School of Music FACULTY OF PERFORMANCE, VISUAL ARTS AND COMMUNICATIONS  

   

         

Criteria  for  Assessment  

of  Coursework    

An  appendix  to  the  School  of  Music  Code  of  Practice  on  Examinations  and  

Assessment    

Effective  from  2013-­‐14      

   

 

 

Contents  

1   GENERAL  PRINCIPLES  .........................................................................................................  1  1.1   Introduction  .....................................................................................................................  1  1.2   Submission  types,  expectations  and  levels  ......................................................................  1  1.3   Criteria  for  assessment  in  the  various  submission  types  .................................................  2  

2   WRITTEN  WORK  ..............................................................................................................  4  2.1   Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  .......................................  4  2.2   Grade  band  descriptors  ...................................................................................................  5  

3   PRESENTATIONS  ..............................................................................................................  9  3.1   Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  .......................................  9  3.2   Grade  band  descriptors  .................................................................................................  10  

4   MUSIC  TECHNOLOGY  .......................................................................................................  14  4.1   Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  .....................................  14  4.2   Grade  band  descriptors  .................................................................................................  15  

5   COMPOSITION  ................................................................................................................  19  5.1   Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  .....................................  19  5.2   Grade  band  descriptors  .................................................................................................  20  

6   PERFORMANCE  ...............................................................................................................  25  6.1   Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  .....................................  25  6.2   Grade  band  descriptors  .................................................................................................  26  

7   EDITING  ........................................................................................................................  30  7.1   Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  .....................................  30  7.2   Grade  band  descriptors  .................................................................................................  31  

8   ANALYSIS  ......................................................................................................................  34  8.1   Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  .....................................  34  8.2   Grade  band  descriptors  .................................................................................................  35  

9   APPLIED  PROJECT  ............................................................................................................  40  9.1   Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  .....................................  40  9.2   Grade  band  descriptors  .................................................................................................  40  

10   MARKS  AND  CLASSIFICATIONS  ..........................................................................................  41  10.1   The  20-­‐90  marking  scale  ..............................................................................................  41  10.2   Final  aggregated  module  marks  ..................................................................................  42  10.3   Degree  classification  ....................................................................................................  42              

   

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1 General  principles    1.1 Introduction  Assessing  the  quality  of  a  piece  of  work  and  converting  that  assessment  into  a  quantitative  statement  (a  number!)  is  a  complex  process.    Examiners,  who  have  many  years  of  accumulated  experience,  have  to  take  a  number  of  elements  into  consideration  and,  unlike  at  ‘A’  level,  universities  do  not  work  on  a  prescriptive  system  of  mark  accumulation  (i.e.  if  you  make  a  specific  point  you  get  a  mark,  and  so  on,  leading  to  a  grand  total).        In  schools  this  system  is  adopted  in  order  to  ensure  that  a  piece  of  work  could  be  submitted  in  any  school  and  marked  by  any  assessor  and  get  the  same  mark,  thus  achieving  a  fair  assessment  across  thousands  of  schools  and  tens  of  thousands  of  students  following  a  common  syllabus.    In  Higher  Education,  however,  every  institution  formulates  its  own  syllabus  and  scheme  of  assessment,  each  dealing  with  a  far  smaller  number  of  students.    Consequently,  the  ‘mark  accumulation’  method  employed  in  schools  is  inappropriate  and  not  used  when  work  is  assessed  on  a  qualitative  basis  (in  some  subjects,  such  as  Maths,  quantitative  assessment  can  apply  to  work  where  answers  are  either  right  or  wrong).    The  nature  of  the  assignments  you  are  set  will  change  too,  meaning  that  different  assessment  methods  have  to  be  used.    Consistency  between  examiners  is  maintained  via  several  ‘quality  control’  mechanisms,  including  an  elaborate  system  of  moderation  and  double-­‐marking  (or  even  triple-­‐marking  in  the  case  of  some  solo  performances),  details  of  which  can  be  found  in  the  School  of  Music’s  Code  of  Practice  on  Exams  and  Assessment  (COPA).  Consistency  between  institutions  is  ensured  by  a  number  of  checks  and  balances,  including  staff  changing  jobs  and  moving  from  one  place  to  another,  and,  most  importantly,  the  employment  of  External  Examiners,  members  of  senior  academic  staff  from  other  institutions.    When  assessing  a  piece  of  work,  therefore,  the  examiner  uses  his/her  accumulated  experience  and  knowledge  to  come  to  a  balanced  judgement  of  the  quality  of  the  work  submitted.    This  means  taking  a  number  of  elements  into  consideration  including:    • The  year  of  study  (referred  to  as  the  ‘level’);  • The  factors  a  piece  of  work  may  be  expected  to  exhibit  according  to  the  task  set  and  their  

presence,  absence,  and  quality;  • The  overall  achievement,  i.e.  the  balance  of  the  different  factors  and  their  level  of  attainment  

relative  to  each  other.    The  examiner  then  converts  this  qualitative  assessment  into  a  quantitative  one,  i.e.  a  number.    1.2 Submission  types,  expectations  and  levels  Assessment  within  the  School  of  Music  is  divided  into  a  number  of  submission  types  (formal  written  work;  composition;  performance;  music  technology;  analysis;  presentations;  technical  work  such  editing  or  orchestration;  written  reports,  usually  of  a  self-­‐evaluative  nature).    By  and  large  these  submission  types  are  self-­‐explanatory  but  they  often  include  common  factors,  overlaps,  and  subdivisions,  depending  on  the  nature  of  the  work;  for  example,  written  work  might  include  both  history  and  analysis,  while  a  subject  like  Historical  Performing  Practice  requires  an  interaction  between  musicology  and  performance.    Similarly  Composition  usually  involves  an  

   

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element  of  written  work  in  the  form  of  a  commentary.  Clearly  the  factors  taken  into  consideration  change  from  one  submission  type  to  another,  but  within  a  submission  type  they  may  vary  too:  for  example,  the  factors  one  takes  into  consideration  in  solo  performance  vary  from  study  to  study  and  whilst  some  are  (almost)  always  present  (e.g.  accuracy—though  not  necessarily  in  passages  of  improvisation),  some  are  instrument-­‐  or  study-­‐specific  (e.g.  intonation  does  not  apply  to  pianists),  or  vary  in  proportion  (e.g.  far  more  stage  presence  and  visual  communication  is  expected  from  a  singer  than  from  an  organist).      Compositions  and  essays  vary  in  the  same  way  according  to  the  task  set  and  also  depending  upon  the  way  the  student  has  elected  to  approach  an  assessment.        This  latter  point  is  very  important:  at  ‘A’  level  assignments  tend  to  be  very  prescriptive  and  clear  in  what  they  expect  you  to  do.    In  Higher  Education  you  are  expected  to  make  a  judgement  yourself  as  to  what  a  task  requires  when  the  ‘question’  set  is  much  more  open-­‐ended  and  may  allow  you  to  choose  from  a  number  of  different  approaches  which  are  not  specified;  part  of  the  assessment  is  then  a  judgement  on  the  appropriateness  and  success  of  the  approach  you  have  chosen.    Consequently,  giving  a  comprehensive  list  of  all  the  contributory  factors  taken  into  consideration  for  each  piece  of  assessed  work  is  almost  impossible.    Furthermore,  each  factor  is  not  assigned  a  fixed  proportion  of  the  marks  available:  the  examiner  makes  a  balanced  judgement  according  to  the  nature  of  the  task  set  and  the  work  presented.        A  number  of  over-­‐arching  principles  can,  however,  be  put  forward:  1. Assessment  for  each  sub-­‐discipline  is  broken  down  into  a  number  of  criteria  categories,  

which  in  turn  consist  of  a  number  of  contributory  factors.  An  examiner  will  take  all  of  these  into  consideration  in  all  pieces  of  work  unless  they  are  absolutely  non-­‐applicable  (e.g.  breath  control  for  string  players).  

2. Competency  in  these  contributory  factors  is  expected  to  develop  and  mature  through  the  duration  of  the  degree.  

3. An  equal  number  of  marks  is  not  always  allocated  to  each  factor  for  the  reasons  given  above;  additionally,  consistently  poor  performance  in  one  particular  factor  or  category  of  factors  may  lead,  in  the  examiner’s  judgement,  to  an  increasing  importance  being  assigned  to  it,  e.g.  persistently  bad  intonation  has  a  cumulative  effect  which  detracts  from  the  strengths  of  a  performance;  consistently  bad  punctuation  might  bring  down  an  otherwise  commendable  essay.    In  extreme  cases  a  piece  of  work  may  become  ‘fatally  flawed’  which  is  to  say  that  performance  in  one  factor  is  so  poor  that  the  strengths  shown  in  others  are  almost  entirely  undermined.  

4. As  you  progress  through  your  programme  of  study  you  are  expected  not  only  to  develop  new  skills,  but  also  to  consolidate  existing  ones.    Therefore,  examiners  expect,  at  higher  levels,  a  more  consistent  performance  across  all  assessed  factors  and  are  more  likely  to  penalise  relatively  minor  infringements  that  might  have  been  more  tolerated  earlier  on.    In  other  words,  you  are  expected,  over  the  duration  of  the  degree,  not  only  to  build  on  your  strengths,  but  also  to  address,  reduce,  and  preferably  eliminate  your  weaknesses,  rather  than  hiding  them.  

 1.3 Criteria  for  assessment  in  the  various  submission  types  A  consistent  difficulty  faced  by  students  is  understanding  levels  of  qualitative  assessment;  put  simply  ‘how  good  is  good?’    Words  such  as  ‘good’  and  ‘average’  are  used  freely  in  everyday  conversation  and  in  assessment  feedback,  but  do  not  in  themselves  tell  you  much  about  how  work  can  be  improved  or  how  much  you  have  achieved;  while  ‘good’  may  produce  a  feeling  of  

   

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satisfaction  and  not  much  concern,  ‘poor’  may  be  rather  more  worrying.    For  academic  staff,  of  course,  with  many  years’  experience  of  marking,  this  is  not  an  issue:  if  you  have  examined  several  hundred  final  recitals,  for  example,  it  is  fairly  easy  to  work  out  how  good  a  performance  is  and  how  that  translates  into  a  numerical  mark,  as  you  draw  on  accumulated  knowledge.    For  students,  however,  who  (hopefully!)  aspire  to  getting  the  best  classification  of  degree  that  they  can,  but  do  not  have  the  accumulated  experience  of  examiners,  having  a  sense  of  what  you  have  achieved  in  any  piece  of  work,  and  how  ‘good’  it  is,  is  a  rather  harder  task.    The  following  assessment  criteria  and  grade  descriptor  tables  attempt  to  set  out,  with  as  little  reference  as  possible  to  relative  terms  such  as  ‘average’,  how  the  quality  of  each  category  of  factors  for  each  submission  type  translates  into  a  10-­‐mark  grade  band;  in  other  words  to  state  in  fairly  absolute  terms  what  achievement  is  required  in  ‘structure  and  planning’  to  achieve  60-­‐69  (2:1  standard),  or  what  level  of  ‘expression,  interpretation’  one  would  expect  in  a  performance  awarded  50-­‐59.    Do  not  forget  that  pieces  of  assessed  work  usually  show  different  levels  of  achievement  in  relation  to  different  factors.  And,  as  stated  above,  you  are  expected  to  consolidate  your  skills  over  the  duration  of  the  degree,  so  at  Level  1  the  factors  may  be  more  widely  dispersed  in  terms  of  their  qualitative  assessment,  and  at  Level  3  are  expected  to  be  less  so.  

   

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2 Written  Work    2.1 Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  The  following  categories  and  factors  are  the  elements  that  we  typically  expect  to  be  present  in  a  written  assignment,  acknowledging,  however,  that  not  all  elements  will  be  appropriate  to  all  written  assignments.  Grade  band  descriptors  are  provided  later  in  this  document;  what  follows  is  simply  a  list  of  constituent  elements.    

1. Evidence  and  use  of  sources  This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  • Breadth  and  depth  of  research  into  the  subject    • Identification  of  primary  and  secondary  sources    • Contextualisation  of  evidence    • Ability  to  combine  evidence  from  multiple  sources  • Ability  to  understand  and  engage  with  complex  evidence  • Integration  of  sources  into  discussion  • Acknowledgement  of  sources  

 2. Structure  and  planning  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  • Evidence  of  careful  organisation  of  material  and  preparation  of  approach  • Structural  coherence  • Appropriate  use  of  paragraphs,  chapters,  etc  • Clear,  logical  thesis  sentence/statement  and  conclusion  

 3. Content  and  ideas  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  • Clarity  of  expression  • Sophistication  of  ideas  • Understanding  of  broader  contexts  (musical,  cultural,  historical,  etc)  • Evidence  of  critical  (ie  considered  and  reasoned)  thought  and  critical  engagement  with  

ideas  • Analysis  (musical,  critical,  contextual,  etc)  • Ability  to  understand  and  engage  with  complex  arguments    • Ability  to  find  conclusions  and  /  or  summarise  multiple  threads  of  an  argument  • Relevance  to  question/title  • Independent  thinking  • Selection,  appropriateness  and  provision  of  examples  (music  or  otherwise)  

 4. Presentation    

This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  • Correct  length  • Prose  style  • Spelling,  grammar,  punctuation  • Paragraph  formatting;  detailed  formatting  (italicization,  page  numbering,  etc)  • Presentation  and  captioning  of  music  examples,  tables,  figures,  etc  where  appropriate  

   

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• Presentation  of  references  and  bibliography  using  recognised  systems  (such  as  MHRA  or  APA)    

2.2 Grade  band  descriptors  80-­‐90   Evidence  and  use  of  sources  

Evidence  is  exhaustive  and  from  a  broad  range  of  sources  that  extends  significantly  beyond  the  list  of  sources  provided  and  encompasses  unusual  or  original  items.  Primary  sources  are  independently  located  and  augment  the  scope  of  research.  Sources  are  understood  thoroughly,  and  are  used  to  provide  compelling  evidence  for  all  central  arguments.  Evidence  is  integrated  coherently  and  seamlessly,  with  an  exceptional  level  of  critical  engagement.  Sources  are  acknowledged  accurately,  with  comprehensive  details  provided  for  each  citation.    Structure  and  planning  There  is  evidence  of  meticulous  preparation  and  organisation  of  material.  The  work  is  structured  in  a  coherent  way  that  always  enhances  the  arguments  and  engages  the  reader  throughout.  Content  and  ideas  Arguments  are  informed,  logical,  comprehensive  and  appropriately  contextualised  throughout  without  omissions.  Many  unusual  or  original  perspectives  of  the  subject  are  revealed.  Aspects  of  complex  arguments  are  balanced  and  combined  with  exceptional  skill.  There  is  an  unusual  level  of  critical  thought  and  independent  thinking  that  challenges  accepted  opinion.  Original  conclusions  develop  logically  from  the  arguments.  All  material  is  relevant,  nothing  could  be  omitted  without  detriment  to  the  overall  argument.  Analysis  is  wholly  accurate,  and  is  original  or  overturns  accepted  thinking.  Relevant  and  informative  examples  (musical  or  otherwise)  are  gleaned  from  independent  research  and  analysis.  Concepts,  arguments  and  conclusions  are  expressed  clearly  without  exception.  Presentation  The  work  is  of  the  correct  length.  Prose  style  is  consistently  fluent  and  engaging,  of  near-­‐publishable  quality.  Spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation  are  correct  throughout,  and  the  quality  of  expression  enhances  the  argument.  Paragraphs  are  correctly  formatted,  and  detailed  formatting  is  flawless.  Examples,  tables,  figures,  etc  (where  appropriate)  and  their  captioning  are  wholly  accurate.  Referencing  and  bibliography  are  presented  consistently  using  recognised  systems,  without  error.  Overall  visual  layout  is  close  to  publishable  in  standard,  and  any  accompanying  materials  within  the  submission  (discs,  etc,  as  appropriate)  are  presented  attractively,  labelled  clearly  and  are  fully  functional.  

