A Level Music Topics by Exam Board: Full List

A Level Music – currently offered by AQA (opens in a new tab), Pearson Edexcel (opens in a new tab), OCR (opens in a new tab) and WJEC (Eduqas (opens in a new tab) in England and CBAC (opens in a new tab) in Wales) – includes musical contexts, elements and language combined with six or seven areas of study (depending on your exam board).

All exam boards assess you across the same three areas: performing, composing and appraising.

To help you plan your revision, we’ve pulled together all A Level Music topics into one place. Rather than wading through over a hundred pages of a specification, our guide is designed to give you a practical overview of what you’ll actually be tested on, helping you to take your A Level Music exams with clarity and confidence.

Key Takeaways

• Four UK exam boards currently offer A Level Music: AQA, Pearson Edexcel, Eduqas and WJEC

• You’ll be tested on your knowledge of musical contexts, elements and language, as well as areas of study and set works that differ between the exam boards

• All exam boards use the same assessment structure: performing, composing and appraising

• Use this guide as a shortcut for your A Level Music specification and as a revision checklist

Why It’s Important to Know Your Exam Board

Although subject content often overlaps across exam boards, each exam board has a different syllabus. The same subject can therefore be taught very differently using one exam board compared to another, with varying topics, skills and assessment methods.

Knowing exactly which topics your exam board covers means you can create a focused revision plan. You won't waste time studying content that won't be tested, and you'll know exactly what to expect when it comes to exams.

Four exam boards currently offer A Level Music: AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC (Eduqas in England and CBAC in Wales). If you’re not sure which A Level Music exam board your school uses, check with your teacher.

Note that OCR is withdrawing A Level Music, with its final assessment series being held in summer 2028. If you’re taking A Level Music after this, you’ll be using a different exam board to OCR.

The set works change periodically, so make sure you’re using the most up-to-date information by visiting your exam board’s website.

AQA A Level Music Topics (7272)

1. Appraising Music (Component 1)

• Western classical tradition, 1650–1910 (compulsory) with set works including Bach, Mozart and Chopin

• A choice of two areas of study with set works that include the following:

  • Pop music – Beyoncé

  • Music for media – Hans Zimmer

  • Music for theatre – Stephen Sondheim

  • Jazz – Louis Armstrong

  • Contemporary traditional music – Anoushka Shankar

  • Art music since 1910 – Steve Reich

2. Performance (Component 2)

• Perform using one or both of the following types:

  • Instrumental/vocal (solo or as part of an ensemble)

  • Production via music technology

3. Composition (Component 3)

• Composition to a brief

  • Respond to one externally set brief from a choice of seven

  • Briefs may include different stimuli, such as the following:

    • A poem or piece of text

    • Photographs, images or film

    • Notation

• Free composition

  • Create a composition of your choice

  • This does not need to reference the areas of study or a brief

Pearson Edexcel A Level Music Topics (9MU0)

1. Performing (Component 1)

• Perform using one or more of the following approaches:

  • Solo

  • As part of an ensemble

  • Improvisation

  • Realisation using music technology

2. Composing (Component 2)

• Free choice

  • Choose from free composition OR from one of six briefs relating to areas of study (listed under ‘Appraising’ below)

• Briefs assessing technique

  • Choose from one of four briefs:
    1. Bach chorale
    2. Two-part counterpoint
    3. Arrangement
    4. Remix

3. Appraising (Component 3)

• Six compulsory areas of study with set works that include the following:

  • Vocal music – Ein feste Burg by Bach

  • Instrumental music – Piano Trio in G minor by Clara Schumann

• Music for film – Batman Returns soundtrack by Danny Elfman

• Popular music and jazz – Hounds of Love by Kate Bush

• Fusions – Breathing Under Water by Anoushka Shankar

• New directions – The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky

OCR A Level Music Topics (H543)

1. Performing

• Choose from the following:

  • Performing A (recital)

  • Performing B (free choice and focused study)

• Both A and B allow you to perform using the following approaches:

  • Playing or singing solo or in an ensemble

  • Realising music through music technology

• B also allows you to perform by improvising

2. Composing

• Choose either Composing A or Composing B

• Both A and B require the following:

