What is the Integrated Portfolio component, and what does it contain?
The Integrated Portfolio (J536/01 or 02): the non-exam component worth 30%, containing one solo performance and one free-brief composition rooted in Area of Study 1, internally assessed and externally moderated, with the rules on length, recording and submission.
A focused answer to the Integrated Portfolio in OCR GCSE Music J536, covering the non-exam component worth 30% that contains one solo performance and one free-brief composition rooted in Area of Study 1, how it is assessed, and the rules on length, recording and submission.
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What this dot point is asking
The Integrated Portfolio is the first of the two non-exam components in OCR GCSE Music. You need to know what it contains (one solo performance and one free-brief composition), its weighting (30%), how it is assessed (internally assessed, externally moderated), and the rules on length, recording and submission. It is rooted in Area of Study 1, My Music, so it draws on the student's own instrument and chosen styles.
What the Integrated Portfolio contains
The portfolio pairs the two creative skills, performing and composing, in the student's own musical world. The solo performance is the student playing or singing repertoire that suits them; the free-brief composition is an original piece in a style they choose, to a brief they devise. Detailed pages cover each: the solo performance is on the performing on your instrument page, and the composition on the composing to a free brief page.
Weighting and assessment
The Integrated Portfolio is worth 30% of the GCSE. It is internally assessed, meaning the school marks it against OCR's criteria, and externally moderated, meaning OCR checks a sample of the marking to confirm it is fair and consistent across schools. This is the standard non-exam assessment process: the work is created and marked in school, then quality-assured by the board.
Length, recording and submission
Because both halves are assessed from recordings (and a score for the composition), good recording matters: capture the performance cleanly, and present the composition with a clear score or account and a recording. Stating the free brief is essential, as it tells the moderator what the composition set out to do. The work is built across the course, not in the final weeks, which is why recording early and developing the composition over time pays off.
Examples in context
A guitarist's Integrated Portfolio might contain a solo performance of two contrasting pieces (combined to meet the minimum length), recorded in the school studio, and a free-brief composition, a pop song he sets himself the brief to write, submitted as a lead sheet plus a recording, with the brief ("an upbeat three-minute pop song") stated. The school marks both against OCR's criteria, and OCR moderates a sample. Together with the Practical Component, this makes up his 60% for performing and composing.
Try this
Q1. What two pieces does the Integrated Portfolio contain, and what is its weighting? [3 marks]
- Cue. A solo performance and a free-brief composition (rooted in Area of Study 1); it is worth 30% of the GCSE.
Q2. What does "internally assessed and externally moderated" mean? [2 marks]
- Cue. The school marks the work against OCR's criteria (internally assessed), and OCR checks a sample of the marking to confirm it is fair (externally moderated).
Q3. Explain how the Integrated Portfolio differs from the Practical Component. [4 marks]
- What the marker wants. The portfolio has a solo performance and a free-brief composition (student-set), the practical has an ensemble performance and an OCR-set-brief composition; both worth 30%, together making the 60% for performing and composing.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J536/01 NEA5 marksDescribe the Integrated Portfolio: what it contains, its weighting, and how it is assessed. [5]Show worked answer →
A knowledge question on the structure of the first non-exam component.
Method. The Integrated Portfolio (J536/01 or 02) is worth 30% of the GCSE. It contains one solo performance on the student's own instrument or voice, and one composition to a free brief of the student's own choosing, both rooted in Area of Study 1 (My Music). It is internally assessed (marked by the school) and externally moderated by OCR.
Develop. Full marks need the two pieces, the 30% weighting, and the internally-assessed, externally-moderated process. Confusing this with the Practical Component (the ensemble and the OCR-set brief) loses marks.
OCR J536/01 NEA4 marksExplain how the Integrated Portfolio differs from the Practical Component. [4]Show worked answer →
A question contrasting the two non-exam components.
Method. The Integrated Portfolio (30%) has a solo performance and a free-brief composition (the student sets the brief), rooted in Area of Study 1. The Practical Component (30%) has an ensemble performance and a composition to an OCR-set brief. So the portfolio is solo and free; the practical is ensemble and set. Together they make up the 60% of performing and composing.
Develop. Strong answers name the contrast on both halves (solo versus ensemble performance; free versus OCR-set composition). Describing only one component, or muddling the briefs, caps the mark.
Related dot points
- The Practical Component (J536/03 or 04): the non-exam component worth 30%, containing one ensemble performance and one composition to an OCR-set brief, internally assessed and externally moderated, and how it differs from the Integrated Portfolio.
A focused answer to the Practical Component in OCR GCSE Music J536, covering the non-exam component worth 30% that contains one ensemble performance and one composition to an OCR-set brief, how it is assessed, and how it differs from the Integrated Portfolio.
- Performing skills and recording across both components: accuracy, interpretation and ensemble skills, the elements a performer controls, and how to capture a clean, balanced recording for solo and ensemble performances.
A focused answer to performing skills and recording in OCR GCSE Music J536, covering accuracy, interpretation and ensemble skills across both components, the elements a performer controls, and how to capture a clean, balanced recording for solo and ensemble performances.
- Composing techniques and the development of ideas across both components: generating material, development techniques (sequence, inversion, augmentation, fragmentation, reharmonisation), structuring a piece, and controlling the elements to fulfil a free or OCR-set brief.
A focused answer to composing techniques and the development of ideas in OCR GCSE Music J536, covering generating material, development techniques such as sequence and inversion, structuring a piece, and controlling the elements to fulfil a free or OCR-set brief across both components.
- Area of Study 1 My Music: the candidate-centred area built on your own instrument, voice and chosen styles, examined only through the Integrated Portfolio (one solo performance plus one free-brief composition, worth 30%), not in the written paper.
A focused answer to Area of Study 1 My Music in OCR GCSE Music J536, covering how it is built on your own instrument and chosen styles, how it is examined through the Integrated Portfolio rather than the written paper, and what the solo performance and free-brief composition involve.
- The Listening and Appraising exam (J536/05): the 40% written paper on Areas of Study 2 to 5, its aural, score-reading and appraisal question types, the extended-response appraisal, and exam technique for managing playings and writing concise, evidenced answers.
A focused answer to the Listening and Appraising exam in OCR GCSE Music J536, covering the 40% written paper on Areas of Study 2 to 5, its aural, score-reading and appraisal question types, the extended-response appraisal, and exam technique for managing playings and writing evidenced answers.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Music (J536) specification — OCR (2016)
- OCR GCSE Music (J536) non-exam assessment guidance — OCR (2016)