70-­‐79   Evidence  and  use  of  sources  Evidence  is  comprehensive  and  from  a  broad  range  of  sources  that  extends  beyond  the  list  of  sources  provided.  Primary  sources  augment  the  scope  of  research.  Sources  are  understood  well,  and  are  used  to  provide  compelling  evidence  for  most  central  arguments.  Evidence  is  integrated  coherently,  with  a  high  level  of  critical  engagement.  Sources  are  acknowledged  accurately,  with  full  details  provided  for  each  citation.    Structure  and  planning  There  is  evidence  of  careful  preparation  and  organisation  of  material.  The  work  is  structured  in  a  coherent  way  that  enhances  the  arguments  and  engages  the  reader.    Content  and  ideas  Arguments  are  informed,  logical,  comprehensive  and  nearly  always  appropriately  contextualised  without  significant  omissions.  Original  or  insightful  perspectives  of  the  subject  are  revealed.  Aspects  of  complex  arguments  are  balanced  and  combined  with  skill.  There  is  a  high  level  of  critical  thought  and    independent  thinking  that  may  challenge  accepted  opinion.  Conclusions  develop  logically  from  the  arguments.  All  material  is  relevant.  Analysis  does  not  contain  significant  inaccuracies,  and  may  be  original  or  overturn  accepted  thinking.  Relevant  and  informative  examples  (musical  or  otherwise)  are  mostly  gleaned  from  independent  research  and  analysis.  The  main  concepts,  arguments  and  conclusions  are  expressed  clearly.  Presentation  The  work  is  of  the  correct  length.  Prose  style  is  consistently  fluent  and  engaging.  Spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation  are  without  significant  or  frequent  errors,  and  the  quality  of  expression  helps  to  enhance  the  argument.  Paragraphs  are  correctly  formatted,  and  detailed  formatting  is  nearly  flawless.  Examples,  tables,  figures,  etc  (where  appropriate)  and  their  captioning  are  presented  without  significant  errors.  Referencing  and  bibliography  are  presented  consistently  and  using  recognised  systems,  with  very  few  errors.  Overall  visual  layout  is  impressive  and  any  accompanying  materials  within  the  submission  (discs,  etc,  as  appropriate)  are  presented  with  clear  labelling  and  are  fully  functional.    

60-­‐69   Evidence  and  use  of  sources  

   

6    

                 60-­‐69  (cont)  

Evidence  is  taken  from  a  broad  range  of  sources  that  is  likely  to  extend  beyond  the  list  of  sources  provided.  Primary  sources  augment  the  scope  of  research  to  some  extent.  Sources  are  understood  in  most  cases,  and  are  used  to  provide  evidence  for  central  arguments.  Evidence  is  integrated  coherently,  with  some  critical  engagement.  Sources  are  acknowledged  accurately,  with  adequate  details  provided  for  each  citation.    Structure  and  planning  Material  has  been  prepared  and  organised  with  care.  The  work  is  structured  in  a  coherent  way  that  may  enhance  arguments  or  engage  the  reader.    Content  and  ideas  Arguments  are  likely  to  be  informed  and  logical,  with  some  attempt  at  appropriate  contextualisation  with  minor  omissions.  Some  original  perspectives  on  the  subject  may  be  explored.  Aspects  of  complex  arguments  are  present,  although  they  may  not  always  be  fully  balanced  or  combined  with  particular  sophistication.  Critical  thought  and  independent  thinking  is  present  within  the  work,  although  ideas  may  lack  a  significant  level  of  originality.  Conclusions  develop  logically  from  the  arguments.  Most  material  is  relevant.  Analysis  does  not  contain  significant  inaccuracies,  but  is  unlikely  to  be  original  or  overturn  accepted  thinking.  Relevant  and  informative  examples  (musical  or  otherwise)  may  be  gleaned  in  part  from  independent  research  and  analysis.    Presentation  The  work  is  of  the  correct  length.  Prose  style  is  largely  fluent  and  engaging.  Spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation  are  without  significant  or  frequent  errors,  and  the  quality  of  expression  may  occasionally  enhance  arguments.  Paragraphs  are  correctly  formatted,  and  detailed  formatting  is  satisfactory.  Examples,  tables,  figures,  etc  (where  appropriate)  and  their  captioning  are  mostly  accurate.  Referencing  and  bibliography  are  presented  using  recognised  systems  and  without  significant  error.  Any  accompanying  materials  within  the  submission  (discs,  etc,  as  appropriate)  are  adequately  labelled  and  function  well.  

50-­‐59   Evidence  and  use  of  sources  Evidence  is  taken  from  a  range  of  sources  that  may  not  extend  far  beyond  the  list  of  sources  provided.  Primary  sources  are  unlikely  to  inform  the  study  to  any  significant  extent.  Sources  are  understood  in  many  cases,  and  provide  evidence  for  most  central  arguments.  Evidence  is  integrated  coherently,  but  with  little  or  no  critical  engagement.  Sources  are  acknowledged  accurately  in  most  cases,  with  some  attempt  to  provide  details  for  each  citation.    Structure  and  planning  Some  attempt  has  been  made  to  prepare  and  organise  material.  The  work  is  mostly  structured  in  a  coherent  way,  though  this  neither  enhance  arguments,  nor  particularly  engages  the  reader.    Content  and  ideas  Arguments  may  lack  depth,  complexity  and  originality,  but  are  likely  to  be  logical  with  some  attempt  at  appropriate  contextualisation    in  most  cases.  There  are  few  complex  arguments,  and  they  are  rarely  balanced  and  combined  with  skill.  Critical  thought  and  independent  thinking  may  be  lacking  in  the  work.    Conclusions  mostly  develop  logically  from  the  arguments.  Much  material  is  relevant,  but  there  may  be  some  irrelevancies.  Analysis  may  contain  minor  inaccuracies  and  is  not  original,  nor  does  it  overturn  accepted  thinking.  Relevant  and  informative  examples  (musical  or  otherwise)  are  provided,  but  not  sourced  from  independent  research  and  analysis.    Presentation  The  work  is  of  the  correct  length.  Prose  style  may  occasionally  laboured  or  lack  polish.  Spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation  are  largely  correct,  but  the  quality  of  expression  may  not  always  help  to  enhance  arguments.  Paragraph  formatting  is  mostly  correct,  and  detailed  formatting    is  mostly  satisfactory.  Examples,  tables,  figures,  etc  (where  appropriate)  and  their  captioning  are  without  significant  errors.  Referencing  and  bibliography  are  presented  with  some  attempt  to  use  recognised  systems  and  avoid  errors  that  confuse  or  obscure  materials.  Any  accompanying  materials  within  the  submission  (discs,  etc,  as  appropriate)  are  labelled  and  function  well,  but  there  may  be  some  errors  or  lack  of  clarity.  

40-­‐49                    

Evidence  and  use  of  sources  Evidence  is  taken  from  a  fairly  narrow  range  of  sources  that  does  not  extend  beyond  the  list  of  sources  provided.  Primary  sources  are  unlikely  to  inform  the  study.  Sources  are  understood  in  some  cases,  but  may  not  be  used  effectively  to  provide  evidence  for  central  arguments.  Some  attempt  is  made  to  integrate  evidence,  but  with  little  or  no  critical  engagement.  Sources  are  acknowledged,  but  there  may  be  many  inconsistencies  or  inaccuracies  in  providing  details  for  each  citation.  Structure  and  planning  Some  attempt  has  been  made  to  prepared  and  organise  material.  Coherent  structure  is  not  always  evident,  and  may  detract  from  the  arguments  or  make  reading  difficult  if  manageable.    

   

7    

                         40-­‐49  (cont)  

Content  and  ideas  Arguments  generally  lack  depth,  complexity,  originality,  and  whilst  logical  in  most  cases,  may  lack  contextualisation.  Complex  arguments  are  not  addressed,  or  else  poorly  balanced  and  combined.  Critical  thought  and  independent  thinking  will  be  mostly  lacking  in  the  work.  Some  conclusions  develop  from  the  arguments,  but  not  always  logically.  There  may  be  many  irrelevances  in  the  text.  Analysis  may  contain  significant  inaccuracies  and  is  not  original,  nor  does  it  even  attempt  to  overturn  accepted  thinking.  Relevant  and  informative  examples  (musical  or  otherwise)  are  limited  in  scope  or  relevance,  and  are  gleaned  from  secondary  sources.          Presentation  The  work  may  not  be  of  the  correct  length.  Prose  style  is  often  laboured  and  lacks  polish.  There  may  be  significant  or  frequent  errors  of  spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation  and  the  quality  of  expression  does  not  help  to  enhance  arguments.  Paragraph  and  text  formatting  may  not  always  be  accurate.  Examples,  tables,  figures,  etc  (where  appropriate)  and  their  captioning  are  not  presented  accurately  or  consistently.  Referencing  and  bibliography  are  present,  although  there  may  be  significant  problems  with  the  accuracy,  style  and  consistency.  Any  accompanying  materials  within  the  submission  (discs,  etc,  as  appropriate)  are  not  labelled  clearly  and  may  not  function  fully.  

30-­‐39   Evidence  and  use  of  sources  The  work  lacks  a  significant  attempt  to  provide  evidence  to  support  the  arguments  presented.  Primary  research  does  not  inform  the  study.  Sources  may  have  been  misunderstood,  and  are  unlikely  to  have  been  used  to  provide  effective  evidence  for  central  arguments.  Any  attempts  to  integrate  evidence  into  the  arguments  have  been  largely  unsuccessful.  Some  sources  many  not  be  acknowledged  properly,  and  there  may  be  many  inconsistencies  or  inaccuracies  in  providing  details  for  each  citation.    Structure  and  planning  There  is  little  evidence  of  organisation  and  preparation  of  material.  Coherent  structure  may  not  be  evident,  and  often  make  the  argument  difficult  to  follow.    Content  and  ideas  Arguments  often  lack  depth,  complexity  and  originality,  may  not  be  logical,  and  lack  contextualisation.  They  are  often  simplistic,  and  are  poorly  balanced  and  combined  satisfactorily.  Critical  thought  and  independent  thinking  will  be  significantly  lacking  in  the  work.  Conclusions  mostly  do  not  develop  clearly  from  the  arguments,  and  are  often  illogical.  Much  material  is  irrelevant.  Analysis  contains  significant  inaccuracies  and  is  unoriginal.  Relevant  and  informative  examples  (musical  or  otherwise)  are  severely  limited  in  scope  or  relevance,  and  may  be  lacking  completely.    Presentation  The  work  may  not  be  of  the  correct  length.  Prose  style  is  often  laboured  and  unattractive.  There  are  significant  and  frequent  errors  of  spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation  and  the  quality  of  expression  is  likely  to  hinder  the  clarity  of  arguments.  Paragraph  and  text  formatting  may  contain  significant  errors.  Examples,  tables,  figures,  etc  (where  appropriate)  and  their  captioning  are  highly  inaccurate  or  inconsistent.  Referencing  and  bibliography  may  not  be  present  at  all,  or  there  may  be  significant  problems  with  accuracy,  style  and  consistency.  Any  accompanying  materials  within  the  submission  (discs,  etc,  as  appropriate)  are  not  labelled  clearly  and  may  not  function  fully.  

20-­‐29   Evidence  and  use  of  sources  The  work  lacks  evidence  to  support  the  arguments.  Primary  sources  are  not  used  or  referred  to.  Sources  are  significantly  misunderstood  or  misinterpreted.  Sources  are  rarely  acknowledged  properly,  and  there  is  very  little  consistency  or  accuracy  in  providing  details  for  each  citation.    Structure  and  planning  There  is  almost  no  evidence  of  organisation  and  preparation  of  material.  Coherent  structure  is  not  evident  and  the  argument,  if  present,  is  very  difficult  to  follow.    Content  and  ideas  Arguments  lack  depth,  complexity,  originality,  are  illogical,  unbalanced,  and  uncontextualised.  There  is  no  critical  thought  or  independent  thinking  in  the  work.  Conclusions  do  not  develop  from  the  arguments  and  are  illogical.  Much,  even  most,  material  is  irrelevant.  Analysis  is  highly  inaccurate  and  unoriginal.  Relevant  examples  (musical  or  otherwise)  are  not  presented,  or  else  so  poorly  that  they  are  not  helpful.    Presentation  

   

8    

The  work  is  likely  to  be  significantly  too  short  or  too  long.  Prose  style  is  likely  to  be  highly  detrimental  to  the  communication  of  concepts  and  arguments.  There  are  significant  or  frequent  errors  of  spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation.  Paragraph  and  text  formatting  contain  significant  errors.  Examples,  tables,  figures,  etc  (where  appropriate)  and  their  captioning  may  not  be  present  at  all,  or  else  contain  serious  errors.  Referencing  and  bibliography  may  not  be  presented  at  all,  or  there  are  serious  problems  with  the  accuracy,  style  and  formatting.    Any  accompanying  materials  within  the  submission  (discs,  etc,  as  appropriate)  are  labelled  inaccurately  and  function  poorly  or  not  at  all.  

 

   

9    

 

3 Presentations    3.1 Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  The  following  categories  and  factors  are  the  elements  that  we  typically  expect  to  be  present  in  presentations,  acknowledging,  however,  that  not  all  elements  will  be  appropriate  to  all  presentations.  Grade  band  descriptors  are  provided  later  in  this  document;  what  follows  is  simply  a  list  of  constituent  elements.    1. Structure  and  organisation  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  • Identification  of  aims  and  conclusions  • Systematic,  methodological  approach  • Clarity,  flow  and  statement  of  ideas  • Ability  to  convey  sophisticated  arguments  

 2. Knowledge  and  evidence  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  • Use  of  secondary  sources  to  support  arguments  • Primary  research,  used  to  indicate  depth  of  knowledge  • Accuracy  of  factual  evidence  • Accuracy  of  terminology  • Understanding  of  key  concepts  • Ability  to  apply  appropriate  and  proportionate  contextualisation  

 3. Presentation  style  and  use  of  resources  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  • Clarity  of  communication  • Fluency  and  pace  of  delivery  • Engaging  and  maintaining  audience  attention  • Time  management  and  efficiency  • Appropriate  and  skilful  use  of  audio-­‐visual  technologies    • Clarity  and  integration  of  examples,  handouts  and  supporting  materials  

 4. Interaction  and  response  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  • Ability  to  manage  and  respond  to  questions  • Control  and  incorporation  of  audience  interaction  within  presentation  • Awareness  of  audience  reaction  

 

   

10    

3.2 Grade  band  descriptors  80-­‐90   Structure  and  organisation    

The  presentation  is  structured  so  as  to  convey  an  exceptionally  clear  statement  of  aims,  arguments  and  conclusions.  Arguments  flow  together  logically  and  with  an  unusual  level  of  sophistication.  A  particularly  creative  and  innovative  methodology  is  likely  to  be  evident  in  the  presentation  of  ideas  and  arguments.    Knowledge  and  evidence  The  depth  of  subject-­‐specific  knowledge  is  exceptional,  evidenced  by  the  use  of  both  primary  and  secondary  research  material.  Terminology  is  used  without  error  and  factual  information  is  represented  accurately  without  exception.  All  key  concepts  are  comprehensively  understood  according  to  the  evidence  presented.  Ideas  are  given  an  appropriate  level  of  contextualisation  throughout.    Presentation  style  and  use  of  resources  The  presentation  is  delivered  with  exceptional  clarity  and  fluency,  and  is  paced  at  a  suitable  tempo  for  the  audience  with  an  appropriate  and  consistent  style  of  delivery.  Successful  attempts  are  made  to  maintain  audience  attention  throughout.  The  time  allocated  for  the  presentation  is  used  to  maximum  effect,  with  no  sense  of  inefficiency.  Audio-­‐visual  technologies  are  used  (as  appropriate)  with  creativity  and  obvious  expertise.  Handouts  and  other  supporting  materials  (as  appropriate)  are  used  to  significantly  enhance  the  presentation  of  ideas  or  factual  information.  The  integration  of  illustrative  materials  and  presentational  resources  within  the  presentation  is  exceptionally  effective.    Interaction  and  response  Opportunities  for  questioning  are  provided  at  appropriate  moments  within  the  presentation.  The  presenter  is  sensitive  to  the  audience  and  adapts  appropriately  when  required  to  accommodate  questions  or  responses.  Audience  interaction  is  handled  with  authority  and  never  becomes  uncontrolled  or  problematic.  Responses  to  audience  questioning  further  demonstrates  excellent  subject  knowledge  and  an  exceptional  level  of  wider,  contextual  understanding.    

