Changes to AS and A level Music specifications

New set works and suggested wider listening pieces

You may be aware that we received a petition this summer from one of our A level students, Jessy McCabe, requesting that we reconsider the representation of female composers on our set works list for AS and A level Music. We felt it was important to respond to this feedback, and since then have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders and our senior examining team to identify new pieces of music for the set works and wider listening lists within these qualifications. These pieces of music have been chosen because they are representative of their areas of study and contain the musical elements as students are required to study.

We are delighted to be able to share the updated list of set works and wider listening with you, which are included in the latest version of our AS and A level Music specifications.

We are committed to creating qualifications that are inclusive and empowering for all students, and as such, we would like to thank Jessy for bringing this to our attention, and for helping us to select some alternative pieces of music.

What does this mean for me?

We do appreciate that centres are currently making decisions about which awarding organisation to choose for AS and A level music qualifications. Please note that this change does not affect any other content within the accredited specifications already published and the assessment structure of these qualifications will not change.

The updated specifications are now on our website and contain the new set works and suggested wider listening pieces. The SAMs have also been updated to reflect the new pieces. Extra assessment materials (for the Appraising component) featuring the new set works will be released in the New Year. A full list of the exact recordings and scores for each piece of music for each set work will also be published on our website in the New Year, to give extra support to teachers and students following these courses.