GCSE (9-1) Music performing and composing

GCSE (9-1) Music (J536) includes two non-exam assessment (NEA) components – the Integrated portfolio and the Practical component. Both are centre assessed and externally moderated. The third component, Listening and appraising, is assessed by examination.

You can choose to submit the sample work for moderation either by uploading electronic copies to the OCR Repository or by posting the sample to the moderator.

For full assessment requirements, please see the specification.

For the Integrated portfolio and the Practical component, students are assessed through performance and composition.

• Total length of performances (Integrated and Practical combined) must be at least four minutes.
• Total length of compositions (Integrated and Practical combined) must be at least three minutes. 
• Performance recordings must be completed in the academic year of entry.
  
• For audio and video recordings, you can use any format that will play on a standard laptop, for example, MP3, MP4, MPEG, Quicktime or Windows Media File. 
• You can provide scores and briefs as Word or PDF files.

For performances

• Scores are required but do not form part of the assessment. They are for reference only.
• Scores do not have to be full score notation. Any form of score appropriate to the instrument/voice is acceptable, such as a lead sheet, lyrics and chords, PVG (piano/vocal/guitar) transcriptions or tab, as long as it represents what the performance is based on.
• Students can annotate the scores to highlight or justify any differences between the score and the performances.
• Students can source scores from any location, including downloaded versions.

For composition

• Scores are required but do not form part of the assessment. They are for reference only.
• Scores do not have to be full score notation. A lead sheet, tab written account or a screenshot of software are all acceptable. 
• Students can annotate their scores to highlight or justify a compositional decision.
• We have some exemplar composition scores that you can refer to.

The music performed is to be decided by the candidate, following discussion with the teaching staff. It is expected the pieces performed will be commercially published or recorded pieces of music.

Students cannot submit their own compositions as performance pieces for the Integrated portfolio. Students' compositions are accepted for the Practical component, provided a detailed score of the part being performed is provided. However it must not be a piece being submitted for the composition elements of the qualification.

The total length of performance required for the combined components is four minutes. It is therefore possible for the candidate to choose to play several pieces for either or both components. 

Integrated portfolio performance

• Students can perform on any instrument they choose.
• This performance does not have to be solo – it can be an accompanied solo, a duet or a piece for a group in which the student plays a significant part.
• If a student self-accompanies this will increase the difficulty as they are multi-tasking.
• Students can play multiple pieces to make sure the overall minimum time is met. In this case they should be marked as a whole. Multiple pieces do not have to be recorded at the same time.
• Students can play repeats in order to ensure the minimum time is met. If repeats are added, make sure they work musically.
• No written commentary or evaluation is required.

Practical component performance

• The performance must be an ensemble performance in which the learner plays a significant part. See page 28 of the specification for the definition of an ensemble. Two instruments can be considered to constitute an ensemble as long as there is genuine interaction between the two parts, but a simple accompaniment would not.
• Students can play multiple pieces. The piece(s) played for this component must be at least one minute long.
• No written commentary or evaluation is required.

Candidates may choose to present their performance using technology. This may be a sequenced recording where the student programs all parts or a multi-tracked recording in which the student performs at least one part. 

• For the purposes of the specification and in the interests of being inclusive, sequencing and technology are broad terms that encompass a variety of technologies, including step and MIDI input among others. 
• There must be an ‘element of live control’ at the time of the performance being assessed. This could mean the candidate is playing a MIDI instrument and inputting at the time, or could even mean the tracks previously recorded/input are being manipulated at the time in order to realise the performance – starting and stopping the tracks in time for example. It is essential that the candidate is controlling the software, whatever it is, in order to make the performance ‘happen’. 
• For sequenced/technology performances, see the detailed guidance on page 34 of the specification. Refer also to the difficulty pages in the appendix as this gives details of techniques that must be included in the performance.

Candidates are required to compose a piece of music for both components. The total composition time must be at least three minutes across both compositions.

Integrated portfolio composition

Candidates are required to compose a piece of music in response to a brief they have determined themselves.

• The composition doesn’t have to be for the same instrument that the student performs on – but it can be.
• ‘Learner set brief’ simply means the student has free choice for their composition.
• The composition must be submitted in a recorded form, but it is not necessary for students to perform their own composition.
• Students do not have to write a brief for their compositions. They may choose to do this as part of the teaching and learning process (often a useful task) but it will not be marked or submitted for moderation.
• As the score must be submitted with the composition, candidates could include annotations to ensure their intentions are clear.
• An arrangement of an existing melody in place of a composition is not allowed for this specification.
  

Practical component composition

Candidates are required to compose a piece of music in response to a brief set by us. The set briefs will provide a choice of eight stimuli to enable students to select an appropriate area. They will be available to centres on 1 September of the academic year in which the student certificates. See the Assessment section of the qualification page.

• If the selected stimulus is in the form of note patterns, rhythmic phrases, chords, or lyrics, it must appear in its written and complete form at some point during the composition. It doesn’t have to be at the start.
• If the selected stimulus is a story or an image, students are encouraged to annotate the score to make their intentions clear.
• There’s a space on the candidate cover sheet to identify which stimulus has been used.

Candidate marks must be submitted via Interchange or EDI by 15th May. 

If you have 15 candidates or fewer, all candidates’ work must be submitted for moderation. If you have 16 or more, the moderator will request a sample. See Sample requests on the Internal Assessment page.

Digital submission via OCR Repository

You’ll need to log in to the Repository and select the qualification and the component. There will be a folder for each candidate and you can copy files or drag and drop them.

For each component, you must upload the following for each candidate: 

• The performance sound file(s). 
• The composition sound file(s). 
• A candidate cover sheet (available from the Forms section of the GCSE Music page or the Forms finder page). 
• Scores/lead sheets for the performances and compositions.
  

Postal submissions

We'll let you know where to post your work before the submission date.

For each component, you must submit the following:

• One CD containing all recordings, in candidate order. Make sure this is in a format that can be played on any device (CD player, laptop etc).
• A separate track list for the CD.
• A candidate cover sheet for each candidate (available from the Forms section of the GCSE Music page or the forms finder page).
• Scores/lead sheets for the performances and compositions.