70-­‐79   Structure  and  organisation    The  presentation  is  structured  so  as  to  successfully  convey  aims,  arguments  and  conclusions  clearly  to  the  audience.  Arguments  flow  together  logically  and  with  sophistication.  A  particularly  creative  and  innovative  methodology  is  likely  to  be  evident  in  the  presentation  of  ideas  and  arguments.    Knowledge  and  evidence  The  depth  of  subject-­‐specific  knowledge  is  evidenced  by  excellent  use  of  primary  and  secondary  research  material.  Terminology  is  used  without  error  and  factual  information  is  represented  accurately  without  exception.  All  key  concepts  are  comprehensively  understood  according  to  the  evidence  presented.  Ideas  are  given  an  appropriate  level  of  contextualisation  throughout.    Presentation  style  and  use  of  resources  The  presentation  is  delivered  with  clarity  and  fluency,  and  is  paced  at  a  suitable  tempo  for  the  audience  with  an  appropriate  and  consistent  style  of  delivery.  Successful  attempts  are  made  to  maintain  audience  attention  throughout.  The  time  allocated  for  the  presentation  is  used  to  maximum  effect,  with  no  sense  of  inefficiency.  Audio-­‐visual  technologies  are  used  (as  appropriate)  with  creativity  and  expertise.  Handouts  and  other  supporting  materials  (as  appropriate)  are  used  to  significantly  enhance  the  presentation  of  ideas  or  factual  information.  The  integration  of  illustrative  materials  and  presentational  resources  within  the  presentation  is  consistently  effective.    Interaction  and  response  Opportunities  for  questioning  are  provided  at  appropriate  moments  within  the  presentation.  The  presenter  is  sensitive  to  the  audience  and  adapts  appropriately  when  required  to  accommodate  questions  or  responses.  Audience  interaction  is  handled  well  and  never  becomes  uncontrolled  or  problematic.  Responses  to  audience  questioning  further  demonstrates  excellent  subject  knowledge  and  wider,  contextual  understanding.  

60-­‐69                    

Structure  and  organisation    The  presentation  is  clearly  structured  and  conveys  a  defined  set  of  aims,  arguments  and  conclusions  to  the  audience.  Arguments  often  flow  logically  and  fluently  during  the  presentation,  although  there  are  likely  to  be  some  inconsistencies.  There  is  some  evidence  of  a  creative  and  innovative  approach  to  the  presentation  of  ideas  and  arguments.    Knowledge  and  evidence  The  depth  of  subject-­‐specific  knowledge  is  evidenced  by  appropriate  use  of  research  material.  Terminology  is  used  without  significant  error  and  factual  information  is  represented  accurately  in  all  key  

   

11    

       60-­‐69  (cont)  

areas.  Key  concepts  are  understood  well,  according  to  the  evidence  presented.  Ideas  are  occasionally  given  some  degree  of  suitable  contextualisation.        Presentation  style  and  use  of  resources  The  presentation  is  largely  delivered  with  clarity  and  fluency,  and  is  likely  to  be  conducted  at  a  suitable  tempo  for  the  audience.  The  style  of  delivery  may  occasionally  lack  consistency  or  may  not  always  suit  the  subject  matter.  Clear  attempts  are  made  to  maintain  audience  attention,  even  if  they  are  not  always  as  frequent  or  as  successful  as  they  could  have  been.  The  allocated  time  is  used  to  good  effect  overall,  although  some  changes  to  the  quantity  of  material  or  manner  of  delivery  may  have  improved  the  effectiveness  of  the  presentation.  Audio-­‐visual  technologies  are  used  (as  appropriate)  with  some  evidence  of  creativity  or  skill.  Handouts  and  other  supporting  materials  (as  appropriate)  are  used  to  enhance  the  presentation  of  ideas  or  factual  information  to  some  extent.  The  integration  of  illustrative  materials  and  presentational  resources  within  the  presentation  is  reasonably  effective  overall.    Interaction  and  response  Opportunities  for  questioning  are  provided  during  the  presentation,  although  interaction  may  not  have  been  handled  with  confidence  or  authority.  The  presenter  is  occasionally  sensitive  to  the  audience  and  may  adapt  appropriately  when  required  to  accommodate  questions  or  responses.  Responses  to  audience  questioning  further  demonstrates  satisfactory  subject  knowledge  and  some  perhaps  limited  evidence  of  wider,  contextual  understanding.  

50-­‐59   Structure  and  organisation    The  presentation  contains  some  degree  of  structure  and  manages  to  convey  aims,  arguments  and  conclusions  to  the  audience.  Arguments  sometimes  flow  logically  and  fluently  during  the  presentation,  although  there  are  likely  to  be  some  inconsistencies  in  the  approach.  Evidence  of  a  creative  and  innovative  approach  to  the  presentation  of  ideas  and  arguments  is  likely  to  be  limited.  Knowledge  and  evidence  The  depth  of  subject-­‐specific  knowledge  is  satisfactory,  although  use  of  secondary  sources  may  be  inconsistent  or  inappropriate  at  times.  Terminology  is  largely  used  without  significant  error  and  factual  information  is  largely  accurate.  Key  concepts  are  understood  to  some  extent,  although  this  may  be  limited,  according  to  the  evidence  presented.  Ideas  are  unlikely  to  be  given  a  significant  level  of  suitable  contextualisation.    Presentation  style  and  use  of  resources  The  presentation  is  delivered  with  variable  clarity  and  fluency,  and  is  occasionally  conducted  at  an  inappropriate  tempo  for  the  audience.  The  style  of  delivery  may  lack  consistency  and  the  approach  taken  may  not  suit  the  subject  matter  particularly  well.  There  are  few  obvious  attempts  made  to  maintain  audience  attention  or  interest.  The  allocated  time  may  not  have  been  used  as  effectively  as  it  might  have  been.  Audio-­‐visual  technologies  are  used  (if  appropriate)  but  may  lack  evidence  of  creativity  or  skill.  Handouts  and  other  supporting  materials  (if  appropriate)  may  have  limited  impact  or  relevance  within  the  presentation.  The  integration  of  illustrative  materials  and  presentational  resources  within  the  presentation  is  likely  to  require  some  further  development  and  consideration.    Interaction  and  response  Opportunities  for  questioning  are  provided  during  the  presentation,  although  interaction  may  be  restricted  by  time  management  issues  or  other  factors  within  the  control  of  the  presenter.  Questions  are  likely  to  not  have  been  handled  with  confidence  or  authority.  The  presenter  may  not  be  sensitive  to  the  audience  and  may  not  adapt  the  material  or  approach  when  required  to  accommodate  questions  or  responses.  Responses  to  audience  questioning  may  demonstrate  limited  subject  knowledge  and  little  evidence  of  wider,  contextual  understanding.  

40-­‐49                      

Structure  and  organisation    The  presentation  contains  some  degree  of  structure  and  manages  to  convey  aims,  arguments  and  conclusions  to  the  audience.  Arguments  are  likely  to  suffer  from  an  illogical  or  disorganised  approach  to  the  material.  Evidence  of  a  creative  and  innovative  approach  to  the  presentation  of  ideas  and  arguments  will  be  limited.  Knowledge  and  evidence  The  depth  of  subject-­‐specific  knowledge  is  satisfactory  in  some  areas,  although  arguments  are  likely  to  suffer  from  a  lack  of  research  and  evidence.  Terminology  may  be  problematic  and  there  may  be  factual  errors,  misunderstandings  or  under-­‐developed  presentation  of  information.  Key  concepts  are  

   

12    

               40-­‐49  (cont)  

understood  to  some  extent,  although  this  may  be  limited  according  to  the  evidence  presented.  Ideas  lack  a  significant  level  of  contextualisation.                Presentation  style  and  use  of  resources  The  presentation  is  delivered  with  variable  clarity  and  fluency,  and  is  likely  to  be  conducted  at  an  inappropriate  tempo  for  the  audience.  The  style  of  delivery  is  likely  to  lack  consistency  and  the  approach  taken  may  not  suit  the  subject  matter  particularly  well.  Audience  attention  is  likely  to  fade  significantly  during  the  presentation.  Time  management  may  be  problematic.  There  may  be  insufficient  time  to  complete  the  presentation,  or  insufficient  material  to  fill  the  allocated  time.  Audio-­‐visual  technologies  may  be    used  (if  appropriate)  but  will  lack  evidence  of  creativity  or  skill.  Handouts  and  other  supporting  materials  (if  appropriate)  will  have  limited  impact  or  relevance  within  the  presentation.  The  integration  of  illustrative  materials  and  presentational  resources  within  the  presentation  is  likely  to  require  significant  further  development  and  consideration.    Interaction  and  response  Opportunities  for  questioning  may  not  be  provided  during  the  presentation.  Interaction  may  be  restricted  by  significant  time  management  problems  or  other  factors  within  the  control  of  the  presenter.  Questions  are  likely  to  be  handled  with  a  lack  of  confidence  or  authority.  The  presenter  is  likely  to  remain  insensitive  to  the  audience  throughout  the  presentation  and  will  be  reluctant  to  adapt  the  material  or  approach  to  accommodate  audience  interaction.  Responses  to  audience  questioning  are  likely  to  demonstrate  limited  subject  knowledge  with  little  or  no  evidence  of  wider,  contextual  understanding.  

30-­‐39   Structure  and  organisation    The  presentation  is  likely  to  contain  limited  evidence  of  organisation,  planning  and  adequate  structuring  of  material.  Aims,  arguments  and  conclusions  are  not  conveyed  successfully  to  the  audience.  Arguments  are  likely  to  suffer  from  an  illogical  or  disorganised  approach  to  the  material.  Evidence  of  a  creative  and  innovative  approach  to  the  presentation  of  ideas  and  arguments  will  not  be  obvious.  Knowledge  and  evidence  The  depth  of  subject-­‐specific  knowledge  is  unsatisfactory  in  several  areas.  Arguments  are  likely  to  suffer  from  a  lack  of  background  research  and  evidence.  Terminology  is  likely  to  be  limited  or  problematic  and  there  are  likely  to  be  factual  errors,  misunderstandings  of  concepts  or  under-­‐developed  presentation  of  ideas.  Key  concepts  are  not  properly  understood  according  to  the  evidence  presented.  Ideas  and  arguments  are  likely  to  be  incomplete  or  lack  an  acceptable  level  of  contextualisation.    Presentation  style  and  use  of  resources  The  presentation  is  likely  to  be  delivered  with  a  lack  of  clarity  and  fluency.  Pacing  is  likely  to  be  inappropriate  for  the  audience.  The  style  of  delivery  is  likely  to  lack  consistency  and  the  approach  taken  may  not  suit  the  subject  matter.  Audience  attention  is  likely  to  fade  significantly  during  the  presentation.  Time  management  may  be  problematic.  There  may  be  insufficient  time  to  complete  the  presentation,  or  insufficient  material  to  fill  the  allocated  time.  There  will  be  little  evidence  of  creativity  or  skill  in  the  use  of  audio-­‐visual  technologies,  where  they  are  used.  Handouts  and  other  supporting  materials  (if  used)  will  have  limited  impact  or  relevance  within  the  presentation.  The  integration  of  illustrative  materials  and  resources  within  the  presentation  is  likely  to  require  significant  further  development  and  consideration.    Interaction  and  response  Opportunities  for  questioning  may  not  be  provided  during  the  presentation.  Interaction  may  be  restricted  by  significant  time  management  problems  or  other  factors  within  the  control  of  the  presenter.  Questions  are  likely  to  be  handled  with  a  lack  of  confidence  or  authority.  The  presenter  is  likely  to  remain  insensitive  to  the  audience  throughout  the  presentation  and  will  be  reluctant  to  adapt  the  material  or  approach  to  accommodate  audience  interaction.  Responses  to  audience  questioning  are  likely  to  demonstrate  an  inadequate  level  of  subject  knowledge  and  little,  or  no,  evidence  of  wider,  contextual  understanding.  

20-­‐29        

Structure  and  organisation    The  presentation  is  likely  to  demonstrate  a  significant  lack  of  organisation,  planning  and  research.  Aims,  arguments  and  conclusions  are  not  satisfactorily  conveyed  to  the  audience.  Arguments  will  suffer  from  

   

13    

                           20-­‐29  (cont)  

an  illogical  or  disorganised  approach  to  the  material.  There  will  be  no  clear  evidence  of  a  creative  and  innovative  approach  to  the  presentation  of  ideas  and  arguments.  Knowledge  and  evidence  The  depth  of  subject-­‐specific  knowledge  will  be  unsatisfactory  in  several  areas.  Arguments  will  suffer  from  a  lack  of  background  research  and  evidence.  Use  of  terminology  will  to  be  limited  or  problematic  and  there  are  likely  to  be  factual  errors,  misunderstandings  of  concepts  or  under-­‐developed  ideas,  including  key  concepts.  Ideas  and  arguments  will  be  incomplete  and  lack  an  acceptable  level  of  contextualisation.                Presentation  style  and  use  of  resources  The  presentation  will  be  delivered  without  clarity  and  fluency.  Pacing  will  be  inappropriate  for  the  communication  of  ideas  to  the  audience.  The  style  of  delivery  will  be  inconsistent  and  the  approach  taken  may  not  suit  the  subject  matter.  Audience  attention  is  likely  to  fade  significantly  during  the  presentation,  or  not  be  engaged  at  all.  Time  management  will  be  problematic,  with  insufficient  material  to  fill  the  allocated  time.  There  will  be  little  or  no  evidence  of  creativity  or  skill  in  the  use  of  audio-­‐visual  technologies,  where  they  are  used.  Handouts  and  other  supporting  materials  (if  used)  will  have  limited  or  no  impact  or  relevance  within  the  presentation.  The  integration  of  illustrative  materials  and  resources  within  the  presentation  is  likely  to  be  deeply  problematic  and  will  lack  evidence  of  planning  or  a  significant  time  commitment.  Interaction  and  response  Opportunities  for  questioning  may  not  be  provided  during  the  presentation.  Interaction  may  be  restricted  by  significant  time  management  problems  or  other  factors  within  the  control  of  the  presenter.  Questions  will  be  handled  with  a  lack  of  confidence  or  authority.  The  presenter  is  likely  to  remain  insensitive  to  the  audience  throughout  the  presentation  and  will  be  reluctant  to  adapt  the  material  or  approach  to  accommodate  audience  interaction.  Responses  to  audience  questioning  will  reveal  significant  gaps  in  subject  knowledge  and  no  evidence  of  significant  contextual  understanding.  

     

   

14    

 

4 Music  Technology    4.1 Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  The  following  categories  and  factors  are  the  elements  that  are  expected  to  be  present  in  music  technology  project  work  and  supporting  documentation.  Grade  band  descriptors  are  provided  later  in  this  document;  what  follows  is  simply  a  list  of  constituent  elements.      

1. Technical  skills  and  understanding    This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  

• Level  of  technical  skill  as  evidenced  throughout  the  project  • Ability  to  match  project  objectives  with  suitable  outcomes  • Practical  application  of  theory  and  research  • Balance  between  skill  levels  and  breadth  of  project  • Appropriate  use  of  terminology  • Understanding  of  terminology  and  theoretical  principles  • Critical  evaluation  of  each  component  or  at  each  stage  of  the  project  • Critical  self-­‐evaluation  of  project  outcomes    

2. Research  and  innovation  This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  

• Evidence  of  independent  thinking  • Research  into  each  component  of  the  project  • Variety  of  sources  used  to  support  the  project  • Quality  of  sources  used  to  support  the  project  • Evidence  of  careful  planning  • Understanding  of  broader  contexts  and  applications  • Creative  application  of  technology  • Original  approaches  to  project  design  and  implementation  

 

3. Presentation  of  project  work  • Appropriate  use  of  audio-­‐visual  media,  or  other  methods  as  directed,  to  illustrate  

project  outcomes  in  a  format  that  is  suitable  for  dissemination  and  archiving  of  the  work  

• Careful  and  detailed  layout  of  project  work,  including  an  indication  of  contents,  as  appropriate  to  the  level  and  nature  of  the  work  being  submitted  

• Appropriate  use  of  project  documentation  to  provide  engaging  and  informative  illustrations  of  technical  development,  research,  innovation  and  creative  applications  for  the  project  

 

4. Supporting  Documentation  • This  category  of  assessment  will  follow  the  generic  School  of  Music  assessment  

criteria  for  written  work  (see  page  4  of  this  document).    

