100+ Free Wales GCSE Music Practice Questions
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Key Facts: Wales GCSE Music Exam
32.5% / 32.5% / 35%
Performing + Composing + Appraising weightings
WJEC GCSE Music specification (teaching from 2025)
1h 30m
Unit 3 Appraising digital exam duration
WJEC specification summary of assessment
84
Unit 3 Appraising marks
WJEC specification
A*–G
Wales GCSE grading scale
Qualifications Wales Made-for-Wales GCSE policy
£46.80
2026/27 full single-award centre entry fee
WJEC Entry Fees 2026/27
3630QS
English-medium qualification reference code
WJEC subject page
Sept 2025
First teaching (Wave 1)
WJEC / Qualifications Wales
Summer 2027
First full award series
WJEC specification / FAQs
WJEC Made-for-Wales GCSE Music (qual 3630QS): Performing 32.5% + Composing 32.5% + Appraising digital exam 35% (1h 30m, 84 marks). Graded A*–G. Centre entry fee £46.80 (2026/27). First teaching Sept 2025; first award 2027. Free practice here is an MCQ study adaptation — not a substitute for performance or composition.
Sample Wales GCSE Music Practice Questions
Try these sample questions to test your Wales GCSE Music exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.
1Which list correctly names the musical elements emphasised across all units of Made-for-Wales GCSE Music?
2What does the Italian term piano (p) instruct a performer to do?
3A gradual increase in volume over several bars is best described as:
4Which texture term best describes a single unaccompanied melodic line?
5In Western tonal harmony, which cadence typically ends V–I (or V–i) with a strong sense of closure?
6How many sharps are in the key signature of G major?
7A time signature of 3/4 most commonly indicates:
8Which term describes the quality of sound that helps you tell a flute from a clarinet playing the same pitch?
9Staccato articulation is best described as:
10What is the interval from C up to E in a major scale (C–D–E)?
About the Wales GCSE Music Exam
Made-for-Wales GCSE Music is the WJEC qualification designed for the Curriculum for Wales Expressive Arts (first teaching September 2025, Wave 1). It is regulated by Qualifications Wales and is not available to centres in England. Assessment is linear: Unit 1 Performing NEA (32.5%), Unit 2 Composing NEA with reflective log (32.5%), and Unit 3 Appraising digital exam (35%). Centres choose one List A and one List B set work for appraising. Grades use the Wales A*–G scale. Assessments are available in English and Welsh. DISCLOSURE: Official assessment centres on performance, composition and listening/appraising — this free bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation for knowledge and decision-making, not a substitute for NEA performance or composition, and not a past-paper clone.
Assessment
Linear, untiered single-award GCSE. Unit 1 Performing NEA 32.5% (78 marks; 4–6 minutes, min. two pieces); Unit 2 Composing NEA 32.5% (78 marks; two compositions plus reflective log); Unit 3 Appraising digital exam 35% (84 marks; 1h 30m). Qual code 3630QS (English) / 3630CS (Welsh). First teaching September 2025; first award summer 2027.
Time Limit
Unit 3: 1 hour 30 minutes; Unit 1 total performance 4–6 minutes; Unit 2 compositions recommended total 3–6 minutes
Passing Score
A*–G overall grade (Wales GCSE scale)
Exam Fee
£46.80 centre entry fee for the full single-award Made-for-Wales GCSE (WJEC 2026/27 fees). Paid by the school/centre — learners do not typically pay a separate public exam fee. (WJEC (regulated by Qualifications Wales))
Wales GCSE Music Exam Content Outline
Unit 1: Performing
Perform a minimum of two pieces (up to four) totalling 4–6 minutes as solo and/or independent ensemble parts; any instrument, voice or technology; approximate Grade 3 difficulty standard; centre-marked and WJEC-moderated
Unit 2: Composing
Compose two original pieces (one own devised brief, one WJEC-set brief), recommended total duration 3–6 minutes; submit a reflective log on one composition process (assessed out of 6 marks / 2.5% of the qualification within the unit weighting)
Unit 3: Appraising
Digital exam (1h 30m, 84 marks) with objective, short and extended answers on one List A set work, one List B set work, and unseen extracts, applying musical elements and contextual understanding
Musical elements and devices
Dynamics; form and structure; harmony; melody and pitch; performance techniques/articulation; sonority/timbre; tempo, rhythm and metre; texture; tonality — applied across performing, composing and appraising
Set works (List A + List B)
List A includes Vivaldi Concerto for Two Trumpets in C (1st movement), Jenkins Palladio (allegretto), Wiseman Elizabeth Remembered. List B includes Hwyl Ti Gymru (Fleur De Lys), Tale of Two Dragons (Calan), One Day Like This (Elbow), Burn from Hamilton (Miranda), I Don’t Wanna Know (Mared), Sir Duke (Stevie Wonder). Centres pick one from each list.
