Edexcel GCSE Music Component 1: performing skills quiz quiz

20 percent

40 percent

30 percent

50 percent

Two minutes

Three minutes

Five minutes

Four minutes

20

30

40

60

Accuracy and interpretation

Volume and overall length of the piece

Difficulty of the piece and its speed

Tuning of the instrument and stage dress

Easier pieces are always preferred by the examiners no matter how well they are played in the end

Difficult and demanding pieces are completely banned from the assessment by the exam board

Accuracy and musicality are rewarded, so a secure performance beats a difficult one with errors

Choosing an easier piece saves a lot of valuable rehearsal time before the assessment day

It must always be the very loudest part in the group

It must be completely improvised on the spot

It must be sung rather than played on an instrument

It must not be doubled by another performer

No, the other parts must be live performers

Yes, a backing track always counts as an ensemble

Only if the backing track is played loudly enough

Only when the soloist is playing the guitar part

Playing the very hardest and most demanding piece you can find

Standing as still as possible all the way through the piece

Keeping in time, balance and blend, and listening to the group

Playing the loudest of everyone in the whole ensemble group

The whole track including the backing

The pre-recorded backing track only

Nothing at all is assessed in this case

Only the live solo line you perform

The mark is reduced proportionally to how short it is

The whole performance is disqualified and scores zero

Nothing changes and the full marks can still be awarded

It is marked out of 60 marks instead of out of 30

Yes, the same music can be used for both

Only if it is performed in the same style

No, the two performances must use different music

Only when the performer is a singer rather than an instrumentalist

Playing every single note at exactly the same volume throughout

Completely ignoring all of the markings written in the score

Playing the whole piece as fast as you possibly can manage

Shaping dynamics and phrasing and playing in the right style