   

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4.2 Grade  band  descriptors  80-­‐90    

Technical  skills  and  understanding  An  exceptionally  high  level  of  technical  skill  has  been  demonstrated  throughout  the  practical  work.  The  stated  objectives  for  practical  outcomes  have  been  exceeded.  It  is  clear  that  theoretical  principles  have  been  understood  in  all  areas  of  the  submission.  Methodologies  are  applied  appropriately  throughout.  Project  outcomes  demonstrate  an  exceptional  balance  between  technical  sophistication  and  breadth  of  investigation.  Critical  evaluation  is  realistic,  detailed  and  gives  clear  illustrations  of  how  the  project  may  be  developed  further.    Research  and  innovation  Evidence  for  each  stage  of  project  development  is  provided  with  exceptional  clarity  and  detail.  Overall,  an  exceptional  level  of  theoretical  research  and  practical  experimentation  is  evident  throughout  the  submission.  An  exceptional  range  of  secondary  sources  has  been  used  to  inform  the  work  at  each  stage  of  development.  There  is  evidence  of  significant  effort  being  made  to  obtain  the  best  sources  of  information  for  the  project.  There  is  clear  evidence  of  critical  engagement  with  sources  where  appropriate.  There  are  many  examples  within  the  project  to  support  the  impression  of  an  exceptional  level  of  independent,  critical  investigation.  There  are  frequent  examples  of  exceptionally  creative  and  innovative  approaches  to  problem-­‐solving,  design  and  the  overall  application  of  (software)  technology  throughout  the  submission.  Presentation  of  project  work  and  supporting  documentation  In  addition  to  the  generic  grade  band  descriptors  for  written  work,  textual  documentation  demonstrates  an  exceptional  command  of  terminology,  with  clear  descriptions  of  technical  methodologies  and  theoretical  principles.  Examples  are  used  efficiently  and  selectively  throughout.  Technical  information  is  complete,  exhaustive  in  key  areas  and  accurate  without  exception.  Documentation  of  project  work  gives  an  exceptionally  clear  and  detailed  account  of  project  development.  A  complete  and  informative  contents  list  for  the  submission  is  included.      

70-­‐79   Technical  skills  and  understanding  A  high  level  of  technical  skill  has  been  demonstrated  throughout  the  project.  The  stated  objectives  for  practical  outcomes  have  been  met  or  exceeded.  It  is  clear  that  theoretical  principles  have  been  understood  in  all  areas  of  the  submission.  Methodologies  are  applied  appropriately  throughout.  Project  outcomes  demonstrate  a  fine  balance  between  technical  sophistication  and  the  breadth  of  investigation.  Critical  evaluation  is  realistic,  detailed  and  helps  to  demonstrate  how  the  project  may  be  developed  further.    Research  and  innovation  Evidence  for  each  stage  of  project  development  is  provided  with  clarity  and  detail.  Overall,  an  impressive  level  of  theoretical  research  and  practical  experimentation  is  evident  in  the  submission.  A  comprehensive  range  of  secondary  sources  has  been  used  to  inform  work  at  each  stage  of  development.  There  is  evidence  of  independent  sourcing  of  information  for  the  project.  There  are  examples  within  the  project  to  support  the  impression  of  an  exceptional  level  of  independent,  critical  investigation.  There  are  frequent  examples  of  creative  and  innovative  approaches  to  problem-­‐solving,  design  and  the  overall  application  of  (software)  technology  throughout  the  submission.  Presentation  of  project  work  and  supporting  documentation  In  addition  to  the  generic  grade  band  descriptors  for  written  work,  textual  documentation  demonstrates  an  excellent  command  of  terminology,  with  clear  descriptions  of  technical  methodologies  and  theoretical  principles.  Examples  are  used  efficiently  and  selectively  throughout.  Technical  information  is  complete,  exhaustive  in  key  areas  and  accurate  without  exception.  Documentation  of  project  work  gives  a  clear  and  detailed  account  of  project  development.  A  complete  and  informative  contents  list  for  the  submission  is  included.    

60-­‐69                

Technical  skills  and  understanding  A  high  level  of  technical  skill  has  been  demonstrated  throughout  most  of  the  project.  The  stated  objectives  for  practical  outcomes  have  been  met.  It  is  clear  that  theoretical  principles  have  been  understood  in  all  key  areas  of  the  submission.  Methodologies  are  applied  appropriately  in  most  cases.  Project  outcomes  demonstrate  a  satisfactory  balance  between  technical  sophistication  and  the  breadth  of  investigation.  Critical  evaluation  helps  to  demonstrate  how  the  project  may  be  developed  further,  but  may  lack  details  of  how  this  development  could  be  implemented.  

   

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           60-­‐69  (cont)  

           Research  and  innovation  Evidence  for  each  key  stage  of  project  development  is  provided  with  clarity  and  detail.  An  impressive  level  of  theoretical  research  and  practical  experimentation  is  evident  in  parts  of  the  project.  A  satisfactory  range  of  secondary  sources  has  been  used  to  inform  key  stages  of  project  development.  There  may  be  some  evidence  of  independent  sourcing  of  information  for  the  project.  Examples  of  work  within  the  project  provide  evidence  of  independent,  critical  investigation.  There  are  examples  of  creative  and  innovative  approaches  to  problem-­‐solving,  design  or  the  overall  application  of  (software)  technology  contained  within  the  submission.  Presentation  of  project  work  and  supporting  documentation  In  addition  to  the  generic  grade  band  descriptors  for  written  work,  textual  documentation  demonstrates  an  informed  use  of  terminology,  with  clear  descriptions  of  technical  methodologies  and  theoretical  principles.  Examples  are  used  efficiently  and  selectively,  although  there  may  be  scope  to  increase  or  decrease  the  number  of  examples  provided.  Technical  information  is  comprehensive  in  key  areas  of  the  work  but  may  lack  detail  in  secondary  areas  of  investigation.  Documentation  of  project  work  gives  a  clear  and  detailed  account  of  project  development.  A  detailed  and  informative  contents  list  for  the  submission  is  included.    

50-­‐59   Technical  skills  and  understanding  A  satisfactory  level  of  technical  skill  has  been  demonstrated  throughout  most  of  the  project.  The  stated  objectives  for  practical  outcomes  have  been  partially  met.  Theoretical  principles  have  been  understood  in  most  key  areas  of  the  project.  Methodologies  are  not  always  applied  logically  or  systematically  throughout  the  project.  Project  outcomes  demonstrate  an  imbalance  between  technical  sophistication  and  the  breadth  of  investigation.  Critical  evaluations  are  likely  to  lack  detail  and  evidence  of  critical  awareness.  Research  and  innovation  Evidence  for  each  key  stage  of  project  development  is  provided,  but  lacks  clarity  and  detail.  Theoretical  research  and  practical  experimentation  is  evident  in  parts  of  the  project.  A  satisfactory  range  of  secondary  sources  has  been  used  to  inform  certain  areas  of  project  development.  There  is  likely  to  be  little  evidence  of  independent  sourcing  of  information  for  the  project.  Examples  of  work  within  the  project  provide  limited  evidence  of  independent,  critical  investigation.  There  are  some  examples  of  creative  and  innovative  approaches  to  problem-­‐solving,  design  or  the  overall  application  of  (software)  technology  contained  within  the  submission.  Presentation  of  project  work  and  supporting  documentation  In  addition  to  the  generic  grade  band  descriptors  for  written  work,  textual  documentation  demonstrates  a  largely  accurate  use  of  terminology,  with  some  attempt  to  provide  descriptions  of  technical  methodologies  and  theoretical  principles.  Examples  are  used  to  illustrate  the  work,  although  it  is  likely  that  further  examples  could  have  been  provided.  Technical  information  is  likely  to  lack  detail  in  some  key  areas  of  the  work.  Documentation  of  project  work  gives  a  reasonably  clear  account  of  project  development.  A  contents  list  for  the  submission  is  included,  although  this  may  lack  some  required  details.      

40-­‐49   Technical  skills  and  understanding  There  is  some  evidence  of  technical  skill  contained  within  the  project.  The  stated  objectives  for  project  outcomes  have  been  partially  met.  Theoretical  principles  have  been  understood  in  some  areas  of  the  project.  Methodologies  are  not  always  applied  logically  or  systematically.  Project  outcomes  demonstrate  an  imbalance  between  technical  sophistication  and  the  breadth  of  investigation.  Critical  evaluations  lack  detail  and  evidence  of  critical  awareness.  Research  and  innovation  Evidence  for  each  key  stage  of  project  development  is  provided,  but  lacks  clarity  and  detail.  Theoretical  research  and  practical  experimentation  is  limited  in  scope  and  quality.  A  range  of  largely  appropriate  

   

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secondary  sources  has  been  used  to  inform  certain  areas  of  project  development.  There  is  little  or  no  evidence  of  independent  sourcing  of  information  for  the  project.  Examples  of  work  within  the  project  provide  limited  evidence  of  independent,  critical  investigation.  There  are  limited  examples  of  creative  and  innovative  approaches  to  problem-­‐solving,  design  or  the  overall  application  of  (software)  technology  contained  within  the  submission.  Presentation  of  project  work  and  supporting  documentation  In  addition  to  the  generic  grade  band  descriptors  for  written  work,  textual  documentation  demonstrates  a  use  of  terminology  that  may  occasionally  be  problematic,  but  provides  some  attempt  to  provide  basic  descriptions  of  technical  methodologies  and  theoretical  principles.  Examples  are  used  to  illustrate  the  work,  although  it  is  likely  that  further  examples  could  have  been  provided.  Technical  information  is  likely  to  lack  detail  in  one  or  more  key  areas  of  the  work.  Documentation  of  project  work  may  lack  sufficient  clarity  in  the  descriptions  of  project  development.  A  contents  list  for  the  submission  is  included,  although  this  may  lack  some  required  details.  

30-­‐39   Technical  skills  and  understanding  There  is  little  or  no  evidence  of  appropriate  levels  of  technical  skill  contained  within  the  project.  The  stated  objectives  for  project  outcomes  have  not  been  met  successfully.  Theoretical  principles  have  been  misunderstood  in  some  key  areas  of  the  project.  Methodologies  are  not  always  applied  logically  or  systematically.  Project  outcomes  demonstrate  an  imbalance  between  technical  sophistication  and  the  breadth  of  investigation.  Critical  evaluations  lack  detail  and  evidence  of  critical  awareness.  Research  and  innovation  Evidence  for  each  key  stage  of  project  development  may  be  missing  or  incomplete,  and  will  lack  clarity  and  detail.  Theoretical  research  and  practical  experimentation  is  severely  limited  in  scope  and  quality.  A  small  range  of  largely  appropriate  secondary  sources  may  have  been  used  to  inform  certain  areas  of  project  development.  There  is  likely  to  be  little  or  no  evidence  of  independent  sourcing  of  information  for  the  project.  Examples  of  work  within  the  project  are  likely  to  provide  little  evidence  of  independent,  critical  investigation.  There  are  likely  to  be  only  limited  examples  of  creative  and  innovative  approaches  to  problem-­‐solving,  design  or  to  the  overall  application  of  (software)  technology  contained  within  the  submission.  Presentation  of  project  work  and  supporting  documentation  In  addition  to  the  generic  grade  band  descriptors  for  written  work,  textual  documentation  demonstrates  a  use  of  terminology  that  may  be  problematic  and  may  not  provide  sufficiently  detailed  or  accurate  descriptions  of  technical  methodologies  and  theoretical  principles.  Examples  may  not  be  used  to  illustrate  the  work  effectively  or  in  sufficient  detail.  Technical  information  is  likely  to  lack  detail  in  several  key  areas  of  the  work.  Documentation  of  project  work  is  likely  to  lack  sufficient  clarity  in  the  descriptions  of  project  development.  A  contents  list  for  the  submission  may  not  be  provided.      

20-­‐29   Technical  skills  and  understanding  There  is  little  or  no  evidence  of  appropriate  levels  of  technical  skill  contained  within  the  project.  The  stated  objectives  for  project  outcomes  have  not  been  met.  Theoretical  principles  have  been  misunderstood  in  several  areas  of  the  project.  Methodologies  are  not  applied  logically  or  systematically.  Project  outcomes  demonstrate  an  unacceptable  level  of  technical  sophistication  and  breadth  of  investigation.  Critical  evaluations  are  not  included.  Research  and  innovation  Evidence  for  key  stages  of  project  development  is  likely  to  be  missing  or  incomplete,  and  will  lack  clarity  and  detail.  Theoretical  research  and  practical  experimentation  will  be  unacceptably  limited  in  terms  of  scope  and  level.  Secondary  sources  may  not  have  been  used  to  inform  areas  of  project  development.  There  will  be  no  evidence  of  independent  sourcing  of  information  for  the  project.  Examples  of  work  within  the  project  will  provide  no  significant  evidence  of  independent,  critical  investigation.  There  will  be  no  significant  examples  of  creative  and  innovative  approaches  to  problem-­‐solving,  design  or  the  overall  application  of  (software)  technology  contained  within  the  submission.  Presentation  of  project  work  and  supporting  documentation  In  addition  to  the  generic  grade  band  descriptors  for  written  work,  textual  documentation  demonstrates  a  use  of  terminology  that  may  be  problematic  in  a  number  of  areas  and  is  likely  to  provide  unsatisfactory  descriptions  of  technical  methodologies  and  theoretical  principles.  Examples  are  likely  to  be  used  unsatisfactorily  to  illustrate  the  work  in  sufficient  detail.  Technical  information  is  likely  to  lack  detail  in  several  key  areas  of  the  work.  Documentation  of  project  work  is  likely  to  lack  sufficient  clarity  in  the  

   

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descriptions  of  project  development.  A  contents  list  for  the  submission  may  not  be  provided.    

   

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5 Composition    5.1 Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  The  following  categories  and  factors  are  the  elements  that  we  typically  expect  to  be  present  in  composition  work,  acknowledging,  however,  that  not  all  elements  will  be  appropriate  to  all  compositions.  Grade  band  descriptors  are  provided  later  in  this  document;  what  follows  is  simply  a  list  of  constituent  elements.      1. Technical  ability     This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  • Command  of  (sophisticated)  instrumental/vocal/electroacoustic  techniques  to  meet  the  

stated  aims  of  the  composition  • Command  of  broader  (e.g.  structural,  algorithmic)  techniques  or  processes  • Technical  understanding  and  appropriate  application  of  techniques  within  a  wider  musical  

context    

2. Creativity  and  innovation     This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  

• The  development  of  a  personal  style  /  aesthetic  approach  • Integration  and/or  imaginative  interpretation  of  extra-­‐musical  concepts  • The  development  and  application  of  novel  compositional  techniques  

 3. Use  of  materials  and  resources  This  category  typically  includes  the  following:  

• Appropriate  choice  of  musical  source  material  for  the  work  • Appropriate  choice  of  acoustic/vocal/electroacoustic  resources  for  the  work  • The  extent  to  which  available  instrumental/vocal/electroacoustic  resources  have  

been  exploited  within  the  work  • Appropriate  organisation  of  materials  and  resources  • The  scope/breadth  of  the  work  

 

4. Presentation  This  category  typically  includes  the  following,  as  appropriate:  

• Clarity  and  effectiveness  of  scores/graphical  representations  • Appropriate  use  of  annotation  of  scores/accompanying  materials  • Formatting,  layout  and  visual  presentation  of  the  written  commentary  • Preparation  and  visual  presentation  of  other  accompanying  materials  (CD,  DVD,  

computer  programs,  data,  etc.)    

   

   

20    

5.2 Grade  band  descriptors    80-­‐90   Technical  ability  

The  composition  demonstrates  an  exceptional  level  of  technical  competence  across  a  wide  range  of  skills,  such  as  the  command  of  instrumental  notation,  orchestration,  or  electroacoustic  techniques.  Compositional  techniques  have  been  carefully  selected  to  fulfil  the  aims  of  the  piece.  A  clear  indication  of  wider  understanding  of  musical  context  and  precedent  is  evident  from  the  application  and  adaptation  of  existing  compositional  techniques.  The  music  contains  subtleties  of  approach  which  are  unusual  for  work  at  this  level.  Musical  outcomes  of  compositional  techniques  are  expressive  and  highly  sophisticated,  both  in  terms  of  meeting  compositional  aims  (as  stated  in  the  commentary)  and  in  comparison  with  almost  all  other  work  presented  at  this  level.  Expertise  is  demonstrated  clearly  in  the  creation  and  manipulation  of  broader  structural  processes  and  organisation  of  material.    Creativity  and  innovation  The  work  contains  many  clear  indicators  of  individual  stylistic  development  and  aesthetic  progression.  Extra-­‐musical  ideas  are  integrated  and/or  interpreted  with  exceptional  sophistication,  imagination  and  with  a  novel,  carefully  considered  approach.  There  are  many  specific  examples  of  novel  techniques  being  developed  and  implemented  throughout  the  work.  Compositional  ideas  have  been  developed  extensively  through  independent  research  and  practical  experimentation.  The  overall  level  of  innovation  evident  throughout  the  composition  is  unusually  high  for  work  at  this  level.    Use  of  materials  and  instrumental/electronic  resources  Where  an  element  of  choice  is  available,  the  most  appropriate  musical  resources  have  been  chosen  to  fulfil  the  stated  compositional  goals.  Available  resources  have  been  exploited  to  maximum  effect  in  the  pursuit  of  the  stated  compositional  aims.  The  composition  contains  several  clear  examples  of  efficient  and  imaginative  deployment  of  available  resources  and  material.  The  work  contains  an  exceptional  balance  between  the  scale  of  resources  and  the  advanced  technical  standard  of  composition.    Presentation  Scores  (or  other  forms  of  graphical  representation)  are  presented  to  maximise  the  impact  of  the  work,  with  an  unusual  level  of  accuracy  and  sophistication  in  the  layout,  formatting,  annotation  and  organisation  of  notated  /  graphical  information.  The  clarity  and  effectiveness  of  scores  /  graphical  representations  is  exceptional  for  work  at  this  level  overall.  Where  other  accompanying  material  is  presented,  it  demonstrates  an  unusually  high  level  of  preparation,  organisation  and  visual  style  that  is  entirely  appropriate  for  the  stated  aims  of  the  work.  Written  commentaries  are  presented  with  a  high  standard  of  formatting,  layout  and  visual  presentation.  Commentaries  are  concise,  detailed,  informed  and  contain  no  significant  typographical  errors.  Commentaries  contain  evidence  of  exceptional  background  research  and  include  appropriate  examples,  references,  discography  and  bibliography  which  are  each  formatted  and  presented  accurately  and  according  to  recognised  systems.    

