How is the Component 3 appraising exam structured, and how do you answer the dictation, the links essay and the single set-work essay?
The structure of Component 3 (Appraising): Section A short-answer questions and dictation on the set works and an unfamiliar extract, the 20-mark links essay to an unfamiliar piece, and the 30-mark evaluative essay on one set work.
A focused answer on Component 3 exam technique for Edexcel A-Level Music. Covers the structure of the 2 hour, 100 mark appraising paper, the Section A short questions and dictation, the 20-mark links essay to an unfamiliar extract, and the 30-mark single set-work evaluation, with what each mark scheme rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
Component 3 (Appraising) is the only written exam in A-Level Music, worth 40 percent (100 marks) over 2 hours. Knowing exactly how the paper is built, and what each question type rewards, lets you spend your knowledge of the set works efficiently. This page maps the paper and gives a method for the dictation, the 20-mark links essay and the 30-mark single set-work essay.
The shape of the paper
The dictation
The dictation rewards secure aural skills. The audio is played a fixed number of times (printed on the paper). Pencil in the rhythm first (tapping the pulse), then the pitches relative to the notes already given, checking against the key signature and the surrounding harmony. Use the gaps between playings deliberately, and do not leave blanks: a sensible attempt that fits the metre and key scores more than nothing.
Essay one: the links essay (20 marks)
A strong links essay is wide (covers several elements: melody, harmony, tonality, texture, structure, rhythm, instrumentation, technology) and accurate (names real features of real set works). Avoid forcing a link; a precise comparison across four elements beats a strained one across eight.
Essay two: the single set-work evaluation (30 marks)
Plan before you write: a brief contextual introduction, then paragraphs organised by element or by section, each making a located analytical point and evaluating its effect, and a short conclusion that judges the work overall. Examiners reward evaluation over narration.
How to manage the two hours
Budget the time by marks: roughly 50 minutes on Section A and the dictation, then 30 minutes on the 20-mark essay and 40 minutes on the 30-mark essay, leaving time to plan each essay and check the dictation. Read the number of audio playings before the extract starts.
Try this
Q1. How many marks is Section B worth, and how is it split between the two essays? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Section B is 50 marks: the links essay is 20 marks and the single set-work evaluation is 30 marks.
Q2. What is the key difference between the links essay and the single set-work essay? [Short explanation]
- Cue. The links essay compares an unfamiliar extract to your set works across the elements; the single set-work essay evaluates one set work in depth with context.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Edexcel 201920 marksEvaluate the ways in which the composer of this unfamiliar extract uses musical elements that you have also encountered in your set works. (Component 3, Section B, links essay; audio extract supplied)Show worked answer →
The 20-mark links essay. You hear an unfamiliar extract and must connect it to your set works using the elements. Marked on the breadth and accuracy of the links and the evaluative comparison.
Method. Work element by element (melody, harmony, tonality, texture, structure, rhythm, instrumentation). For each, identify a feature in the unfamiliar extract and name a set work that uses it similarly or differently. For example, "the ground bass here recalls the repeating bass of the Vivaldi concerto, though it is more chromatic".
Evaluate. Do not just list parallels; weigh how closely they match and what the comparison reveals. The top band shows secure, wide-ranging links across several elements with accurate set-work references and an evaluative line, not a one-element list.
Edexcel 202220 marksEvaluate the use of the musical elements in one set work from Vocal Music or Instrumental Music, showing how they create its character. (Component 3, Section B, single set-work essay; rescoped to the 20-mark schema cap)Show worked answer →
The Section B single set-work evaluation (the real paper offers a choice of three and tariffs it at 30; here it is rescoped to the schema cap of 20). Marked on the depth of analysis, accurate context and musical language, and evaluation.
Structure. Plan a short introduction (context: composer, date, genre), then paragraphs by element or by section, each making a precise, located analytical point and evaluating its effect. For example, "the idee fixe unifies the movement, returning transformed to depict the beloved".
Context and evaluation. Embed historical and stylistic context (Baroque cantata, Romantic programme symphony) and reach a judgement on how successfully the elements create the work's character. The top band sustains evaluative analysis with accurate detail, not narrative description of "what happens".
Related dot points
- The musical elements (melody, harmony, tonality, texture, structure, rhythm, metre, tempo, dynamics, articulation, instrumentation and technology) and the analytical vocabulary the Component 3 appraising paper rewards across all six areas of study.
A focused answer on the musical elements that underpin every Edexcel A-Level Music appraising answer. Covers melody, harmony, tonality, texture, structure, rhythm, metre, dynamics, articulation, instrumentation and technology, with the precise vocabulary and bar-referencing the Component 3 exam rewards.
- Harmony, tonality and melody as analytical tools: diatonic and chromatic harmony, cadences, modulation, chromatic chords (Neapolitan, augmented sixth, diminished seventh), and melodic devices across the six areas of study.
A focused answer on harmony, tonality and melody for Edexcel A-Level Music appraising. Covers cadences, modulation, functional and chromatic harmony, the Neapolitan and augmented-sixth chords, melodic contour and devices, with the precise vocabulary and bar-referencing Component 3 rewards.
- Texture, structure (form) and rhythm as analytical tools: textural types, the standard forms, metre, syncopation, hemiola, polyrhythm and additive metre across the six areas of study.
A focused answer on texture, structure and rhythm for Edexcel A-Level Music appraising. Covers textural types, binary, ternary, rondo, sonata, ritornello and verse-chorus forms, metre, syncopation, hemiola, polyrhythm and additive metre, with the vocabulary and bar-referencing Component 3 rewards.
- Area of Study 1 Vocal Music: the two set works (Bach's Cantata Ein feste Burg BWV 80 and Vaughan Williams's On Wenlock Edge), the genres of cantata and song cycle, and the techniques of text setting and word-painting.
An overview of Area of Study 1 (Vocal Music) for Edexcel A-Level Music. Introduces the two set works, Bach's Cantata Ein feste Burg BWV 80 and Vaughan Williams's On Wenlock Edge, the genres of the Baroque cantata and the song cycle, and the text-setting techniques the appraising exam rewards.
- Area of Study 6 New Directions: the three set works (Cage's Three Dances, Saariaho's Petals, Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring), and the twentieth-century techniques of prepared piano, live electronics, extended techniques, and rhythmic and harmonic innovation.
An overview of Area of Study 6 (New Directions) for Edexcel A-Level Music. Introduces the three set works by Cage, Saariaho and Stravinsky and the twentieth-century techniques of prepared piano, live electronics, extended techniques and rhythmic innovation that the appraising exam rewards.
Sources & how we know this
- Pearson Edexcel A-Level Music (9MU0) specification (Issue 7) — Pearson Edexcel (2016)