Edexcel A-level Music Component 3 - 9th June 2025 [Exam Chat]

7

Does anyone have any predictions or suggestions for what might come up on the exam in June? There’s so much content to get through and not enough time. I'm trying to narrow my revision to focus on topics that haven’t appeared in the past few years.

Reply 1

hchann

7

hey i also take music and i’m the only person at school who does it so there’s no one else for me to discuss with, so i’m so glad you opened this thread😭

based on what i’ve gathered from last year’s paper, shankar (idk which specific song), symphonie fantastique and batman (idk which specific movement) were the three listening set works and the three essay choices were psycho the cellar, is my team ploughing (im pretty sure), and rite of spring (idk which movement), so i think we’re safe to assume these three works wont be the essay questions.

i’ve looked at the past paper questions and they’ve never asked questions on:

•

elfman: batman vs the circus, rise and fall from grace

•

courtney pine: love and affection

•

kate bush: cloudbusting

•

bach: movement 1, 8

•

beatles: i want to tell you, here there and everywhere

•

psycho: marion, discovery, the city, finale

•

symphonie fantastique (last time it was on the paper was june 2021 so i just put this here because it hasn’t come up in a long time)

if you want all the past questions here they are:
2018 =

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OWE no1

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psycho - prelude, murder, toys

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n/a (set work got removed)

2019 =

•

piano trio in g minor

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tomorrow never knows

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la soirée dans grenade no2

2020 =

•

n/a (set work got removed)

•

courtney pine - inner state of mind

•

rite of spring - jeu du rapt

2021 =

•

symphonie fantastique

•

birth of a penguin pt2

•

eleanor rigby

•

petals

2022 =

•

bach movement 2

•

under ice

•

easy

•

rite of spring - the augurs of spring

2023 =

•

piano trio in g minor

•

birth of a penguin pt2

•

lady day and john coltrane

•

pagodes no1

2024 =

•

psycho - the cellar

•

OWE - is my team ploughing (im pretty sure)

•

rite of spring - (idk which one)

the only two set works i have slightly stronger speculations for are kate bush and symphonie fantastique since it’s been so long, but i honestly have no idea what they’re gonna put on this year’s paper seeing as they tend to repeat set works sometimes. but if you have any ideas please let me know, or i hope more people join this thread.

Reply 2

bobinfrog

OP

7

Yeah, you're on the same lines as what I was going for, I think Berlioz is coming up with would be fab as it's only one mov. I'm the only person in my class, two aha, so yeah, not great, and my teacher is soooooo bad, oh my god, I'm so stressed, I'm not going to pass but hopefully my performance will carrry

Reply 3

flowersinmyhair

Volunteer Section Leader, Clearing and Applications Advisor

20

Edexcel A-Level Music Component 3: Appraising (9MU0 03) - Monday 9th June 2025 [Exam Chat]
Welcome to the exam discussion thread for this exam.
Introduce yourself! Let others know what you're aiming for in your exams, what you are struggling with in your revision or anything else.
Wishing you all the best of luck. :yy:

General Information
Date/Time: Monday 9th June 2025 PM
Length: 2h 10m
Good luck!
Click here to find exam discussions for other A-level subjects

Reply 4

emibell

4

Kate Bush - And Dream of Sheep came up last year for essays so we have been told its slightly unlikely

Reply 5

hchann

7

Original post

by bobinfrog

Yeah, you're on the same lines as what I was going for, I think Berlioz is coming up with would be fab as it's only one mov. I'm the only person in my class, two aha, so yeah, not great, and my teacher is soooooo bad, oh my god, I'm so stressed, I'm not going to pass but hopefully my performance will carrry

This might sound cliched but I honestly can’t stand the Berlioz because it’s so long. It’s a great piece and all but I don’t think I’ll be able to memorise the bar numbers for evidence and stuff. Wider listening would be ok though as you can just reference other classical music.

also, i totally feel you, my teacher isn’t that good either and my school also doesn’t provide many resources for the music department as barely any students take it, plus i’ve switched teachers once during the course so… not too good. i’m feeling so scared for the wider listening part cus i’ve barely done any of that in class, but yeah, i’m hoping my performance and comp+bach chorale will somewhat carry too.

also… please keep updating me on this thread cus i desperately need to find someone else who also does music😭tysmmmm

Reply 6

hchann

7

Original post

by emibell

Kate Bush - And Dream of Sheep came up last year for essays so we have been told its slightly unlikely

seriously? i mean i haven’t seen the 2024 paper but from what last year’s candidates have discussed here they’ve only mentioned psycho, vaughan williams and stravinsky as the essay questions

Reply 7

emibell

4

Original post

by hchann

seriously? i mean i haven’t seen the 2024 paper but from what last year’s candidates have discussed here they’ve only mentioned psycho, vaughan williams and stravinsky as the essay questions

yes - we did the paper for our mocks and have been told it was not added and did come up, a lot of schools don't study the pop unit for essays so just don't mention it

Reply 8

bobinfrog

OP

7

Original post

by hchann

This might sound cliched but I honestly can’t stand the Berlioz because it’s so long. It’s a great piece and all but I don’t think I’ll be able to memorise the bar numbers for evidence and stuff. Wider listening would be ok though as you can just reference other classical music.
also, i totally feel you, my teacher isn’t that good either and my school also doesn’t provide many resources for the music department as barely any students take it, plus i’ve switched teachers once during the course so… not too good. i’m feeling so scared for the wider listening part cus i’ve barely done any of that in class, but yeah, i’m hoping my performance and comp+bach chorale will somewhat carry too.
also… please keep updating me on this thread cus i desperately need to find someone else who also does music😭tysmmmm

berlioz is really good, I think. Personal opinion only because you have to learn one movement and memorise one section don't worry about depending on bar numbers they're not expecting you to memorise that at all. 🙂

Reply 9

hchann

7

Original post

by emibell

yes - we did the paper for our mocks and have been told it was not added and did come up, a lot of schools don't study the pop unit for essays so just don't mention it

wait sorry but wdym it wasn’t added but did come up?