70-­‐79                                                

Technical  ability  The  composition  demonstrates  a  high  level  of  technical  competence  across  a  wide  range  of  skills,  such  as  the  command  of  instrumental  notation,  orchestration,  or  electroacoustic  techniques.  Compositional  techniques  have  been  carefully  selected  to  fulfil  the  aims  of  the  piece.  A  clear  indication  of  wider  understanding  of  musical  context  and  precedent  is  evident  from  the  application  and  adaptation  of  existing  compositional  techniques.  The  music  contains  many  subtleties  of  approach  and  technique.  Musical  outcomes  of  compositional  techniques  are  expressive  and  sophisticated,  both  in  terms  of  meeting  compositional  aims  (as  stated  in  the  commentary)  and  in  comparison  with  most  other  work  presented  at  this  level.  Expertise  is  demonstrated  clearly  in  the  creation  and  manipulation  of  broader  structural  processes  and  organisation  of  material.    Creativity  and  innovation  The  work  contains  many  clear  indicators  of  individual  stylistic  and  aesthetic  development.  Extra-­‐musical  ideas  are  integrated  and/or  interpreted  with  sophistication,  imagination  and  with  a  novel,  carefully  considered  approach.  There  are  many  specific  examples  of  novel  techniques  being  developed  and  implemented  throughout  the  work.  Compositional  ideas  have  been  developed  extensively  through  independent  research  and  practical  experimentation.  The  overall  level  of  innovation  evident  throughout  the  composition  is  high  for  work  at  this  level.    Use  of  materials  and  instrumental/electronic  resources  Where  an  element  of  choice  is  available,  the  most  appropriate  musical  resources  have  been  chosen  to  fulfil  the  stated  compositional  goals.  Available  resources  have  been  exploited  to  maximum  effect  in  the  pursuit  of  the  stated  compositional  aims.  The  composition  contains  several  clear  examples  of  efficient  

   

21    

       70-­‐79  (cont)  

and  imaginative  deployment  of  available  resources  and  material.  The  work  contains  a  fine  balance  between  the  scale  of  resources  and  the  advanced  technical  standard  of  composition.      Presentation  Scores  (or  other  forms  of  graphical  representation)  are  presented  to  maximise  the  impact  of  the  work,  with  an  unusual  level  of  accuracy  and  sophistication  in  the  layout,  formatting,  annotation  and  organisation  of  notated  /  graphical  information.  The  clarity  and  effectiveness  of  scores  /  graphical  representations  is  impressive  for  work  at  this  level  overall.  Where  other  accompanying  material  is  presented,  it  demonstrates  a  high  level  of  preparation,  organisation  and  visual  style  that  is  entirely  appropriate  for  the  stated  aims  of  the  work.  Written  commentaries  are  presented  with  a  high  standard  of  formatting,  layout  and  visual  presentation.  Commentaries  are  concise,  detailed,  informed  and  contain  no  significant  typographical  errors.  Commentaries  are  likely  to  contain  evidence  of  extensive  background  research  and  will  include  appropriate  examples,  references,  discography  and  bibliography  which  are  each  formatted  and  presented  accurately  and  according  to  recognised  systems.  

60-­‐69   Technical  ability  The  composition  demonstrates  a  technical  competence  in  a  range  of  skills,  such  as  the  command  of  instrumental  notation,  orchestration,  or  electroacoustic  techniques.  Compositional  techniques  have  been  selected  carefully  to  fulfil  the  aims  of  the  piece.  Some  indication  of  wider  understanding  of  musical  context  and  precedent  is  evident  from  the  application  and  adaptation  of  existing  compositional  techniques.  The  music  contains  subtleties  of  approach  and  technique.  Musical  outcomes  of  compositional  techniques  are  expressive  and  contain  sophisticated  elements  in  terms  of  meeting  compositional  aims,  as  stated  in  the  commentary.  Expertise  is  demonstrated  in  the  creation  and  manipulation  of  broader  structural  processes  and  organisation  of  material.    Creativity  and  innovation  The  work  contains  some  clear  indicators  of  individual  stylistic  and  aesthetic  development.  Extra-­‐musical  ideas  are  integrated  and/or  interpreted  with  imagination.  There  are  some  examples  of  novel  techniques  being  developed  and  implemented  within  the  work.  Compositional  ideas  have  been  developed  through  research  and  practical  experimentation.  The  overall  level  of  innovation  evident  throughout  the  composition  is  high  for  work  at  this  level.    Use  of  materials  and  instrumental/electronic  resources  Where  an  element  of  choice  is  available,  the  most  appropriate  musical  resources  have  been  chosen  to  fulfil  the  stated  compositional  goals.  Available  resources  have  been  exploited  to  maximum  effect  in  the  pursuit  of  the  stated  compositional  aims.  The  composition  contains  several  clear  examples  of  efficient  and  imaginative  deployment  of  available  resources  and  material.  The  work  contains  a  fine  balance  between  the  scale  of  resources  and  the  advanced  technical  standard  of  composition.    Presentation  Scores  (or  other  forms  of  graphical  representation)  are  presented  to  maximise  the  impact  of  the  work,  with  an  unusual  level  of  accuracy  and  sophistication  in  the  layout,  formatting,  annotation  and  organisation  of  notated  /  graphical  information.  The  clarity  and  effectiveness  of  scores  /  graphical  representations  is  impressive  for  work  at  this  level  overall.  Where  other  accompanying  material  is  presented,  it  demonstrates  a  high  level  of  preparation,  organisation  and  visual  style  that  is  entirely  appropriate  for  the  stated  aims  of  the  work.  Written  commentaries  are  presented  with  a  high  standard  of  formatting,  layout  and  visual  presentation.  Commentaries  are  concise,  detailed,  informed  and  contain  no  significant  typographical  errors.  Commentaries  are  likely  to  contain  evidence  of  extensive  background  research  and  will  include  appropriate  examples,  references,  discography  and  bibliography  which  are  each  formatted  and  presented  accurately  and  according  to  recognised  systems.  

50-­‐59                        

Technical  ability  The  composition  demonstrates  a  satisfactory  level  of  technical  competence,  such  as  in  the  command  of  instrumental  notation,  orchestration,  or  electroacoustic  techniques.  Compositional  techniques  have  been  selected  to  fulfil  the  aims  of  the  piece,  but  may  require  further  refinement.  Some  basic  understanding  of  wider  musical  context  or  precedent  is  evident  from  the  application  and  adaptation  of  existing  compositional  techniques.  The  music  may  lack  subtleties  of  approach  and  technique.  Musical  outcomes  of  compositional  techniques  are  expressive  but  may  lack  sophisticated  elements  in  terms  of  meeting  compositional  aims.  A  satisfactory  level  of  expertise  is  demonstrated  in  the  creation  and  manipulation  of  broader  structural  processes  and  organisation  of  material.    Creativity  and  innovation  

   

22    

               50-­‐59  (cont)  

The  work  contains  some  indicators  of  individual  stylistic  and  aesthetic  development,  although  these  may  be  limited  in  scope.  Extra-­‐musical  ideas  may  be  integrated  and/or  interpreted  imaginatively.  There  are  likely  to  be  one  or  more  basic  examples  of  novel  techniques  being  developed  and  implemented  successfully  within  the  work.  Compositional  ideas  may  not  have  been  developed  extensively  through  research  and  practical  experimentation.  The  overall  level  of  innovation  evident  throughout  the  composition  is  average  for  work  at  this  level.      Use  of  materials  and  instrumental/electronic  resources  Where  an  element  of  choice  is  available,  suitable  musical  resources  have  been  chosen  to  fulfil  the  stated  compositional  goals.  Available  resources  have  been  exploited  to  some  effect  in  the  pursuit  of  the  stated  compositional  aims.  The  composition  contains  some  examples  of  imaginative  deployment  of  available  resources  and  material.  The  work  contains  a  satisfactory  balance  between  the  scale  of  resources  and  the  advanced  technical  standard  of  composition.    Presentation  Scores  (or  other  forms  of  graphical  representation)  are  presented,  but  may  lack  accuracy  and  sophistication  in  the  layout,  formatting,  annotation  and  organisation  of  notated  /  graphical  information.  The  clarity  and  effectiveness  of  scores  /  graphical  representations  is  satisfactory  for  work  at  this  level  overall.  Where  other  accompanying  material  is  presented,  it  demonstrates  a  reasonable  level  of  preparation,  organisation  and  style  that  is  appropriate  for  the  stated  aims  of  the  work.  Written  commentaries  are  presented  with  satisfactory  formatting,  layout  and  visual  presentation.  Commentaries  (where  present)  informative  but  may  contain  typographical  errors.  Commentaries  may  contain  limited  evidence  of  extensive  background  research  and  may  not  include  appropriate  examples,  references,  discography  or  bibliography.  

40-­‐49   Technical  ability  The  composition  demonstrates  a  satisfactory  level  of  technical  competence,  such  as  in  the  command  of  instrumental  notation,  orchestration,  or  electroacoustic  techniques.  Compositional  techniques  have  been  selected  to  fulfil  the  aims  of  the  piece,  but  are  likely  to  require  further  refinement.  Some  basic  understanding  of  wider  musical  context  or  precedent  may  be  lacking  in  the  application  and  adaptation  of  existing  compositional  techniques.  The  music  is  likely  to  lack  subtleties  of  approach  and  technique.  Musical  outcomes  of  compositional  techniques  are  expressive  to  some  extent,  but  are  likely  to  lack  sophistication  in  terms  of  meeting  compositional  aims.  A  satisfactory  level  of  expertise  is  demonstrated  in  the  creation  and  manipulation  of  broader  structural  processes  or  in  the  organisation  of  material.    Creativity  and  innovation  The  work  contains  some  indicators  of  individual  stylistic  and  aesthetic  development,  although  these  are  likely  to  be  limited  in  scope.  Extra-­‐musical  ideas  may  not  be  integrated  and/or  interpreted  imaginatively.  There  are  likely  to  be  one  or  more  basic  examples  of  novel  techniques  being  developed  and  implemented  within  the  work,  although  these  may  not  be  entirely  successful.  Compositional  ideas  are  may  not  have  been  developed  through  any  significant  level  of  research  or  practical  experimentation.  The  overall  level  of  innovation  evident  throughout  the  composition  may  be  below  average  for  work  at  this  level.    Use  of  materials  and  instrumental/electronic  resources  Where  an  element  of  choice  is  available,  musical  resources  may  have  been  chosen  which  are  not  entirely  appropriate  to  fulfil  the  stated  compositional  goals.  Available  resources  may  have  been  exploited  to  some  effect  in  the  pursuit  of  the  stated  compositional  aims.  The  composition  is  not  likely  to  contain  many  examples  of  imaginative  deployment  of  available  resources  and  material.  The  work  may  lack  a  satisfactory  balance  between  the  scale  of  resources  and  the  advanced  technical  standard  of  composition.    Presentation  Scores  (or  other  forms  of  graphical  representation)  are  likely  to  have  been  presented,  but  may  lack  accuracy  and  sophistication  in  layout,  formatting,  annotation  and  organisation  of  information.  The  clarity  and  effectiveness  of  scores  /  graphical  representations  may  be  problematic  for  work  at  this  level  overall.  Where  other  accompanying  material  is  presented,  it  demonstrates  a  satisfactory  level  of  preparation,  organisation  or  style,  but  may  not  be  entirely  appropriate  for  the  stated  aims  of  the  work.  Written  commentaries  may  not  be  presented  with  satisfactory  formatting,  layout  or  visual  presentation.  Commentaries  (where  present)  may  lack  required  information  and  may  contain  typographical  errors.  Commentaries  may  contain  only  limited  evidence  of  background  research  and  may  omit  appropriate  

   

23    

examples,  references,  discography  or  bibliography.  30-­‐39                            30-­‐39  (cont)  

Technical  ability  The  composition  demonstrates  an  unsatisfactory  level  of  technical  competence,  such  as  in  the  command  of  instrumental  notation,  orchestration,  or  electroacoustic  techniques.  Compositional  techniques  have  been  selected  which  may  not  adequately  fulfil  the  aims  of  the  piece,  and  are  likely  to  require  further  refinement.  Some  basic  understanding  of  wider  musical  context  or  precedent  may  be  lacking  in  the  application  and  adaptation  of  existing  compositional  techniques.  The  music  is  likely  to  lack  subtleties  of  approach  and  technique.  Musical  outcomes  of  compositional  techniques  are  likely  to  lack  sophistication  in  terms  of  meeting  compositional  aims.  An  unsatisfactory  level  of  expertise  is  demonstrated  in  the  creation  and  manipulation  of  broader  structural  processes  or  in  the  organisation  of  material.          Creativity  and  innovation  The  work  is  likely  to  contain  few  indicators  of  individual  stylistic  and  aesthetic  development.  Extra-­‐musical  ideas  may  not  be  integrated  and/or  interpreted  imaginatively.  It  is  likely  that  there  are  no  significant  examples  of  novel  techniques  being  developed  and  implemented  within  the  work.  Compositional  ideas  are  likely  to  have  been  developed  without  a  satisfactory  level  of  research  and/or  practical  experimentation.  The  overall  level  of  innovation  evident  throughout  the  composition  will  be  below  average  for  work  at  this  level.    Use  of  materials  and  instrumental/electronic  resources  Where  an  element  of  choice  is  available,  musical  resources  may  have  been  chosen  which  are  not  appropriate  to  fulfil  the  stated  compositional  goals.  Available  resources  may  not  have  been  exploited  satisfactorily.  The  composition  is  not  likely  to  contain  significant  examples  of  the  available  resources  or  material  being  deployed  imaginatively.  The  work  is  likely  to  lack  a  satisfactory  balance  between  the  scale  of  resources  and  the  advanced  technical  standard  of  composition.    Presentation  Scores  (or  other  forms  of  graphical  representation)  may  not  be  presented,  or  are  likely  to  lack  accuracy  and  sophistication  in  layout,  formatting,  annotation  or  organisation  of  information.  The  clarity  and  effectiveness  of  scores  /  graphical  representations  may  be  problematic  for  work  at  this  level  overall.  Where  other  accompanying  material  is  presented,  it  may  not  demonstrate  a  satisfactory  level  of  preparation,  organisation  or  appropriate  style  for  the  stated  aims  of  the  work.  Written  commentaries  may  not  be  presented.  Commentaries  (where  present)  may  lack  required  information  and  may  contain  typographical  errors.  Commentaries  may  contain  limited  or  no  evidence  of  background  research  and  may  omit  appropriate  examples,  references,  discography  or  bibliography.  

