How do you notate and submit the composing folio, with scores, lead sheets, recordings and documentation?
Notating and submitting the folio: producing a score, lead sheet or detailed annotation appropriate to the style, providing a recording (live or computer-generated) for each composition, meeting the durations, and supplying the required documentation and authentication for the Eduqas folio.
An Eduqas A-Level Music answer to notating and submitting the composing folio (Component 2). Covers producing a score, lead sheet or detailed annotation appropriate to the style, providing a recording (live or computer-generated) for each composition, meeting the durations, and supplying the required documentation and authentication.
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What this dot point is asking
A composition is submitted as notation (or annotation) plus a recording, and you must present the folio properly. This dot point covers producing a score, lead sheet or detailed annotation appropriate to the style, providing a recording (live or computer-generated) for each composition, meeting the durations, and supplying the required documentation and authentication. The aim is a folio in which each composition is clearly represented and properly submitted. Always confirm the current submission requirements with your centre.
Choosing the form of notation
The notation must represent the music
The recording and duration
Documentation and authentication
How this fits the composing assessment
Notating and submitting the folio completes the composing assessment (AO2): the compositions you have created and developed are represented (notation or annotation) and heard (recording) for marking by Eduqas. A folio with appropriate, accurate notation, clear recordings, the right durations, and complete documentation and authentication lets your composing be fairly assessed. Choose the right form for each piece, represent the music clearly, meet the durations, and confirm the submission requirements with your centre.
Try this
Q1. What three forms of notation might a composition use, and when is each appropriate? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. A full score (for notated Classical or instrumental music); a lead sheet with chord symbols (for jazz and much pop); a detailed written annotation (for electronic or technology-based pieces where conventional notation cannot capture the sound).
Q2. Why must the notation or annotation clearly represent the music? [Short explanation]
- Cue. Because it is assessed alongside the recording and is how the composition is communicated; a reader with the recording must be able to understand the piece, so inaccurate or incomplete notation weakens the submission.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas (course knowledge)4 marksExplain how a candidate should notate and submit the composing folio, including the choice of score or lead sheet and the recording. (Course-structure knowledge)Show worked answer →
Up to four marks. Each composition needs a form of notation appropriate to its style: a full score for a Classical or notated piece, a lead sheet with chord symbols for a jazz or pop piece, or a detailed annotation where conventional notation is not appropriate (for example an electronic or technology-based piece), so the music is clearly represented. Each composition needs a recording, live or computer-generated, that lets the music be heard. The compositions must meet the total duration for the option, and the folio must include the required documentation and authentication (confirming the work is the candidate's own). Markers reward an appropriate form of notation per style, a recording for each piece, meeting the duration, and complete documentation. They penalise notation that does not match the style or fails to represent the music, a missing recording, or the wrong duration.
Eduqas (course knowledge)3 marksWhy must the notation or annotation clearly represent the music, and how does the choice depend on the style? (Course-structure knowledge)Show worked answer →
Up to three marks. The notation or annotation is how the composition is communicated and assessed alongside the recording, so it must clearly represent what is heard. The appropriate form depends on the style: a full staff score suits notated Classical or instrumental music; a lead sheet (melody plus chord symbols) suits jazz and much pop, where exact inner parts are improvised or stylistic; a detailed written annotation suits electronic or technology-based pieces where conventional notation cannot capture the sound. Choosing the right form ensures the music is fairly represented. Markers reward the point that the representation must match the music and the style, with correct examples. They penalise a one-size answer or notation that misrepresents the piece.
Related dot points
- The Composing component (Component 2): its requirements under Option A and Option B (number of compositions, the set brief, the free composition, the Western Classical Tradition requirement, durations, marks and weightings), how it is assessed by Eduqas, and how the option choice fits with Performing.
An Eduqas A-Level Music answer to the Composing component (Component 2). Explains the requirements under Option A and Option B (number of compositions, the set brief, the free composition, the Western Classical Tradition requirement, durations, marks and weightings), how it is assessed, and how the option choice fits with Performing. Always confirm current briefs and requirements with your centre.
- Composing to a brief: how to read and interpret a set brief (its style, ensemble, mood, structure and any technical demands), plan a response that meets every requirement, develop musical ideas with control, and check the composition fulfils the brief.
An Eduqas A-Level Music answer to composing to a brief (Component 2). Explains how to read and interpret a set brief (its style, ensemble, mood, structure and any technical demands), plan a response that meets every requirement, develop musical ideas with control, and check the composition fulfils the brief.
- The Western Classical Tradition brief: the board-set composing brief linked to Area of Study A, demonstrating stylistic understanding of late-eighteenth and nineteenth-century symphonic writing (functional harmony, sonata-style structures, thematic development, orchestration and texture) drawn from the set symphonies.
An Eduqas A-Level Music answer to the Western Classical Tradition composing brief (Component 2). Explains the board-set brief linked to Area of Study A, demonstrating stylistic understanding of late-eighteenth and nineteenth-century symphonic writing (functional harmony, sonata-style structures, thematic development, orchestration and texture) drawn from the set symphonies.
- Harmony and the free composition: writing the free composition to your own brief, choosing a style and ensemble, using harmony, melody, rhythm, texture and structure to develop ideas with control, and the compositional techniques (motivic development, modulation, texture) that make any composition convincing.
An Eduqas A-Level Music answer to harmony and the free composition (Component 2). Covers writing the free composition to your own brief, choosing a style and ensemble, using harmony, melody, rhythm, texture and structure to develop ideas with control, and the compositional techniques (motivic development, modulation, texture) that make any composition convincing.
- The Performing component (Component 1): its requirements under Option A and Option B (number of pieces, the solo requirement, the area-of-study links, durations, marks and weightings), the visiting-examiner assessment, and how the option choice fits with Composing.
An Eduqas A-Level Music answer to the Performing component (Component 1). Explains the requirements under Option A and Option B (number of pieces, the solo requirement, area-of-study links, durations, marks and weightings), the visiting-examiner assessment, and how the option choice fits with Composing. Always confirm current requirements with your centre.
Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas A Level Music (A660) specification — Eduqas (WJEC) (2016)
- Eduqas A Level Music: composing submission guidance — Eduqas (WJEC) (2023)