AQA A-Level Music Component 1: the six areas of study for the appraising exam

Component 1, Appraising music, is the only externally examined part of AQA A-Level Music (specification 7272). It is a listening and written exam worth 120 marks, lasts 2 hours 30 minutes, and counts for 40 percent of the A-level. This guide maps the six areas of study and how to analyse them.

The compulsory area and the five options

Area of Study 1, the Western classical tradition 1650 to 1910, is compulsory for everyone. It covers Baroque, Classical and Romantic style features and the development of tonal harmony, form and the orchestra. You then choose two of the five optional areas:

• Pop music - verse-chorus structures, riffs, hooks, instrumentation and production.
• Music for media - film, television and game music, leitmotif, mood and synchronisation.
• Music for theatre - musical theatre, song types and how music conveys character.
• Jazz - improvisation, swing, blues harmony and the named performers.
• Contemporary traditional music - folk and world traditions, modal melody and characteristic rhythms.

Exam structure

• Section A - listening and analysis on the areas you have studied, including short answers and questions that use a score or extract.
• Section B - two essays: one on the Western classical tradition and one on a chosen area of study.

You need precise knowledge of the musical elements and the named repertoire to do well in both sections.

How to study the areas of study

1. Learn the style features of each area so you can recognise them in unfamiliar extracts.
2. Master the musical elements (melody, harmony, tonality, rhythm, texture, structure, instrumentation) and use them precisely.
3. Practise analysing extracts against the clock with and without a score.
4. Rehearse essay structure for Section B, building an argument from specific musical detail.

Browse the dot points

Each area of study has a focused answer page with worked exam questions. Start with the Western classical tradition or browse the full set at /a-level-aqa/music/syllabus.

For the official specification

AQA publishes the full specification (7272), past papers and the set-work list at aqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and AQA's own past papers, because set works, named artists and question style are board-specific.