  • Composition in response to an OCR set brief

  • Composition in response to a learner set brief

• A also includes technical exercises, whereas B does not

3. Listening and appraising

• Two compulsory areas of study with set works that include the following:

  • Instrumental music of Haydn, Mozart & Beethoven – Piano Sonata No. 32 by Beethoven

  • Popular song: blues, jazz, swing & big band – The Theory of Joy by Ian Shaw

• Choose two or more areas of study with set works that include the following:

  • Developments in instrumental jazz, 1910–present day – Ascension by John Coltrane

  • Religious music of the Baroque period – Messiah by Handel

  • Programme music, 1820–1910 – Don Quixote by Richard Strauss

  • Innovations in music, 1900–present day – Oedipus Rex by Stravinsky

WJEC Eduqas A Level Music Topics (England, A660QS)

1. Performing (Component 1)

• Choose either Option A or Option B

• Both A and B require one piece reflecting one area of study (listed below ‘Appraising’)

• B also requires another piece reflecting another area of study

2. Composing (Component 2)

• Choose either Option A or Option B

• Both A and B require the following:

  • One composition reflecting the Western classical tradition

  • A free composition

• B also requires another composition reflecting a different area of study to the Western classical tradition

3. Appraising (Component 3)

• Western classical tradition, 1750–1900 (compulsory) with set works including Symphony No. 104 by Haydn

• A choice of one area of study with set works that include the following:

  • Rock and pop – The Beatles

  • Musical theatre – Andrew Lloyd Webber

  • Jazz – Ella Fitzgerald

• Another choice of one area of study with set works that include the following:

  • Into the twentieth century – Three Nocturnes by Debussy

  • Into the twenty-first century – Asyla by Adès

Note that the topics for CBAC (Wales) are largely similar to those for Eduqas. The main differences are that CBAC consists of units, and many of its set works are Welsh – including its chamber music (e.g. Night Dances by Plowman) and popular music (e.g. Gruff Rhys).

For more information on CBAC’s topics, download the current specification from the CBAC website (opens in a new tab).

How to Use Topic Lists for Revision

Create a revision plan

Print or copy out your exam board’s A Level Music topics into a checklist. Use the traffic light system (opens in a new tab) to prioritise the topics you feel least confident in, and tick each topic off as you revise. Seeing progress is really motivating, and it stops you from accidentally skipping topics.

Practise with past papers

Once you’ve revised the relevant topics, test your knowledge and understanding by completing A Level Music past papers. Read examples of composition briefs, practise composing and performing, and take past appraising exams under timed conditions before assessing how you did against the relevant mark scheme.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to revise all A Level Music topics for the exam?

You don’t need to revise all topics for the performing and composing exams. Instead, you’ll use your knowledge and practical skills from specific areas of study (such as the Western classical tradition) to perform, and you’ll compose freely and/or in response to a brief.

For the appraisal exam, only Pearson Edexcel requires you to know and revise all six areas of study. AQA, OCR and WJEC require you to revise between three and four areas of study (depending on your exam board), although you can learn more if you wish to.

Are these topics the same across all exam boards?

No. While all exam boards include music from the Western classical tradition, the other areas differ.

In cases where areas of study overlap between exam boards – such as jazz, which is an area of study for both AQA and WJEC – the set works and artists are usually different.

How do I know which topics I struggle with most?

Alongside the traffic light system, look at which topics or areas of study you tend to get the lowest marks on in mock exams or past paper questions. Prioritise revising (or practising) the areas you’re least confident in.

Do all topics come up in every exam paper?

All areas of study come up in the appraisal exam, but you’re not expected to know them all (unless your exam board is Pearson Edexcel).

All exam boards test your knowledge and understanding of the three same areas in the appraisal exam: musical elements (such as structure, tonality and sonority), contexts (e.g. historical, social and cultural) and language (such as staff notation, chords and vocabulary like ‘glissando’). Each exam board has a slightly different list of musical elements, context and language, so visit the relevant specification for more information.

Final Thoughts

With our full list of A Level Music topics, you’ll now have a clear idea of exactly what you’ll be tested on, and in which paper. Rather than relying on a lengthy specification, you can now quickly and easily create a revision checklist tailored to each of your A Level Music exams.

Gradually build up your confidence in A Level Music by focusing on the topics you find trickiest first.

Good luck!