Is A Level Music Hard?

If you’re passionate about music, you might be curious about studying it for A Level. But is A Level Music hard?

Well, yes. It’s a challenging A Level, but it’s also very rewarding. Here’s all you need to know to help you make your decision.

Psst! Finding an A Level Music tutor is a great way to bring the subject to life and help you reach your full potential.

What is A Level Music?

A Level Music is both a practical and academic course that will encourage you to hone your performance skills as well as teach you about music as a whole.

The course focuses on three key areas:

Performing
Composing
Listening and appraising

In this way, it’s a fantastic platform for you to develop your own craft as a musician.

But you’ll also gain invaluable critical evaluation skills and an in-depth understanding of music in various forms – from music theory to different musical styles and the art form’s diverse heritage.

Is Music A Level hard?

Yes! Music A Level is certainly a challenging subject.

Not only is it extremely technical, but you’ll also need to balance all the different requirements of the course.

You’ll need to practise and hone your craft – whether that’s playing a musical instrument, singing or producing music using music technology.

You’ll need to compose your own music – which requires research and study of existing pieces of music, as well as a technical understanding of how music works.

And you’ll also need to prepare for your end-of-course exam – which means studying a broad range of pieces, sharpening your listening skills and honing your writing skills to analyse seen and unseen pieces of music.

In this way, A Level Music is a time-consuming course that requires a lot of commitment and dedication. But if you have a strong interest in the subject, the necessary skills, and a willingness to work hard, there’s no reason why you can’t succeed.

What grade should you be for A Level Music?

Different schools and colleges will have different entry requirements for A Level Music.

However, as a general rule, you won’t usually need to have completed a GCSE in the subject in order to choose it for A Level. This is because many schools don’t offer Music GCSE.

Instead, you’ll often need to have taken a musical instrument or voice up to at least grade 5 with an exam board such as ABRSM or Trinity College London.

This way, you’ll have a strong grounding in music theory already, and you’ll be a capable performer in either instrumental or vocal music – putting you in a good place to succeed in A Level Music.

Is it hard to get an A in A Level Music?

Yes. Although A Level Music tends to have better-than-average pass rates, it is harder to access the top grades – although not vastly so.

In 2024, 24.2% of Music A Level students got at least a grade A – compared to 27.8% across all subjects (according to FFT Education Datalab).

Meanwhile, just 6.8% achieved an A*, compared to the average of 9.3% across all subjects.

Here’s how grades were distributed in 2024.

	Grade E or above	Grade C or above	Grade A or above	Grade A*
Music	98.1%	76.9%	24.2%	6.8%
All subjects	97.2%	76.4%	27.8%	9.3%

What does the A Level Music syllabus look like?

Each exam board works slightly differently.

So, exactly what your A Level Music syllabus looks like can vary depending on your exam board and your school or college.

Having said that, the pattern of work and assessment will be pretty much the same.

A Level Music topics

Although topics can vary slightly depending on your exam board, A Level Music only covers Western music – as opposed to any music stemming from Eastern traditions.

AQA

Students with the exam board AQA have to study three main areas from a selection of seven – including Western classical tradition 1650-1910.

Western classical tradition 1650–1910 (compulsory)
Pop music
Music for media
Music for theatre
Jazz
Contemporary traditional music
Art music since 1910

Pearson Edexcel

If you’re with the exam board Edexcel, you’ll have to cover six main areas in preparation for your written exam.

Vocal Music
Instrumental Music
Music for Film
Popular Music and Jazz
Fusions
New Directions

OCR

OCR students have to study four key areas, from a choice of six (including areas 1 and 2).

Instrumental music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven (compulsory)
Popular song: blues, jazz, swing and big band (compulsory)
Developments in instrumental jazz, 1910 to the present day
Religious music of the Baroque period
Programme music, 1820—1910
Innovations in music, 1900 to the present day.key areas

A Level Music assessment

There are three main components to A Level Music assessments – which aim to assess four key areas (performing, composing, listening and appraising).

Usually, each of these four areas will be worth roughly the same amount of your overall grade.

1. Performance

You’ll be assessed on your ability to perform music – either playing a musical instrument, singing or via music technology.

Exactly what this looks like will vary from exam board to exam board.

However, you’ll generally be assessed on your technical and expressive control, how ambitious your pieces are, how you interpret written music, and the overall quality of your performance.

This component is assessed through coursework and will generally be recorded.

2. Composition

Composition is another component that’s assessed through coursework.

For most exam boards, this means creating two compositions – one responding to a brief, and the other on a topic of your choice.

As part of this, you’ll need to create an accompanying written score.

Your compositions will generally be assessed on their originality, fluency and consistency – as well as the variety of the musical elements you use and the quality of your accompanying score.

3. Appraising

Last but not least is the written exam, which assesses your listening and appraising skills.

Depending on your exam board, this will be divided into two or three sections.

The first will generally focus on listening.

Meanwhile, the last section will include longer essay-style questions.

The written exam is where your knowledge and understanding of those A Level Music topics will really be put to the test.

You’ll generally need to answer questions about music pieces you’ve studied in class – as well as using your knowledge to answer questions about unfamiliar pieces.

Is music a good A Level?

Yes, music can be a fantastic A Level for the right student.

It’s invaluable for aspiring musicians, as the course provides a fantastic platform to help you explore your creativity and hone your skills.

But regardless of your career aspirations, it’ll also provide you with transferable skills that will stand you in good stead throughout your life.

This includes analytical skills, communication skills, writing skills and the ability to think outside the box.

