Assessment and exam practice.

Try this with Music Studies

1. Check the task format, time limit and permitted materials with your school.
2. Start with one timed section or task and record where you spent the most time.
3. Review errors before attempting another section. Separate missing knowledge from timing problems.

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Practice paper focus areas

• Exam 1 — Q7 score: constructed string-quartet nocturne in D minor (cello pedal, chord naming in alto and bass clefs, textures by bar); Q8 aural-only: constructed folk-rock piece moving 4/4 to 7/8 with guitar riff and arpeggio roles; Q9 arrangement: 'Frère Jacques' for brass quintet in 6/8, horn transposition
• Exam 2 — Q7 score: constructed clarinet-and-piano sonatina in C minor (form, secondary dominant function, plagal close); Q8 aural-only: constructed found-sound and electronic piece in four episodes; Q9 arrangement: 'Greensleeves' for wind quintet, clarinet to concert pitch
• Exam 3 — Q7 score: constructed oboe-and-piano romance in E-flat (circle progression, passing modulation, climax); Q8 aural-only: constructed piece fusing tango and drum-and-bass (form, texture, style fusion); Q9 arrangement: 'Amazing Grace' for saxophone quartet
• Exam 4 — Q7 score: constructed brass-quintet chorale prelude in G major (cadences, scale degrees, articulation); Q8 aural-only: constructed Afro-Cuban son excerpt (clave, montuno, call and response); Q9 arrangement: 'Ode to Joy' (Beethoven theme) for jazz combo in swing
• Exam 5 — Q7 score: constructed piano trio scherzo in A minor (hemiola, imitation, modulation to C major); Q8 aural-only: constructed film-cue excerpt (ostinato, orchestral layering, tonality shift); Q9 arrangement: 'Scarborough Fair' (Dorian) for flute, guitar and cello
• Exam 6 — Q7 score: constructed wind-quintet march in B-flat (horn and clarinet transposition, sequence); Q8 aural-only: constructed reggae excerpt (offbeat skank, bass role, dub effects); Q9 arrangement: 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' as a 5/4 tango for string quartet
• Exam 7 — Q7 score: constructed flute-and-guitar serenade in E minor (binary form, Picardy third); Q8 aural-only: constructed gamelan-influenced piece for tuned percussion (heterophony, pentatonic); Q9 arrangement: 'Londonderry Air' for horn and string orchestra
• Exam 8 — Q7 score: constructed cello-and-piano elegy in F minor (diatonic harmony, interrupted cadence); Q8 aural-only: constructed bluegrass excerpt (banjo roll, fiddle breaks, form of the solos); Q9 arrangement: 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' for vocal quartet
• Exam 9 — Q7 score: constructed string-orchestra pavane in A Dorian (modal harmony, double stops); Q8 aural-only: constructed funk excerpt (slap bass, horn stabs, 16th-note groove); Q9 arrangement: 'Simple Gifts' for concert-band woodwinds
• Exam 10 — Q7 score: constructed saxophone-quartet ballad in D-flat (transposed parts, extended chords); Q8 aural-only: constructed waltz-to-march transformation (meter change, orchestration); Q9 arrangement: 'Auld Lang Syne' for brass band
• Exam 11 — Q7 score: constructed piano-quintet allegretto in G minor (ostinato, alto-clef transcription); Q8 aural-only: constructed Celtic reel set (jig to reel meter change, drone); Q9 arrangement: 'Drunken Sailor' (Dorian) for percussion ensemble and marimba
• Exam 12 — Q7 score: constructed trumpet-and-organ voluntary in D major (ritornello, sequence); Q8 aural-only: constructed ambient electronic piece (loops, FX processing, drones); Q9 arrangement: 'Shenandoah' for horn quartet
• Exam 13 — Q7 score: constructed violin-and-piano barcarolle in B-flat (6/8, climax, passing modulation); Q8 aural-only: constructed K-pop-style track (form, texture, style blend); Q9 arrangement: 'When the Saints Go Marching In' for New Orleans band
• Exam 14 — Q7 score: constructed wind-trio divertimento in F (canon, scale degrees, tenuto/staccato); Q8 aural-only: constructed flamenco-influenced guitar piece (Phrygian, 12-beat compás); Q9 arrangement: 'Morning Has Broken' (Bunessan) for choir and piano
• Exam 15 — Q7 score: constructed clarinet-quartet fugato in E minor (subject, answer, stretto); Q8 aural-only: constructed soul ballad (backing vocals, modulation up a semitone); Q9 arrangement: 'Early One Morning' for string trio
• Exam 16 — Q7 score: constructed string-quartet tango in A minor (habanera rhythm, pizzicato, chord naming); Q8 aural-only: constructed West African-influenced drumming piece (polyrhythm, call and response); Q9 arrangement: 'Lavender's Blue' for flute choir
• Exam 17 — Q7 score: constructed horn-and-piano nocturne in E-flat (horn in F transposition, plagal cadence); Q8 aural-only: constructed chiptune game-music loop (square waves, arpeggios, loop form); Q9 arrangement: 'Sakura' (traditional, Japanese in-scale) for koto-style harp and flute
• Exam 18 — Q7 score: constructed guitar-trio bossa nova in D (extended chords, syncopation); Q8 aural-only: constructed minimalist piece for mallets (phasing, additive process); Q9 arrangement: 'Alouette' for wind quintet in 7/8
• Exam 19 — Q7 score: constructed brass-trio fanfare and chorale in C (ternary, triplets, articulation); Q8 aural-only: constructed heavy-rock excerpt (power chords, drop tuning, half-time feel); Q9 arrangement: 'Hot Cross Buns' developed as a jazz-waltz for piano trio
• Exam 20 — Q7 score: constructed string-quartet passacaglia in C minor (ground bass, variation of texture); Q8 aural-only: constructed hip-hop beat with sampled strings (loops, meter, texture); Q9 arrangement: 'Yankee Doodle' as a Baroque-style canon for recorders