REVISE FOR YOUR EXAM · GCE Music · teaching from 2016
CCEA A Level Music Revision
Prepare for the aural and written parts of Responding to Music. The A2 written examination includes set-work score analysis, an unfamiliar score and extended writing on vocal music.
Pick a short revision course
Start in Practice, or ask your teacher to set the sequence as homework. Each activity gives feedback; a completed course has one final result code. No account needed.
Listening and dictation
Four short activities: Note Name Checker, Melody Dictation, Interval Trainer, Rhythm Dictation.
- Note Name Checker · Treble & bass · ledger lines
- Melody Dictation · Advanced
- Interval Trainer · Descending intervals
- Rhythm Dictation · Dotted rhythms
Harmony and analysis
Four short activities: Advanced Harmony, Advanced Harmony, Chord Challenge, Cadence Trainer.
- Advanced Harmony · Inversions & cadences
- Advanced Harmony · Sevenths & suspensions
- Chord Challenge · Add half diminished
- Cadence Trainer · All four in major and minor keys
Work on the skill that needs attention
These are suggested practice matches to your specification, not official exam questions. Start below the suggested level if you need to build confidence.
Advanced Harmony →
Use short notation and theory questions to practise Roman numerals, inversions, suspensions and chromatic chords.
Suggested starting point: Sevenths & suspensions. Adjust if you need an easier step.Note Name Checker →
Read notes in treble or bass clef, or place a named note on the stave. Add ledger lines only when needed.
Suggested starting point: Treble & bass · ledger lines. Adjust if you need an easier step.Melody Dictation →
Hear a short phrase and place its missing pitches. Use the key signature and the given notes as your anchors.
Suggested starting point: Advanced. Adjust if you need an easier step.Interval Trainer →
Work out the distance between notes by ear. Start melodically before trying harmonic intervals.
Suggested starting point: Descending intervals. Adjust if you need an easier step.Chord Challenge →
Recognise chord qualities by ear. Move from triads to sevenths, then extended chords when relevant.
Suggested starting point: Add half diminished. Adjust if you need an easier step.Cadence Trainer →
Hear a lead-up and identify the phrase ending. Add plagal and interrupted cadences when ready.
Suggested starting point: All four in major and minor keys. Adjust if you need an easier step.Musical Elements Word Match →
Match terms and definitions. Choose an element and edit the word list to target what you need.
Suggested starting point: Choose GCSE or A Level terms and your element. Adjust if you need an easier step.
How this helps with AS 3 and A2 3: Responding to Music
Read the clef, key signature and bass line before analysing a chord. Use short exercises to make that process quicker, then practise explaining the same detail in a full score.
Your areas of study
- AS: responding through listening and written study
- A2: Music for Orchestra in the Twentieth Century
- A2: Sacred Vocal Music (Mass/Requiem Mass)
- A2: Secular Vocal Music 1600 to the Present Day
Try this way of thinking
A seventh above the root changes a triad into a seventh chord. Check its quality and inversion, then explain how the chord functions in the passage instead of stopping at its label.
Finish with your board’s music
Revise both the AS and A2 content needed for your entry, including the specified orchestral and vocal works. These courses do not assess historical context, full-score analysis or extended writing.
The courses above mark short skill exercises. They do not mark exam essays, assess performance or replace your composition coursework. For creative practice, try Composition Challenge separately from assessed coursework.
Your next 15 minutes
- Choose one skill and complete a short round.
- Read the feedback, then repeat the part you missed.
- Open a class extract or an official paper and apply the skill in context. Explain your answer with musical evidence.
Official specification and papers
CCEA A Level specification → · Official assessment resources and papers →
Some listening recordings and recent papers are available only through your school. Check the examination year and your teacher’s selected works or options.
Independent practice mapping checked 26 October 2026. MusicClassLab is not affiliated with or endorsed by any examination board.