Reply 10

hchann

7

Original post

by bobinfrog

berlioz is really good, I think. Personal opinion only because you have to learn one movement and memorise one section don't worry about depending on bar numbers they're not expecting you to memorise that at all. 🙂

yeah that’s true but this one movement is 500+ bars long😭 and i wouldn’t rly know what to focus on, especially if they ask about harmony and i have to start listing all the different key changes throughout the piece. plus I’ve always been used to quoting bar numbers for my evidence? idk maybe i just do essays differently though

Reply 11

emibell

4

Original post

by hchann

wait sorry but wdym it wasn’t added but did come up?

like our teachers didn't add it just for the mock

Reply 12

hchann

7

Original post

by emibell

like our teachers didn't add it just for the mock

oh yeah i just saw it on the paper, don’t think kate bush is gonna come up this year. i honestly think symphonie fantastique, bach, and petals since they haven’t come up in a while

Reply 13

bobinfrog

OP

7

Oh my god, guys, I'm cooked for this paper. Honestly, I just need to pass this subject. If Belioz comes up, we are cooking, but if not, my performance and comps better carry me; otherwise, I'm done. WHY DO THEY MAKE THIS PAPER SO HARD

Reply 14

hchann

7

Original post

by bobinfrog

Oh my god, guys, I'm cooked for this paper. Honestly, I just need to pass this subject. If Belioz comes up, we are cooking, but if not, my performance and comps better carry me; otherwise, I'm done. WHY DO THEY MAKE THIS PAPER SO HARD

I totally feel you, I actually haven't started revising for this paper at all because I have four exams before half term. I also rly struggle w wider listening idk why

But yeah, same here, I'm hoping for the best too lolll comps are rly subjective and u rly never know how they mark those things

For now just make plans for the set works you think are going to come up the most and listen to them repeatedly for the listening cus idek how else u can revise for listening😭

btw any predictions for the listening section?

Reply 15

hchann

7

guys i’ve made this list, does it seem sensible? i’m really praying it’s gonna be one of the below

2025 predictions:

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batman: batman v circus, rise and fall from grace (never come up)

•

but batman came up last in 2023

•

pine: love and affection (never come up)

•

but pine came up last in 2023

•

shankar: breathing under water, burn (never come up)

•

but shankar came up last in 2022

•

bach: movement 1, movement 8 (never come up)

•

but bach came up last in 2022

•

beatles: i want to tell you, here there and everywhere (never come up)

•

but beatles came up last in 2021

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symphonie fantastique (hasn’t been on paper for a long time)

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came up in 2021

•

petals (hasn’t been on paper for a long time)

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came up in 2021

hasn’t come up:

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williams: bredon hill (but on 2024 paper)

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psycho: marion, discovery, the city, finale (but on 2024 paper)

•

bush: cloudbusting (but on 2024 paper)

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 16

Ahahahahh

3

Original post

by bobinfrog

Oh my god, guys, I'm cooked for this paper. Honestly, I just need to pass this subject. If Belioz comes up, we are cooking, but if not, my performance and comps better carry me; otherwise, I'm done. WHY DO THEY MAKE THIS PAPER SO HARD

Sameeeee! Prayyyyyinnnnnngggg Berlioz comes up OMD!!!

Reply 17

bobinfrog

OP

7

I just can't wait until this course is over. If anyone is reading this who is deciding what A levels to do, it made me fall out of love with many composers lol. Save your sanity

Reply 18

reltsaonewo

3

Original post

by bobinfrog

Does anyone have any predictions or suggestions for what might come up on the exam in June? There’s so much content to get through and not enough time. I'm trying to narrow my revision to focus on topics that haven’t appeared in the past few years.

I'm convinced Stravinsky will appear as a LQ (most likely Jeu Du Rapt), as it seems there hasn't been a Stravinsky LQ since 2019. I'm also pretty sure Pagodes and Bredon Hill (or another of the VW's) will be. Cloudbusting has never come up as a LQ or a Q6, but I'm thinking Beatles - I Want to Tell You is more likely as a Q6 instead.

Reply 19

bobinfrog

OP

7

Original post

by reltsaonewo

I'm convinced Stravinsky will appear as a LQ (most likely Jeu Du Rapt), as it seems there hasn't been a Stravinsky LQ since 2019. I'm also pretty sure Pagodes and Bredon Hill (or another of the VW's) will be. Cloudbusting has never come up as a LQ or a Q6, but I'm thinking Beatles - I Want to Tell You is more likely as a Q6 instead.

But Stravinsky came up last year and they’ve only ever repeated one piece in the whole of the longer questions

Edexcel A-level Music Component 3 - 9th June 2025 [Exam Chat]

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