What do the practical Performing and Composing units require, and how are they assessed?
An overview of the two practical non-examined units: Unit 1 Performing (35 percent), a solo and an ensemble performance with one piece linked to an area of study and a programme note; and Unit 2 Composing (35 percent), two compositions, one free and one to a WJEC-set brief, with an evaluation.
A practical overview of the two non-examined WJEC GCSE Music units: Unit 1 Performing (35 percent), a solo and an ensemble performance with a programme note, and Unit 2 Composing (35 percent), two compositions (one free, one to a set brief) with an evaluation, and how each is assessed.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point is a practical overview of the two non-examined units, Performing and Composing, which together make up 70 percent of WJEC GCSE Music. Because they are coursework, not the written Appraising exam, the rest of this subject focuses on Appraising; this page simply sets out what each practical unit requires and how it is assessed, so you understand the whole qualification. The work links closely to the areas of study and the musical elements you revise for the written paper.
How the practical units fit the whole course
Unit 1: Performing
Unit 2: Composing
Why the practical units link to Appraising
Try this
Q1. What are the weightings of the three units? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Performing 35 percent, Composing 35 percent and Appraising 30 percent, so 70 percent of the GCSE is practical coursework.
Q2. Explain what the Composing unit requires. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Two compositions, one free and one to a WJEC-set brief linked to an area of study, totalling a few minutes, plus an evaluation of the set-brief piece, assessed on creativity, control of the elements, structure and coherence.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC (Unit 1, practical)5 marksSummarise what the Performing unit requires and how it is weighted.Show worked answer →
A summary of the practical Performing requirements (this is coursework, not the written exam, so there is no marked exam answer; the points below are what the unit asks for).
The requirement. At least two performances, one solo and one ensemble, totalling a few minutes, with at least one piece linked to an area of study.
The extras. A programme note for one piece, and assessment on accuracy, control, expression and (in the ensemble) rapport with other players.
The weighting. Performing is a non-examined assessment worth 35 percent of the GCSE.
WJEC (Unit 2, practical)5 marksSummarise what the Composing unit requires and how it is weighted.Show worked answer →
A summary of the practical Composing requirements (coursework, not the written exam, so no marked exam answer; the points below are what the unit asks for).
The requirement. Two compositions: one free composition of the candidate's own choosing, and one in response to a WJEC-set brief linked to an area of study, totalling a few minutes.
The extras. An evaluation of the set-brief composition, and assessment on creativity, control of the musical elements, structure and coherence.
The weighting. Composing is a non-examined assessment worth 35 percent of the GCSE.
Related dot points
- The structure of Unit 3 Appraising: a written listening paper of about one hour worth 72 marks (30 percent), with eight questions, two on each of the four areas of study, including two on the set works, testing aural skills, analysis of the musical elements, musical context and correct terminology.
How the WJEC GCSE Music Appraising paper (Unit 3) is built: a one-hour listening exam worth 72 marks and 30 percent, eight questions, two per area of study, including the two set works, with extracts played on CD or MP3 and answered against the musical elements.
- The musical elements used to appraise music: melody, harmony, tonality, rhythm and metre, tempo, dynamics, texture, timbre and instrumentation (sonority), and structure or form, together with the technical vocabulary and notation knowledge needed to describe them precisely.
The toolkit of musical elements every WJEC Appraising answer is built on: melody, harmony, tonality, rhythm and metre, tempo, dynamics, texture, timbre or sonority, and structure, plus the technical vocabulary and notation needed to describe what you hear precisely.
- The forms of the Western Classical Tradition (about 1650 to 1910) studied in Area of Study 1: binary, ternary, minuet and trio, rondo, theme and variations, and strophic form, and how each is built from repetition, contrast and the return of material.
The forms in WJEC Area of Study 1, Musical Forms and Devices: binary, ternary, minuet and trio, rondo, theme and variations, and strophic form from the Western Classical Tradition (about 1650 to 1910), and how to recognise each by its plan of repetition, contrast and return.
- The genres, forms and features of Area of Study 4, Popular Music: pop, rock, soul, hip-hop and fusion styles, the common forms (verse-chorus, twelve-bar blues, thirty-two-bar AABA), and the typical features such as riffs, hooks, sampling, looping, improvisation and vocal techniques.
The genres, forms and features of WJEC Area of Study 4, Popular Music: pop, rock, soul, hip-hop and fusion, the common forms (verse-chorus, twelve-bar blues, thirty-two-bar AABA), and typical features such as riffs, hooks, sampling, looping and vocal techniques.
- How film music supports storytelling, atmosphere and character in Area of Study 3: leitmotif and thematic transformation, underscore, diegetic and non-diegetic music, mickey-mousing, the use of tempo, dynamics, instrumentation and tonality to set mood, and techniques such as minimalism and music technology.
How film music supports a film in WJEC Area of Study 3: leitmotif and thematic transformation, underscore, diegetic and non-diegetic music, mickey-mousing, and the use of tempo, dynamics, instrumentation and tonality to set mood and character, plus minimalism and music technology.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE Music specification (from 2016) — WJEC (2016)
- WJEC GCSE Music Guidance for Teaching — WJEC (2016)