20-­‐29   Technical  ability  The  composition  demonstrates  an  unsatisfactory  level  of  technical  competence  in  several  areas.  Compositional  techniques  have  been  selected  which  are  unlikely  to  fulfil  the  aims  of  the  piece.  Basic  understanding  of  wider  musical  context  or  precedent  may  be  lacking  in  the  application  and  adaptation  of  existing  compositional  techniques.  The  music  is  likely  to  lack  subtleties  of  approach  and  technique.  Musical  outcomes  of  compositional  techniques  are  likely  to  lack  sophistication  in  terms  of  meeting  compositional  aims.  An  unsatisfactory  level  of  expertise  is  demonstrated  in  the  creation  and  manipulation  of  broader  structural  processes  or  in  the  organisation  of  material.    Creativity  and  innovation  The  work  is  likely  to  contain  few  indicators  of  individual  stylistic  and  aesthetic  development.  Extra-­‐musical  ideas  are  not  likely  to  be  featured  in  the  composition,  or  may  be  integrated  and/or  interpreted  with  little  imagination.  It  is  likely  that  there  will  be  no  significant  examples  of  novel  techniques  being  developed  and  implemented  within  the  work.  Compositional  ideas  are  likely  to  have  been  developed  without  a  satisfactory  level  of  research  and/or  practical  experimentation.  The  overall  level  of  innovation  evident  throughout  the  composition  will  be  significantly  below  average  for  work  at  this  level.    Use  of  materials  and  instrumental/electronic  resources  Where  an  element  of  choice  is  available,  musical  resources  will  have  been  chosen  that  are  not  appropriate  to  fulfil  the  stated  compositional  goals.  Available  resources  may  not  have  been  exploited  satisfactorily.  The  composition  is  not  likely  to  contain  significant  examples  of  imaginative  compositional  techniques  or  deployment  of  resources.  The  work  will  lack  a  satisfactory  balance  between  the  scale  of  resources  and  the  advanced  technical  standard  of  composition.    

   

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Presentation  Scores  (or  other  forms  of  graphical  representation)  may  not  be  presented,  or  are  likely  to  lack  accuracy  and  sophistication  in  layout,  formatting,  annotation  or  organisation  of  information.  The  clarity  and  effectiveness  of  scores  /  graphical  representations  may  be  problematic  for  work  at  this  level  overall.  Where  other  accompanying  material  is  presented,  it  will  demonstrate  an  unsatisfactory  level  of  preparation,  organisation  or  appropriate  style  for  the  stated  aims  of  the  work.  Written  commentaries  may  not  be  presented.  Commentaries  (where  present)  will  lack  required  information  and  may  contain  significant  typographical  or  grammatical  errors.  Commentaries  will  contain  limited  or  no  evidence  of  background  research  and  will  omit  appropriate  examples,  references,  discography  or  bibliography.  

 

   

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6 Performance    6.1 Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  The  following  categories  and  factors  are  the  elements  that  we  typically  expect  to  be  present  in  a  performance,  acknowledging,  however,  that  not  all  elements  will  be  appropriate  to  all  performances  and  criteria  will  not  necessarily  be  equally  weighted.  Grade  band  descriptors  are  provided  later  in  this  document;  what  follows  is  simply  a  list  of  constituent  elements.    1. Expression,  style  and  interpretation  (specific  to  musical  work  and  genre)  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following,  as  appropriate:  • Shaping  of  phrases,  appropriate  tone  quality,  clear  articulation,  flexibility,  projection,  

communication  with  audience,  accompanist  or  ensemble,  sense  of  performance,  sense  of  style,  musicianship,  stage  presence,  choice  of  tempo,  consistency  

 2. Technique  and  accuracy  (specific  to  instrument  or  voice)  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following,  as  appropriate:  • Concentration,  security,  consistency,  intonation,  tone  quality,  understanding  and  control  of  

the  instrument,  agility,  articulation,  dynamic  range,  in  addition  to  specific  qualities  such  as,  for  instance:  diction,  breath  control,  pedalling,  finger-­‐work,  bowing,  pronunciation,  language  skills,  consistency,  flexibility,  precision  in  complex  rhythmic  figures  

 3. Other  skills  (as  relevant)  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following,  as  appropriate:  • Aural  perception,  understanding  of  style  (historical  practice,  for  instance),  sight-­‐reading,  

speed  and  independence  of  learning,  memorisation,  initiative,  creativity,  leadership,  preparation,  professionalism,  critical  awareness  and  reliability  

   

   

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6.2 Grade  band  descriptors  80-­‐90   Expression,  style  and  interpretation    

The  performance  demonstrates  an  exceptional  standard  of  consistency  and/or  inspirational  musicality  in  areas  such  as  phrasing,  variation  of  timbre,  choice  of  tempo,  etc.  Additionally,  the  performer  will  have  an  unusually  impressive  stage  presence,  level  of  concentration  and  ability  to  communicate  with  the  audience,  accompanist  or  other  performers.  A  highly  sophisticated  approach  will  be  taken  to  the  interpretation  (or  improvisation)  of  the  music.    Technique  and  accuracy    The  performance  demonstrates  an  exceptional  standard  of  technical  control,  consistency  and  accuracy  that  is  appropriate  to  the  chosen  work  in  the  following  general  areas:  intonation,  tone  quality,  overall  control  of  the  instrument,  agility,  flexibility,  clarity  of  articulation,  dynamic  range,  and  precision  in  complex  rhythmic  figures.  Several  specific  examples  of  instrumental  or  vocal  techniques  (diction,  breath  control,  projection,  pedalling,  physical  stamina,  finger-­‐work,  bowing,  pronunciation,  language  skills,  extended  techniques,  etc.)  will  provide  further  evidence  of  exceptional  technical  ability,  consistency  and  accuracy.    Other  skills  (as  relevant)  The  student  can  confidently  and  consistently  demonstrate  an  exceptionally  high  level  of  skills  in  several  areas,  as  appropriate,  such  as:  aural  perception,  understanding  of  style,  sight-­‐reading,  speed  and  independence  of  learning,  memorisation,  initiative,  improvisation,  creativity,  leadership,  preparation,  professionalism,  reliability  and  critical  awareness.  

70-­‐79   Expression,  style  and  interpretation    The  performance  demonstrates  a  very  consistent  and  appropriate,  informed  musicality  in  areas  such  as  phrasing,  variation  of  timbre,  choice  of  tempo,  etc.  Additionally,  the  performer  will  have  an  impressive  stage  presence,  level  of  concentration  and  ability  to  communicate  with  the  audience,  accompanist  or  other  performers.  It  is  likely  that  a  sophisticated  approach  will  be  taken  to  the  interpretation  (or  improvisation)  of  the  music    Technique  and  accuracy    The  performance  demonstrates  an  accomplished,  consistent  standard  of  technical  control  and  accuracy  that  is  appropriate  to  the  chosen  work  in  most  of  the  following  general  areas:  intonation,  tone  quality,  overall  control  of  the  instrument,  agility,  flexibility,  clarity  of  articulation,  dynamic  range,  and  precision  in  complex  rhythmic  figures.  Specific  examples  of  instrumental  or  vocal  techniques  (diction,  breath  control,  projection,  pedalling,  physical  stamina,  finger-­‐work,  bowing,  pronunciation,  language  skills,  extended  techniques,  etc)  will  provide  evidence  of  a  high  level  of  technical  ability,  consistency  and  accuracy.    Other  skills  (as  relevant)  The  student  can  confidently  and  consistently  demonstrate  a  high  level  of  skill  in  several  areas,  as  appropriate,  such  as:  aural  perception,  understanding  of  style,  sight-­‐reading,  speed  and  independence  of  learning,  memorisation,  initiative,  improvisation,  creativity,  leadership,  preparation,  professionalism,  reliability  and  critical  awareness.  

   

27    

60-­‐69   Expression,  style  and  interpretation    The  performance  demonstrates  a  generally  consistent  standard  of  appropriate,  informed  musicality  in  areas  such  as  phrasing,  variation  of  timbre,  choice  of  tempo,  etc.  Additionally,  the  performer  will  convey  a  convincing  stage  presence,  level  of  concentration  and  ability  to  communicate  with  the  audience,  accompanist  or  other  performers.  A  suitable  approach  will  be  taken  to  the  interpretation  (or  improvisation)  of  the  music.  Technique  and  accuracy    The  performance  demonstrates  a  generally  consistent  standard  of  technical  control  and  accuracy  that  is  appropriate  to  the  chosen  work  in  several  of  the  following  general  areas:  intonation,  tone  quality,  overall  control  of  the  instrument,  agility,  flexibility,  clarity  of  articulation,  dynamic  range,  and  precision  in  complex  rhythmic  figures.  Specific  examples  of  instrumental  or  vocal  techniques  (diction,  breath  control,  projection,  pedalling,  physical  stamina,  finger-­‐work,  bowing,  pronunciation,  language  skills,  extended  techniques,  etc.)  may  provide  further  evidence  of  technical  confidence.  Other  skills  (as  relevant)  The  student  can  demonstrate  skill  in  several  areas,  as  appropriate,  such  as:  aural  perception,  understanding  of  style,  sight-­‐reading,  speed  and  independence  of  learning,  memorisation,  initiative,  improvisation,  creativity,  leadership,  preparation,  professionalism,  reliability  and  critical  awareness.  

50-­‐59   Expression,  style  and  interpretation    The  performance  demonstrates  rather  limited,  but  acceptable  standards  of  consistency  and/or  appropriate,  informed  musicality  in  areas  such  as  phrasing,  variation  of  timbre,  choice  of  tempo,  etcetera.  The  performer  may  lack  certain  additional  qualities  such  as  stage  presence,  concentration  and/or  ability  to  communicate  with  the  audience,  accompanist  or  other  performers.  An  acceptable  approach  will  be  taken  to  the  interpretation  (or  improvisation)  of  the  music,  though  more  consistency  or  imagination  is  needed.  Technique  and  accuracy    The  performance  demonstrates  a  competent,  though  inconsistent  standard  of  technical  control  and  accuracy  that  is  largely  appropriate  to  the  chosen  work  in  some  of  the  following  general  areas:  intonation,  tone  quality,  overall  control  of  the  instrument,  agility,  flexibility,  clarity  of  articulation,  dynamic  range,  and  precision  in  complex  rhythmic  figures.  Specific  examples  of  instrumental  or  vocal  techniques  (diction,  breath  control,  projection,  pedalling,  physical  stamina,  finger-­‐work,  bowing,  pronunciation,  language  skills,  extended  techniques,  etc.)  will  be  noted  though  these  may  require  further  refinement.  Other  skills  (as  relevant)  The  student  will  demonstrate  skill  in  several  areas,  as  appropriate,  such  as:  aural  perception,  understanding  of  style,  sight-­‐reading,  speed  and  independence  of  learning,  memorisation,  initiative,  improvisation,  creativity,  leadership,  preparation,  professionalism,  reliability  and  critical  awareness,  though  these  areas  may  be  lacking  in  consistency  and  confidence.  

   

28    

40-­‐49   Expression,  style  and  interpretation    The  performance  is  likely  to  demonstrate  rather  limited,  and/or  variable  and/or  inappropriate,  standards  in  areas  such  as  phrasing,  variation  of  timbre,  choice  of  tempo,  etc.  The  performer  is  likely  to  lack  certain  additional  qualities  such  as  stage  presence,  concentration  and/or  ability  to  communicate  with  the  audience,  accompanist  or  other  performers.  An  inconsistent  or  unvaried  approach  is  likely  to  be  taken  to  the  interpretation  (or  improvisation)  of  the  music.    Technique  and  accuracy    The  performance  demonstrates  a  variable  or  inconsistent  standard  of  technical  control,  and/or  accuracy  that  may  be  inappropriate  to  the  chosen  work  or  genre.  Some  limited  examples  of  s  technique  will  be  found  the  following  general  areas:  intonation,  tone  quality,  overall  control  of  the  instrument,  agility,  flexibility,  clarity  of  articulation,  dynamic  range,  and  precision  in  complex  rhythmic  figures.  Specific  examples  of  instrumental  or  vocal  techniques  (diction,  breath  control,  projection,  pedalling,  physical  stamina,  finger-­‐work,  bowing,  pronunciation,  language  skills,  extended  techniques,  etc.)  will  provide  further  evidence  of  variable  or  inconsistent  skills.    Other  skills  (as  relevant)  The  student  will  demonstrate  a  variable  level  of  skill  in  several  areas,  as  appropriate,  such  as:  aural  perception,  understanding  of  style,  sight-­‐reading,  speed  and  independence  of  learning,  memorisation,  initiative,  improvisation,  creativity,  leadership,  preparation,  professionalism,  reliability  and  critical  awareness..  Performance  in  many  of  these  areas  may  lack  consistency  and/or  confidence.    

30-­‐39   Expression,  style  and  interpretation    The  performance  is  likely  to  demonstrate  inadequate  standards  in  areas  such  as  phrasing,  variation  of  timbre,  choice  of  tempo,  etc.  The  performer  will  lack  certain  additional  qualities  such  as  stage  presence,  concentration  and/or  ability  to  communicate  with  the  audience,  accompanist  or  other  performers.  An  inconsistent  or  inappropriate  approach  is  evident  in  interpretation  or  improvisation.    Technique  and  accuracy  The  performance  demonstrates  a  very  inconsistent  standard  of  technical  control  and/or  accuracy.  Faulty  examples  of  technique  will  be  found  the  following  general  areas:  intonation,  tone  quality,  overall  control  of  the  instrument,  agility,  flexibility,  clarity  of  articulation,  dynamic  range,  and  precision  in  complex  rhythmic  figures.  Specific  examples  of  instrumental  or  vocal  techniques  (diction,  breath  control,  projection,  pedalling,  physical  stamina,  finger-­‐work,  bowing,  pronunciation,  language  skills,  extended  techniques,  etc.)  will  provide  further  evidence  of  variable  or  inconsistent  skills.    Other  skills  (as  relevant)  The  student  is  likely  to  demonstrate  insufficient  skills  in  areas  (as  appropriate)  such  as:  aural  perception,  understanding  of  style,  sight-­‐reading,  speed  and  independence  of  learning,  memorisation,  initiative,  improvisation,  creativity,  leadership,  preparation,  professionalism,  reliability  and  critical  awareness.    

20-­‐29   Expression,  style  and  interpretation    The  performance  will  demonstrate  very  limited  standards  in  areas  such  as  phrasing,  variation  of  timbre,  choice  of  tempo,  etc.  The  performer  will  lack  certain  additional  qualities  such  as  stage  presence,  concentration  and/or  ability  to  communicate  with  the  audience,  accompanist  or  other  performers.  An  inconsistent  approach  will  be  evident  in  the  interpretation  or  improvisation  and  and/or  a  severely  limited  range  of  appropriate  features  will  be  evident  in  the  performance.  Technique  and  accuracy    The  performance  will  demonstrate  a  very  limited  standard  of  technical  control  and  accuracy.  Deficiencies  in  technique  will  be  found  in  several  of  the  following  general  areas:  intonation,  tone  quality,  overall  control  of  the  instrument,  agility,  flexibility,  clarity  of  articulation,  dynamic  range,  and  precision  in  complex  rhythmic  figures.  Specific  examples  of  instrumental  or  vocal  techniques  (diction,  breath  control,  projection,  pedalling,  physical  stamina,  finger-­‐work,  bowing,  pronunciation,  language  skills,  extended  techniques,  etc.)  will  provide  further  evidence  of  extremely  variable,  unsuccessful  and  inconsistent  technical  ability  and  accuracy.    Other  skills  (as  relevant)  The  student  will  lack  skills  in  several  areas  (as  appropriate)  such  as:  aural  perception,  understanding  of  style,  sight-­‐reading,  speed  and  independence  of  learning,  memorisation,  initiative,  improvisation,  creativity,  leadership,  preparation  and  professionalism.    

   

29    

 

   

30    

 

7 Editing    7.1 Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  The  following  categories  and  factors  are  the  elements  that  we  typically  expect  to  be  present  in  editing  work,  acknowledging,  however,  that  not  all  elements  will  be  appropriate  to  all  editing.  Grade  band  descriptors  are  provided  later  in  this  document;  what  follows  is  simply  a  list  of  constituent  elements.    1. Presentation  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following,  as  appropriate:  • Overall  presentation  of  the  score/text  • Presentation  and  structure  of  the  editorial  commentary  • Footnote  references  and  bibliographic  materials  • Prose  style  (where  pertinent)  • Text  underlay  • Consistent  application  of  notational  possibilities  

   2. Discriminating  use  of  source  materials  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following,  as  appropriate:  • Understanding  of  the  historical  background    • Understanding  of  the  relative  status  of  a  source  • Awareness  of  relevant  literature    • Clarity  of  editorial  method  

   3. Accuracy  of  transcription  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following,  as  appropriate:  • Ability  to  read  source  materials  accurately  • Ability  to  interpret  source  materials    • Awareness  of  performance  practice  issues  

     

   

31    

7.2 Grade  band  descriptors    80-­‐90   Presentation  

The  work  is  of  the  correct  length,  and  none  of  the  material  presented  could  be  omitted  without  some  detriment  to  the  work  as  a  whole.  Prose  style  is  consistently  fluent  and  engaging.  Spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation  are  correct  throughout,  and  the  quality  of  expression  helps  to  enhance  or  clarify  the  argument.  Detailed  formatting  of  music,  textual  underlay,  text  and  commentary  is  nearly  flawless,  and  the  musical  score  shows  subtle  and  sophisticated  awareness  of  notational  possibilities.  References,  bibliography,  discography,  etc.  are  presented  consistently  and  using  recognised  systems,  without  significant  error.  The  overall  visual  layout  and  formatting  of  text,  music  and  commentary  is  impressive,  and  may  feature  exceptional  subtleties.  Discriminating  use  of  source  materials  A  clear,  exhaustive  and  systematic  editorial  method  is  provided,  and  consistently  applied.  The  work  displays  a  sophisticated  understanding  of  the  contextual  background  to  a  single  source,  or  to  the  comparative  status  of  multiple  sources,  illustrated  by  an  impressive  introduction  and  commentary  showing  an  in-­‐depth  knowledge  of  relevant  literature.  Accuracy  of  transcription  The  transcription  combines  an  impressive  negotiation  of  problems  in  reading  and  interpreting  original  manuscript  or  printed  materials  with  an  exceptionally  high  level  of  accuracy  and  a  compelling  overall  vision,  and  exhibits  an  impressive  understanding  of  performance  practice  issues.        

