GCSE Music

Qualification: AQA GCSE Music

Cost: £40 per month.

Day: Thursday (See term dates here)

Time: 11:00 - 12:00

Class Type: Live Online Lessons - 10 Students maximum per class

Tutor: Paul

Attained through Tutors and Exams as Private Candidate

3 Components to the qualification:

Understanding Music

Performing Music

Composing Music.

Pricing and Course Structure

This course consists of 60 one hour lessons plus 2x 40 minute 1 - 1 sessions over 20 months.

The course includes all coursework marked and signed off with the affiliated exam centre, plus 1x marked mock exam paper. The cost of each lesson is £12.50 and the 1 - 1s are charged at £25 each. For ease, the total cost for the whole course is broken down into 20 continuous payments of £40 per month. Please note that payments will be taken during school holidays. For a 2 year course, the recurring payments will start in the September of Year 1 and the final payment will be in April of Year 2 (inclusive). All 60 lessons are delivered by the end of April in Year 2 and include exam prep ready for exams in May-June.

1 - 1 sessions will take place in year 2 and be arranged with individual students closer to the time.

Please note the cost does not include exam centre fees. You will need to arrange to sit the exam at one of the affiliated exam centres and pay them separately for sitting the exam. Tutors and Exams offer a discount for those undertaking this course.

Lessons will be delivered over Google workspace, including Google Meet and Google Classroom. Here you will be able to access the live lessons and links to additional work tasks and feedback. Lessons are delivered live to enable students to get the most out of the course, however, all lessons are recorded so you can re-watch or catch up if you need to.

The course does include breaks that roughly follow school term times. Live lessons will pause over these holidays. Please see the schedule for Year 1 and Year 2.

Expectations of Students

Please note that students will need to do a considerable amount of independent study outside of the course, consisting of homework tasks, instrument practice/watching films, coursework, etc. Paul will guide you in what you need to be doing, however students should be prepared to do these additional tasks to achieve their goals.

Students will need to submit declarations that all of the work is their own and evidence is gained through live lessons and recordings under NEA rules.

To get the most out of the course, we would encourage students to have mics and cameras on where appropriate. The groups are small and Paul will make everyone feel very comfortable. However, no one will be forced to talk and our aim is to ultimately be inclusive and ensure as anyone access this qualification if they would like to.

We do ask that all students adhere to a policy of politeness and consideration, both of the tutor and their course mates. It is OK to have differences of opinion, however students should speak respectfully and any aggressive or discriminatory language will not be tolerated and could lead to expulsion from the course.

Content Warning: Please note that you do not need to be any specific age to undertake exams in the UK. However, we do follow the specification laid out by the exam board, including the study of set works. Some of these may have specific certifications, themes or scenes that may not suitable for all children. Please bear this in mind when signing up to the course.

Students must be able to travel to one of the affiliated exam centres to undertake the exam and arrange the exam themselves.

Cancellation Policy

While we hope that you enjoy the course, should you choose not to continue, we require 1 month notice should you wish to withdraw.

Cancellation at any point of the course will mean you risk non-certification of your qualification.

We will not be able to offer a refund for lessons that have not yet taken place during the notice period.

Access to all the course resources will be withdrawn with immediate effect if payments cease.

The Qualification:

Practical NEA (Non Exam Assessment) Coursework

Written exam.

Assessment

GCSE music involves non-examined assessments (NEA) which need to be under-taken under controlled conditions (see deadlines for details), and a final listeing and written exam in the summer term. These assessments are taken in the year of certification.

Component 1: Understanding Music (40% of qualification)

The written exam will be sat at a suitable Tutors and Exams centre in your area.

The AQA specification includes four Areas of Study, each containing a multi-part set work:

AoS1: The Western Classical Tradition 1650 - 1910

AoS2: Popular Music

AoS3: Traditional Music

AoS4: Western Classical Tradition since 1910

The focus is very much on understanding and identifying the musical elements:

Melody, Articulation, Dynamics, Texture, Structure and Form, Harmony and Tonality, Instrumentation, Rhythm and Metre, Tempo.

There are also questions around context and musical language (i.e. terminology).

The paper consists of 2 parts:

Part 1: 8 multi-part questions of unfamiliar listening, related to the Areas of Study (60 Marks)

Part 2: 2 Questions relating to the set works, one which is set and one of the candidates choice (36 Marks)

It is not necessary to purchase any books or recordings as comprehensive digital study guides are included in the cost of the course.

Exam board study guides are available but not a requirement of the course. If you choose to buy one, please ensure it is the right version as the set works change over time. Please ask if you are unsure.

Past papers will be completed as part of the course to ensure students know what to expect from the exam.

Component 2: Performance (30% of qualification)

Students are required to submit two performances, totalling a minimum of 4 minutes:

One Solo Performance - Unaccompanied or with a backing track.

One Ensemble Performance - Performance with at least one other live musician. This is usually your instrumental teacher or fellow musician - Minimum time of 1 minute required.

Students need to attend a recording session where both the solo and ensemble performances (solo and ensemble) will be recorded in an unedited audio visual format. This format of performance is required for the authentication process. These are then marked by the tutor and then sent to the examining board for external moderation.

This is not a public performance or an exam. The tutor will provide guidance and communicate directly with instrumental and vocal teachers regarding the exact requirements and marking criteria to be followed.

Submission deadline for performances: 15th February 2026.

Component 3: Composition (30% of qualification)

Students are required to submit two compositions, totalling a minimum of 3 minutes:

One Free Choice Composition - Any style or genre, for any instrument of your choice.

One Composition to a Brief - Students must compose a piece of music to fit one of four briefs given by the exam board. These are released in the Autumn term of the year of certification.

Students music including a final write up and recording for each composition, completed under teacher supervision. Therefore once the composition is underway, students must keep accurate notes, scores/lead sheets/written analysis of their work as evidence. In addition students will submit to the tutor their work in progress to deadlines. This is so the preparatory work can be monitored and authenticated. The time spent on this coursework at home is unlimited.

It would be very helpful to have some music notation software. The are a variety of options linked into the members site of the course. These are free versions of the software but there are also paid software programmes with advanced versions if you wish to use those instead. There is no requirement to buy expensive software to complete the course.

Submission deadline for Compositions: 1st March 2026