How to Pass the Wales GCSE Music Exam
What You Need to Know
- Passing score: A*–G overall grade (Wales GCSE scale)
- Assessment: Linear, untiered single-award GCSE. Unit 1 Performing NEA 32.5% (78 marks; 4–6 minutes, min. two pieces); Unit 2 Composing NEA 32.5% (78 marks; two compositions plus reflective log); Unit 3 Appraising digital exam 35% (84 marks; 1h 30m). Qual code 3630QS (English) / 3630CS (Welsh). First teaching September 2025; first award summer 2027.
- Time limit: Unit 3: 1 hour 30 minutes; Unit 1 total performance 4–6 minutes; Unit 2 compositions recommended total 3–6 minutes
- Exam fee: £46.80 centre entry fee for the full single-award Made-for-Wales GCSE (WJEC 2026/27 fees). Paid by the school/centre — learners do not typically pay a separate public exam fee.
Keys to Passing
- Complete 500+ practice questions
- Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
- Focus on highest-weighted sections
- Use our AI tutor for tough concepts
Wales GCSE Music Study Tips from Top Performers
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Made-for-Wales GCSE Music the same as England GCSE Music?
No. This is a WJEC qualification regulated by Qualifications Wales for centres in Wales (not available to centres in England). It uses the A*–G grade scale, Made-for-Wales set works, and a three-unit structure with digital appraising. England GCSEs use boards such as AQA, Edexcel, OCR or Eduqas and the 9–1 scale.
How is Made-for-Wales GCSE Music assessed?
Unit 1 Performing is NEA (32.5%, 78 marks): at least two pieces totalling 4–6 minutes. Unit 2 Composing is NEA (32.5%, 78 marks): two compositions plus a reflective log. Unit 3 Appraising is a digital examination lasting 1 hour 30 minutes (35%, 84 marks) on set works and unseen extracts. The qualification is linear and not tiered.
Does this free practice test replace performing and composing?
No. Units 1 and 2 are practical non-examination assessments marked on real performances and original compositions. This bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation to build elements knowledge, analysis language and composition decision-making — use it alongside rehearsal, composing, SAMs and set-work study. It does not substitute for NEA performance or composition.
What are the Made-for-Wales GCSE Music set works?
Centres select one work from List A (Vivaldi Concerto for Two Trumpets in C first movement; Jenkins Palladio allegretto; Wiseman Elizabeth Remembered) and one from List B (Hwyl Ti Gymru — Fleur De Lys; Tale of Two Dragons — Calan; One Day Like This — Elbow; Burn from Hamilton — Lin-Manuel Miranda; I Don’t Wanna Know — Mared; Sir Duke — Stevie Wonder).
How much does the exam cost?
WJEC’s 2026/27 centre entry fee for a full single-award Made-for-Wales GCSE (including Music) is £46.80. This is paid by the school or centre. Learners in typical school provision do not pay a separate public candidate fee for entry.
What languages is the qualification available in?
Assessments are available in English and Welsh (Cymraeg). English medium entry code is 3630QS; Welsh medium is 3630CS.
When was first teaching and when is the first award?
First teaching is September 2025 (Wave 1 Made-for-Wales). The full qualification is first awarded in summer 2027, when Unit 3 examinations begin annually.
What musical elements must learners know?
The specification requires study of dynamics; form and structure; harmony; melody and pitch; performance techniques/articulation; sonority/timbre; tempo, rhythm and metre; texture; and tonality. Learners must also know the terminology in Appendix B of the specification and any additional terms for their chosen set works.