70-­‐79   Presentation  The  work  is  of  the  correct  length,  and  none  of  the  material  presented  could  be  omitted  without  some  detriment  to  the  work  as  a  whole.  Prose  style  is  consistently  fluent  and  engaging.  Spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation  are  without  significant  or  frequent  errors,  and  the  quality  of  expression  helps  to  enhance  or  clarify  the  argument.  Detailed  formatting  of  music,  textual  underlay,  text  and  commentary  is  nearly  flawless,  and  the  musical  score  shows  a  developed  awareness  of  notational  possibilities.  References,  bibliography,  discography,  etc.  are  presented  consistently  and  using  recognised  systems,  without  significant  error.  The  overall  visual  layout  and  formatting  of  text,  music  and  commentary  is  impressive  Discriminating  use  of  source  materials    A  clear,  exhaustive  and  systematic  editorial  method  is  provided,  and  consistently  applied.  The  work  displays  a  sophisticated  understanding  of  the  contextual  background  to  a  single  source,  or  to  the  comparative  status  of  multiple  sources,  illustrated  by  an  impressive  introduction  and  commentary  showing  an  in-­‐depth  knowledge  of  relevant  literature.  Accuracy  of  transcription  The  transcription  combines  an  impressive  negotiation  of  problems  in  reading  and  interpreting  original  manuscript  or  printed  materials  with  a  consistently  high  level  of  accuracy  and  a  compelling  overall  vision,  and  exhibits  a  heightened  awareness  of  performance  practice  issues.        

60-­‐69   Presentation  The  work  is  of  the  correct  length,  and  no  significant  material  could  be  omitted  without  some  detriment  to  the  work  as  a  whole.  Prose  style  is  largely  fluent  and  engaging.  Spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation  are  without  significant  or  frequent  errors,  and  the  quality  of  expression  may  occasionally  enhance  or  clarify  the  argument.  Detailed  formatting  of  music,  textual  underlay,  text  and  commentary  is  clear  and  generally  consistent,  and  the  musical  score  shows  an  awareness  of  notational  possibilities.  References,  bibliography,  discography,  etc.  are  presented  consistently  and  using  recognised  systems,  without  significant  error.  The  overall  visual  layout  and  formatting  of  text,  music  and  commentary  is  good.  Discriminating  use  of  source  materials  A  clear  and  systematic  editorial  method  is  provided,  and  consistently  applied.  The  work  displays  an  understanding  of  the  contextual  background  to  a  single  source,  or  to  the  comparative  status  of  multiple  sources,  illustrated  by  an  introduction  and  commentary  showing  good  knowledge  of  relevant  literature.  Accuracy  of  transcription  The  transcription  combines  a  largely  convincing  negotiation  of  problems  in  reading  and  interpreting  original  manuscript  or  printed  materials  with  a  generally  high  level  of  accuracy,  and  exhibits  an  awareness  of  performance  practice  issues.        

   

32    

 50-­‐59   Presentation  

The  work  is  of  the  correct  length,  although  some  material  could  be  omitted  without  detriment  to  the  work  as  a  whole.  Prose  style  may  occasionally  be  laboured  or  lack  sophistication.  Spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation  are  largely  correct,  but  the  quality  of  expression  may  not  always  help  to  enhance  or  clarify  the  argument.  Detailed  formatting  of  music,  textual  underlay,  text  and  commentary  is  satisfactory.  References,  bibliography,  discography,  etc.  are  presented  with  some  attempt  to  use  recognised  systems  and  avoid  significant  error.  The  overall  visual  layout  and  formatting  of  text,  music  and  commentary  lacks  consistent  clarity  and  coherence.  Discriminating  use  of  source  materials  An  editorial  method  is  provided  though  it  lacks  sophistication  and/or  is  not  consistently  applied.  The  work  displays  some  understanding  of  the  contextual  background  to  a  single  source,  or  to  the  comparative  status  of  multiple  sources,  which  is  partially  illustrated  in  an  introduction  and  commentary  showing  some  knowledge  of  relevant  literature.  Accuracy  of  transcription  The  transcription  combines  an  inconsistent  negotiation  of  problems  in  reading  and  interpreting  original  manuscript  or  printed  materials  with  a  moderate  level  of  accuracy,  and  exhibits  an  incomplete  understanding  of  performance  practice  issues.        

40-­‐49   Presentation  The  work  is  likely  to  be  of  correct  length,  although  some  material  could  be  omitted  without  detriment  to  the  work  as  a  whole.  Prose  style  is  often  laboured  or  lacks  sophistication.  There  are  significant  or  frequent  errors  of  spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation,  and  the  quality  of  expression  does  not  help  to  enhance  or  clarify  the  argument.  Detailed  formatting  of  music,  textual  underlay,  text  and  commentary  is  inconsistent  or  incorrect.  References,  bibliography,  discography,  etc.  do  not  use  recognised  systems  or  contain  significant  errors.  The  overall  visual  layout  and  formatting  of  text,  music  and  commentary  lacks  clarity  and  coherence.  Discriminating  use  of  source  materials  The  editorial  method  is  incomplete  or  lacks  sophistication  and  cannot  be  applied  consistently.  The  work  displays  limited  understanding  of  the  contextual  background  to  a  single  source,  or  to  the  comparative  status  of  multiple  sources,  which  is  not  coherently  illustrated  in  the  introduction  and  commentary;  the  work  shows  little  knowledge  of  relevant  literature.  Accuracy  of  transcription  The  transcription  struggles  to  negotiate  problems  in  reading  and  interpreting  original  manuscript  or  printed  materials  and  has  significant  inaccuracies;  the  work  shows  only  rudimentary  understanding  of  performance  practice  issues.        

30-­‐39   Presentation  The  work  may  not  be  of  required  length,  or  some  material  could  be  omitted  without  detriment  to  the  work  as  a  whole.  Prose  style  is  consistently  laboured  and  lacks  sophistication.  There  are  significant  and  frequent  errors  of  spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation,  and  the  quality  of  expression  impedes  the  argument.  Detailed  formatting  of  music,  textual  underlay,  text  and  commentary  is  inconsistent  and  incorrect.  References,  bibliography,  discography,  etc.  do  not  use  recognised  systems  and  contain  significant  errors  or  omissions.  The  overall  visual  layout  and  formatting  of  text,  music  and  commentary  lacks  clarity  and  coherence.  Discriminating  use  of  source  materials  The  editorial  method  is  incomplete,  lacks  sophistication  and  is  not  applied  coherently  to  the  transcription.  The  work  shows  a  rudimentary  understanding  of  the  contextual  background  to  a  single  source,  or  to  the  comparative  status  of  multiple  sources.  The  introduction  and  commentary  do  not  assimilate  this  background,  and/or  contain  significant  errors.  There  is  little  or  no  knowledge  of  relevant  literature.  Accuracy  of  transcription  The  transcription  fails  to  negotiate  problems  in  reading  and  interpreting  original  manuscript  or  printed  materials  and  has  significant  inaccuracies;  the  work  shows  little  or  no  understanding  of  performance  practice  issues.        

   

33    

 20-­‐29   Presentation  

The  work  is  likely  to  be  too  short  or  too  long  and  may  contain  material  that  is  not  relevant  to  the  investigation.  Prose  style  is  flawed  and  unsophisticated.  There  are  significant  and  frequent  errors  of  spelling,  grammar  and  punctuation,  and  the  quality  of  expression  impedes  the  argument.  Detailed  formatting  of  music,  textual  underlay,  text  and  commentary  is  inconsistent,  incorrect  and  is  likely  to  be  incomplete.  References,  bibliography,  discography,  etc.  do  not  use  recognised  systems  and  contain  significant  errors  and  omissions.  The  overall  visual  layout  and  formatting  of  text,  music  and  commentary  lacks  clarity  and  coherence.  Discriminating  use  of  source  materials  The  editorial  method  is  entirely  lacking  or  is  incomplete,  lacks  sophistication  and  is  not  applied  to  the  transcription.  The  work  is  incorrect  in  its  assessment  of  the  sources  or  fails  to  consider  the  contextual  background  to  a  single  source,  or  to  the  comparative  status  of  multiple  sources.  The  introduction  and  commentary  do  not  provide  relevant  background,  and/or  contain  significant  errors.  There  is  little  or  no  knowledge  of  relevant  literature.  Accuracy  of  transcription  The  transcription  is  inaccurate  and/or  incomplete  and  shows  poor  understanding  of  the  original  source  material.  There  is  a  poor,  or  incorrect  knowledge  of  performance  practice,  or  the  issue  is  ignored.        

   

   

34    

   

8 Analysis    8.1 Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors  The  following  categories  and  factors  are  the  elements  that  we  typically  expect  to  be  present  in  analysis,  acknowledging,  however,  that  not  all  elements  will  be  appropriate  to  all  analyses.  Grade  band  descriptors  are  provided  later  in  this  document;  what  follows  is  simply  a  list  of  constituent  elements.    1. Methodology,  as  appropriate  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following,  as  appropriate:  • Appropriate  choice  of  an  analytical  system  for  the  stated  objectives  • Original  and  appropriate  adaptation  or  extension  of  existing  analytical  techniques  • Understanding  and  application  of  analytical  techniques  

   2. Presentation  of  work  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following,  as  appropriate:  • Suitability  of  layout  for  the  chosen  method  of  analysis  • Use  of  musical  examples  (where  pertinent)  • Style  and  presentation  of  written  commentaries/annotations  (where  present)  

 3. Accurate  identification  and  awareness  of  musical  features,  as  appropriate,  including:  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following,  as  appropriate:  • Main  structural  features  and  subsections  • Ambiguities  or  deviation  within  large  or  small-­‐scale  musical  structures  • Keys,  modes  or  other  central  harmonic  features    • Modulatory  or  transitionary  passages  • Significant  chords,  pitch  clusters  or  other  harmonic  progressions  • Relationships  between  chords,  pitch  clusters  or  other  harmonic  features  • Ambiguity  or  deviation  in  tonal,  modal  or  other  harmonic  features  • Musical  uses  of  instrumentation,  orchestration  and  variations  of  timbre  • Motivic  development  and  relationships  between  thematic  material  • Textural  features  and  development  of  texture  throughout  the  work  • Rhythmic  features  and  rhythmic  development  • Development  of  tempo  and  meter  • Development  of  dynamics  and  articulations  

 4. Accurate  interpretation  and  awareness  of  lyrics  or  text,  where  appropriate,  including:  

This  category  typically  includes  the  following,  as  appropriate:  • Textual  /  narrative  structures    • Interpretation  of  meaning  within  lyrics  or  text  • Relationships  between  text/lyrics  and  music  • Musical  representations  of  text/lyrics  

     

   

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   8.2 Grade  band  descriptors    80-­‐90   Indicative  of  analytical  work  rarely  encountered  at  undergraduate  level,  displaying  an  

impressive  application  of  analytical  frameworks  to  provide  a  compelling  and  original  reading  of  a  specific  work  or  works.              Methodology,  as  appropriate  Work  is  likely  to  display  either  an  original  methodology,  or  an  imaginative  application,  adaptation,  extension  or  combination  of  existing  analytical  techniques.  Not  only  is  analytical  literature  referred  to  in  detail,  there  is  a  clear  ability  to  critique  such  literature  effectively.      Presentation  of  work  Work  displaying  a  total  clarity  of  tabular  layout,  a  consistently  detailed  and  absolutely  compelling  use  of  clearly-­‐labelled  musical  examples  where  appropriate  to  illustrate  specific  points,  and  an  impressive  incorporation  of  abbreviated  English  in  any  commentaries.    Accurate  identification  and  awareness  of  musical  features  Work  displaying  a  sophisticated  awareness  of  relationships  between  sections  and  subsections,  and  a  highly  advanced  treatment  of  structural  ambiguities.  There  is  an  impressive  ability  to  describe  details  of  harmonic  progressions  and  modulations  convincingly  and  appropriately  throughout,  with  a  highly  advanced  awareness  of  tonal/modal  issues  and  their  significance;  there  is  also  a  subtle  understanding  of  motivic,  textural  and  rhythmic  detail,  dynamic  range  and  fluctuation,  and  issues  of  orchestration,  instrumentation  and  timbre.  Any  ambiguities  of  musical  genre  are  handled  with  aplomb.      Accurate  interpretation  and  awareness  of  lyrics  or  text,  where  appropriate  Work  shows  an  impressive  and  original  appreciation  of  any  lyrics/text,  whether  in  terms  of  narrative,  imagery  or  range  of  meanings,  and  displays  a  highly-­‐sophisticated  understanding  of  how  text/lyric  structure  and  content  relates  to  musical  issues.        

70-­‐79   Insightful,  imaginative,  detailed  and  entirely  consistent  analytical  work,  which  provides  a  convincing  reading  of  the  work  or  works  in  question.        Methodology,  as  appropriate  Work  displaying  not  only  an  appropriate  choice  of  an  analytical  system  for  the  stated  objectives,  but  imagination,  heightened  skill  and  confidence  in  applying  such  methodology  to  the  work  or  works  in  question.  There  is  likely  to  be  detailed  reference  to  analytical  literature,  demonstrating  an  advanced  understanding  the  issues  involved.          Presentation  of  work  Work  displays  a  clarity  of  tabular  layout,  a  consistently  detailed  use  of  clearly-­‐labelled  musical  examples  where  appropriate  to  illustrate  specific  points,  and  an  effective  incorporation  of  abbreviated  English  in  any  commentaries.    Accurate  identification  and  awareness  of  musical  features  Not  only  are  sections  and  subsections  of  works  correctly  identified,  but  there  is  a  sophisticated  understanding  of  how  structural  ambiguities  might  be  approached.  Work  shows  a  consistent  ability  to  describe  details  of  harmonic  progressions  and  modulations  convincingly  and  appropriately,  with  an  advanced  awareness  of  tonal/modal  issues  and  their  significance,  and  a  focused  attention  to  motivic,  textural  and  rhythmic  detail,  dynamic  range  and  fluctuation,  and  issues  of  orchestration,  instrumentation  and  timbre.  Any  ambiguities  of  musical  genre  are  addressed  convincingly.          Accurate  interpretation  and  awareness  of  lyrics  or  text,  where  appropriate  

   

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Work  shows  a  heightened  appreciation  of  any  lyrics/text,  whether  in  terms  of  narrative,  imagery  or  range  of  meanings,  and  displays  a  sophisticated  understanding  of  how  text/lyric  structure  and  content  relates  to  musical  issues.      

60-­‐69   Representative  of  analytical  work  which  shows  a  high  degree  of  accuracy,  but  where  minor  details  may  be  absent  or  open  to  question.    Methodology,  as  appropriate  Work  displaying  an  appropriate  choice  of  an  analytical  system  for  the  stated  objectives,  and  detailed  application  of  such  methodology  to  the  work  or  works  in  question,  despite  some  minor  inaccuracies.  There  is  likely  to  be  pertinent  reference  to  and  clear  understanding  of  analytical  literature.        Presentation  of  work  Tabular  layout  and  use  of  abbreviated  English  in  any  commentaries  is  thoughtfully  and  clearly  presented  in  general,  and  musical  examples  are  usually  well-­‐labelled  as  illustrative  of  analytical  points.      Accurate  identification  and  awareness  of  musical  features  Major  sections  and  subsections  of  works,  harmonic  progressions,  modulations  and  tonal/modal  connections  are  accurately  identified  with  detailed  discussion,  but  are  lacking  a  developed  awareness  of  the  role  of  ambiguity  or  the  sophisticated  understanding  needed  to  place  the  work  in  a  higher  level.  Attention  is  paid  to  motivic,  textural  and  rhythmic  features,  which  are  effectively  represented  with  only  minor  inaccuracies  or  omissions;  details  of  orchestration,  instrumentation  and  timbre,  and  dynamic  range  and  fluctuation  are  offered  with  only  minor  inconsistencies  or  omissions.  There  is  detailed  and  accurate  discussion  of  musical  genre,  but  with  limited  awareness  of  issues  of  ambiguity.                  Accurate  interpretation  and  awareness  of  lyrics  or  text,  where  appropriate  Work  shows  a  detailed  appreciation  of  the  lyrics/text,  whether  in  terms  of  narrative,  imagery  or  meaning,  but  fails  to  take  account  of  alternative  readings  or  issues  of  ambiguity.  Ways  in  which  text/lyric  structure  and  content  relates  to  musical  issues  are  addressed  in  detail,  with  only  minor  inconsistencies  or  omissions.    

