moon:

I miss music so much oh my gosh :cry2:
Original post by homeland.lsw
I miss music so much oh my gosh :cry2:


Do some of your friends take A Level music? Because three of my friends do and I'm reminded of what I'm missing out on every single time I see them :sad:

Spoiler

Original post by TheOtherSide.
Do some of your friends take A Level music? Because three of my friends do and I'm reminded of what I'm missing out on every single time I see them :sad:

Spoiler



Music and art are scrapped over here :frown:
I do music enrichment though :ahee:
Original post by homeland.lsw
Music and art are scrapped over here :frown:
I do music enrichment though :ahee:


Lol and there's us with eight people in the Music class and at least four people doing Art :rofl: (The music class is the biggest in years, okay? :hide: )

And that is not fair :sad: Why don't we have that? :moon:

What do you guys do in it though?
Original post by TheOtherSide.
Lol and there's us with eight people in the Music class and at least four people doing Art :rofl: (The music class is the biggest in years, okay? :hide: )

And that is not fair :sad: Why don't we have that? :moon:

What do you guys do in it though?

the last few months i was in the studio practicing for my exam which was last week. in january i'll start a composition on the macs
Original post by homeland.lsw
the last few months i was in the studio practicing for my exam which was last week. in january i'll start a composition on the macs


What's the macs?

And how'd your exam go?
Original post by TheOtherSide.
What's the macs?

And how'd your exam go?

scales were atrocious. everything else was ok

macintoshes u knowwww
Original post by homeland.lsw
scales were atrocious. everything else was ok

macintoshes u knowwww


Well hope you get a distinction :woo:

That is.. an interesting thing to write a composition on? :lol: Reminds me of someone doing an A Level composition on the Nokia ringtone.. (which actually turned out really cool)
Original post by TheOtherSide.
Well hope you get a distinction :woo:

That is.. an interesting thing to write a composition on? :lol: Reminds me of someone doing an A Level composition on the Nokia ringtone.. (which actually turned out really cool)


ok
Original post by homeland.lsw
ok


ok :indiff:

Spoiler

Original post by TheOtherSide.
ok :indiff:

Spoiler




let's be honest. no one uses this thread lmao
Original post by homeland.lsw
let's be honest. no one uses this thread lmao


Well the people that do are probably like, 'who the hell are these people who have taken over this thread?'

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