Plus, don’t forget that music is a rigorous academic subject. So, it’s well regarded by universities and can help to open up doors to a range of further education and career options.

A Level Music revision tips

A Level Music is a challenging course. But with the right approach, there’s no reason why you can’t pass with flying colours.

Here are our top tips for how to ace your Music A Level revision.

1. Know what to expect

First things first, it’s important to know exactly what to expect in your Music A Level assessments.

This way, you can make sure to cover every element in your preparation.

Plus, you can lower your stress knowing that there won’t be any unexpected surprises!

Remember, there’s just one written exam for A Level Music, while the rest will be assessed through coursework.

2. Start revision early

It can be tempting to leave your Music A Level revision until just a few months – or even weeks – before the exam.

Especially because you’ll have the coursework elements to focus on earlier in the course.

But you’ll get the best results if you start early. After all, there’s a lot to learn.

In particular, the listening elements of the exam require a lot of practice as well as knowledge.

Taking 10 minutes to review what you’ve learned after each lesson can help to keep everything at the front of your mind and save you a lot of formal revision time later down the line.

3. Manage your time

Effective time management is key when it comes to succeeding in this course.

Firstly, you’ll need to divide your time fairly between all the different elements of the course – including practising your musical instrument, working on your compositions and revising for the written exam.

Secondly, you’ll need to take the time to create an effective revision timetable that gives a fair weighting to all the different topics you’ll need to learn.

And lastly, time can be tight in the exam room. So, remember to keep your eye on the clock and plan your time so that you’re not rushing towards the end of the exam paper.

4. Ask for help

Although your college or sixth form will prepare you for the A Level Music assessments, nothing beats one-to-one attention.

A Music A Level tutor is an experienced professional who’ll know how to help you fulfil your potential. In fact, many are trained teachers and examiners too!

Whether you need help honing your practical skills, guidance on elements of your composition, or help with your listening skills, a tutor will be able to create a tailored plan that prepares you fully and guides you to the best marks possible.

In fact, 90% of Tutorful students improve by at least one grade!

5. Make the most of Music A Level past papers

A Level Music past papers are an invaluable tool to help you prepare for the written exam.

Not only will they familiarise you with the types of questions you might come across in the real thing.

But when you answer them under timed conditions, they’re also an opportunity to practise managing your time and dealing with exam pressure – which can boost your confidence and reduce exam fear when the big day rolls around.

Just bear in mind that marking your own answers to essay-style questions can be a challenge.

That’s why we’d always recommend getting a teacher or tutor to mark your practice papers for you. This will give you a real understanding of the areas you need to work on most before the real thing.

6. Try out different revision techniques

No two learners are the same.

Instead of relying on the same revision techniques as your friends or siblings, take the time to figure out what works best for you.

A few examples include:

Mind maps
Teaching someone else
Recording your notes and listening to them on the move
Creating flashcards
Sticking post-it notes around your home
Asking someone to test you

It can also be useful to explain content in your own words after memorising it, to make sure you really do understand it and you’re not just reciting it word for word.

Often, learners will learn best using a mixture of several different revision techniques.

7. Explore different A Level Music resources

There are lots of resources available to help you revise for A Level Music.

These include:

Revision guides
YouTube channels
Podcasts
Revision apps
Revision websites

Using resources like these can help to make your revision more engaging.

An A Level Music tutor will also be able to point you towards the best revision resources for your learning style.

8. Immerse yourself in the world of music

When it comes to music, anything extra you can do outside of the classroom could help to improve your performance and understanding of the subject as a whole.

Listen to different genres of music
Practise your instrument
Arrange popular or traditional songs in a different style of music
Join an orchestra or choir
Participate in a school musical
Embrace performance opportunities – such as competitions

The more you immerse yourself in the world of music, the more chance you’ll have to hone your craft, develop your listening skills and gain a thorough understanding of how music works.

9. Don’t panic!

Last but not least, don’t panic.

When it comes to the written exam, work through each section calmly and methodically.

And read each question twice to be absolutely certain you’ve understood it properly. The last thing you need is to make any silly mistakes!

With hard work and the right support, we believe you can achieve anything.

Find a tutor to bring Music A Level to life

Music is a challenging yet rewarding subject.

But with hard work, dedication and perseverance, there’s no reason why you can’t succeed in this course and even access the top grades.

To make sure you can keep up with the demands of A Level Music, why not find an A Level tutor who’ll have your back every step of the way?

Our Music A Level tutors are experts at bringing the subject to life.

They’ll give you one-on-one attention you won’t get at college, helping you to hone your skills and tailoring their plans to suit your strengths, weaknesses and learning style.

In this way, they’ll help you to reach your full potential every time.

FAQs

What is the hardest subject at A Level?

The hardest subject at A Level will depend on your strengths, weaknesses and learning style. After all, no two learners are the same.

Having said that, A Level Further Maths is widely seen to be the hardest A Level as it’s designed to be even harder than A Level Maths.

Curious as to how different subjects compare for difficulty? Check out more of our A Level difficulty guides:

Is grade 8 music equivalent to A Level?

Broadly speaking, yes. Achieving grade 8 in a musical instrument is classed as a level 3 qualification in the UK. That’s the same classification as an A Level!

But just because grade 8 music and A Level Music are classed the same, this doesn’t mean they’re equivalent exactly.

For instance, if you want to go to uni, most will want you to have at least three A Levels under your belt.

Do universities like A Level Music?

Yes. A Level Music tends to be widely respected as an A Level by universities. After all, it’s an academically rigorous subject designed to stretch students and help them develop valuable skills – such as critical thinking, analysis, essay writing and communication skills.

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