50-­‐59   Solid  analytical  work  which  displays  an  understanding  of  the  main  issues  involved,  but  which  fails  to  demonstrate  the  flair,  insight,  consistent  accuracy  or  detail  required  to  place  the  work  in  a  higher  category.    Methodology,  as  appropriate  Work  displaying  an  appropriate  choice  of  an  analytical  system  for  the  stated  objectives,  but  containing  some  inconsistency  or  limitations  in  the  application  of  such  methodology  to  the  work  or  works  in  question.  There  may  be  pertinent  reference  to  analytical  literature,  but  this  lacks  the  detailed  understanding  required  to  place  the  work  in  a  higher  category.      Presentation  of  work  Tabular  layout  is  likely  to  contain  some  minor  presentational  problems,  and  the  abbreviated  English  in  any  commentaries  requires  some  modification.  Musical  examples  provide  some  illustration  of  the  analytical  argument,  but  labelling  is  likely  to  be  inconsistent.    Accurate  identification  and  awareness  of  musical  features  Whilst  many  structural  and  harmonic  details  are  usually  identified  correctly,  the  ramifications  of  tonal/modal  relationships  may  not  be  fully  appreciated,  and  the  level  of  motivic,  textural  and  rhythmic  detail,  while  broadly  accurate,  is  limited.  Whilst  details  of  dynamic  range  and  fluctuation,  orchestration,  instrumentation,  timbre  are  offered,  there  may  be  more  notable  inaccuracies,  inconsistencies  or  omissions.  Discussion  of  musical  genre  is  broadly  accurate,  but  may  contain  inaccuracies  in  terms  of  musical  detail.              

   

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Accurate  interpretation  and  awareness  of  lyrics  or  text,  where  appropriate  Work  which  demonstrates  a  clear  appreciation  of  the  lyrics/text,  whether  in  terms  of  narrative,  imagery  or  meaning,  but  lacking  a  more  detailed  understanding  of  the  issues  involved;  whilst  there  is  an  awareness  of  the  ways  in  which  text/lyric  structure  and  content  relates  to  musical  issues,  there  are  some  significant  inconsistencies  or  omissions.          

   

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 40-­‐49   Work  which  displays  only  a  very  basic  understanding  of  analytical  issues.  

 Methodology,  as  appropriate  Work  displaying  a  choice  of  an  analytical  system  that  is  not  always  appropriate  for  the  stated  objectives,  or  where  there  are  several  inconsistencies  or  limitations  in  the  application  of  such  methodology  to  the  work  or  works  in  question.  Any  reference  to  analytical  literature  is  limited,  showing  only  a  basic  understanding  of  its  significance.      Presentation  of  work  Tabular  layout  is  likely  to  contain  more  serious  presentational  problems,  with  a  very  limited  application  of  abbreviated  English  in  any  commentaries.  Musical  examples  are  likely  to  provide  only  a  basic  illustration  of  analytical  points  and  need  much  clearer  and  more  consistent  labelling  throughout.    Accurate  identification  and  awareness  of  musical  features  Only  the  broad  structural  features  of  a  musical  work  are  understood,  with  several  inaccuracies  or  missing  detail  in  relation  to  subsections,  and  whilst  broad  tonalities  can  be  identified,  there  is  only  a  basic  attempt  to  provide  details  of  harmonic  progressions;  tonal/modal  relationships  are  not  properly  addressed.  There  is  a  limited  awareness  of  motivic,  textural  and  rhythmic  details,  dynamic  range  and  fluctuation  ,  orchestration,  instrumentation  and  timbre,  along  with  issues  related  to  musical  genre.      Accurate  interpretation  and  awareness  of  lyrics  or  text,  where  appropriate  Work  which  demonstrates  only  a  basic  understanding  of  the  lyrics/text,  whether  in  terms  of  narrative,  imagery  or  meaning.  There  is  a  limited  awareness  of  the  ways  in  which  text/lyric  structure  and  content  relates  to  musical  issues.    

30-­‐39   Work  which  displays  an  unsatisfactory  level  of  analytical  skills.        Methodology,  as  appropriate  Work  displaying  an  inappropriate  choice  of  an  analytical  system  for  the  stated  objectives,  or  an  unsatisfactory  grasp  of  the  analytical  approach  employed.  Little  or  no  reference  to  analytical  literature.        Presentation  of  work  Work  displaying  poor  presentation  skills  in  terms  of  any  table  layout  and  commentary.  Musical  examples  may  not  be  present,  or  are  of  limited  worth  and  badly  presented.        Accurate  identification  and  awareness  of  musical  features  Analyses  which  contain  major  problems  of  structural  identification,  and  persistent  inaccuracies  in  relation  to  harmonic  and  tonal/modal  relationships;  scant  attention  is  paid  to  rhythmic,  textural  and  motivic  details,  and  issues  relating  to  genre,  dynamic  range  and  fluctuation,  orchestration,  instrumentation  and  timbre  are  not  addressed  with  any  meaningful  insight.        Accurate  interpretation  and  awareness  of  lyrics  or  text,  where  appropriate  Work  which  demonstrates  little  understanding  of  the  lyrics/text,  whether  in  terms  of  narrative,  imagery  or  meaning.  There  is  a  very  limited  awareness  of  the  ways  in  which  text/lyric  structure  and  content  relates  to  musical  issues.    

   

39    

 20-­‐29   Work  displaying  very  little  or  no  discernible  analytical  skill.  

 Methodology,  as  appropriate  Work  displaying  a  wholly  inappropriate  choice  of  an  analytical  system  for  the  stated  objectives,  or  showing  no  understanding  of  the  analytical  approach  employed.  No  reference  to  analytical  literature.      Presentation  of  work  Work  displaying  few  discernible  presentation  skills  in  terms  of  table  layout  and  commentary.  There  are  likely  to  be  no  musical  examples.      Accurate  identification  and  awareness  of  musical  features  Analyses  with  no  real  awareness  of  structural  identification,  harmonic  and  tonal/modal  relationships,  genre  markers,  dynamic  range  and  fluctuation,  motivic,  textural  and  rhythmic  issues.      

Accurate  interpretation  and  awareness  of  lyrics  or  text,  where  appropriate  Work  which  demonstrates  no  real  understanding  of  the  lyrics/text,  whether  in  terms  of  narrative,  imagery  or  meaning.  There  is  no  awareness  of  the  ways  in  which  text/lyric  structure  and  content  relates  to  musical  issues.  

 

   

40    

9 Applied  Project  9.1 Assessment  criteria  categories  and  their  contributory  factors    Investigation,  interrogation  and  demonstration  through  project  outcomes  

• Ability  to  clearly  summarise  how  existing  facts,  principles  or  knowledge  are  to  be  developed  into  project  outcomes  

• Effectively  demonstrate,  investigate  and  interrogate  existing  theoretical  principles,  knowledge  or  facts  via  project  outcomes  

• Develop  innovative  project  outcomes  which  are  likely  to  inform  future  knowledge  and/or  practice  as  relevant  to  the  chosen  subject  area  

Project  development  • Ability  to  set  clear  objectives,  realistic  boundaries,  and  a  practical  scheme  of  work  for  the  

development  of  the  project  • Demonstrate  an  approach  to  project  development  that  is  informed  by  progressive  critical  

evaluation  of  outcomes  • Demonstrate  a  sophisticated  approach  to  project  development  that  is  informed  by  relevant  

contexts  from  multiple  sources    • Ability  to  think  and  work  independently  

Dissemination  of  project  outcomes  • Convey  stated  ideas,  established  principles  or  knowledge  clearly  within  project  outcomes  • Ability  to  select  a  suitable  medium,  method  and  approach  for  the  dissemination  of  project  

outcomes  • Demonstrate  a  careful  and  meticulous  approach  to  the  dissemination  of  project  outcomes  • Ability  to  manage  the  process  of  project  dissemination  effectively  and  efficiently  to  meet  

the  constraints  of  allocated  time  and  resources  • If  appropriate,  demonstrate  an  awareness  of  an  audience  and  an  ability  to  interact  with  an  

audience  during  the  dissemination  of  project  outcomes.        9.2 Grade  band  descriptors  80+   All  of  the  assessment  criteria  have  been  met  completely.  The  work  contains  examples  of  exceptional  

work  in  each  of  the  three  areas  of  assessment  criteria.    70-­‐79   Most  of  the  assessment  criteria  have  been  met  completely  and  with  some  examples  of  exceptional  

work.  Most  of  the  criteria  have  been  met,  with  no  significant  area  of  weakness.    60-­‐69   All  of  the  assessment  criteria  have  been  at  least  partially  met.  The  project  contains  several  examples  

of  good  work,  with  no  significant  areas  of  weakness.    50-­‐59   Most  of  the  assessment  criteria  have  been  met,  at  least  partially.  The  project  contains  examples  of  

work  that  are  potentially  good,  but  may  evidence  weaknesses  or  inconsistencies.  40-­‐49   Some  of  the  assessment  criteria  have  been  met,  at  least  partially,  but  the  project  contains  significant  

weaknesses.    30-­‐39   Though  some  areas  of  the  project  may  indicate  that  satisfactory  work  has  been  undertaken,  the  

project  has  failed  to  meet  most  of  the  assessment  criteria,  and  contains  significant  weaknesses  as  a  result.  

20-­‐29   The  project  has  failed  to  meet  most  of  the  assessment  criteria.  There  are  no  clear  indications  in  the  project  that  work  of  a  satisfactory  standard  has  been  undertaken.    

   

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10 Marks  and  classifications    10.1 The  20-­‐90  marking  scale  Work  in  the  School  of  Music  is  marked  not  on  a  percentage  scale  but  using  the  University’s  standard  marking  scale  (known  as  the  Module  Grade  Scale).  The  main  range  of  marks  runs  from  20  to  90  (but  there  are  circumstances  in  which  a  mark  of  0  is  awarded  as  a  measure  of  the  quality  of  the  work,  if  coursework  is  submitted  very  late,  or  as  one  of  the  range  of  penalties  available  in  cases  of  plagiarism).  Some  Schools  and  Departments  (generally  science-­‐based)  mark  on  a  0-­‐100  scale;  their  marks  are  then  converted  to  the  20-­‐90  scale  for  the  purpose  of  degree  classification  and  fair  comparison  across  the  University.    Marks  from  20  to  90  express  a  judgement  of  the  overall  quality  of  a  piece  of  work  (that  is,  they  are  not  simply  a  record  of  how  many  things  you  got  right).  The  following  table  shows  how  numerical  marks  correspond  to  general  judgements  of  quality.  It  can  be  helpful  to  cross-­‐reference  this  table  with  the  tables  (above)  of  assessment  criteria  categories  and  grade  descriptors.    90    

Exceptional  First     66    

Middle  2:1     42       Marginal  Third  

89     65     41        88    

High  Excellent  First     64    

Low  2:1     40       Bare  Pass  

87     63     39          86     Middle  Excellent  

First     62     Marginal  2:1     38     Marginal  Fail  

85     61             37     Moderate  Fail  84    Low  Excellent  First  

  60       Borderline  2:1     36  83     59             35    

Clear  Fail  82     Marginal  Excellent  First  

  58    High  2:2  

  34  

81       Borderline  Excellent  First  

  57     33     Low  Fail  80         56    Middle  2:2  

  32  79             55     31          78    

High  First     54    

Low  2:2     30       Borderline  Bad  Fail  

77     53     29          76     Middle  First     52     Marginal  2:2     28     Marginal  Bad  Fail  75     51             27     Bad  Fail  74    

Low  First     50       Borderline  2:2     26  

73     49             25     Very  Bad  Fail  72     Marginal  First     48     High  Third     24  71          

Borderline  First     47     23     Disastrous  Fail  70         46    

Middle  Third     22  

69             45     21     Absolute  Fail  68     High  2:1     44     Low  Third     20  67     43              

 Remember  that,  when  translating  their  qualitative  judgement  of  a  piece  of  work  into  a  quantitative  statement  of  its  value  (i.e.  a  numerical  mark),  the  examiner  has  to  take  into  account  that  not  all  factors  may  be  relevant  in  an  individual  piece  of  work,  that  fixed  proportions  of  marks  are  not  attached  to  each  factor  or  category  of  factors,  and  that  nearly  all  pieces  of  assessed  work  display  strengths  and  weaknesses,  so  there  will  almost  certainly  be  a  mixture  of  different  levels  of  achievement:  some  elements  might  be  deemed  to  be  first  class  in  quality,  others  may  be  deemed  to  be  ‘average’.    At  this  point  the  examiner’s  experience  and  judgement  are  used  in  converting  the  qualitative  assessment  into  a  number.          

   

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10.2 Final  aggregated  module  marks  The  final  mark  for  each  module  is  calculated  by  aggregating  the  marks  for  individual  components  (if  there  is  more  than  one),  according  to  the  weighting  specified  for  that  module.  For  example,  if,  in  a  particular  module,  you  achieved  60  for  an  essay  (weighted  at  40%)  and  50  in  an  exam  (weighted  at  60%),  the  “final  aggregated  module  mark”  is  54  (60x40%  plus  50x60%).    10.3 Degree  classification  British  universities  use  a  system  of  classification  originating  in  the  nineteenth  century  and,  while  it  may  be  argued  to  have  flaws  and  weaknesses,  it  is  still  the  preferred  system  in  this  country,  with  government,  employers  and  students,  as  well  as  Higher  Education  institutions  themselves,  unable  to  agree  on  a  better  one.  Consequently  there  are  certain  idiosyncrasies  in  the  system  that  simply  have  to  be  accepted  until  a  different  method  is  agreed  upon  on  a  national  basis.    Your  degree  class  will  be  calculated  on  the  basis  of  all  the  module  marks  in  your  second  and  final  years.  The  thresholds  for  degree  classification  are  offset  from  those  that  apply  to  individual  modules  and  components:      First  is  awarded  if  the  average  mark  is  68.5  or  more;  2:i  if  the  average  mark  is  59  or  more;  2:ii  if  the  average  mark  is  49.5  or  more;  Third  if  the  average  mark  is  40  or  more.      There  are  sound,  extensively-­‐researched  statistical  and  historical  reasons  for  this  offset  that  suggest  that  Leeds  classifications  are  generally  more  rigorous  than  those  elsewhere,  though  they  are  too  complex  to  go  into  here.  If  you  wish  to  find  out  more  about  this,  please  see  the  comprehensive  document  available  at:      <http://www.leeds.ac.uk/qmeu/documents/guidance/degclassleeds.pdf>    In  calculating  an  average  mark  for  degree  classification,  modules  are  weighted  according  to  the  number  of  credits  (that  is,  20-­‐credit  modules  have  twice  the  weight  of  10-­‐credit  modules).  The  final  year  is  given  twice  the  weight  of  the  second  year,  if  that  works  in  the  candidate’s  favour  (as  it  usually  does:  people  generally  do  better  in  their  final  year).  Elective  modules  count  the  same  as  modules  in  your  main  subject  (however,  if  you  do  level  1  Special  Skills  electives  in  your  final  year,  these  can  never  be  double  weighted).  A  full  description  of  the  classification  rules,  including  the  discretionary  boundaries,  can  be  found  in  the  ‘Rules  for  Award’  in  the  Taught  Student  Guide  at:    <http://www.leeds.ac.uk/qmeu/tsg/>    The  School  of  Music’s  Code  of  Practice  on  Examinations  and  Assessment  (located  in  the  ‘Music’  organisation  on  the  VLE)  gives  details  of  the  criteria  for  considering  the  promotion  of  candidates  whose  grades  fall  within  the  discretionary  boundaries,  alongside  information  on  the  consideration  of  mitigating  circumstances  by  the  Board  of  Examiners.