GCSE options - what bearing on A-Level (esp music)?

Music teacher here. It depends very much on which exam boards you are talking about as to whether or not they follow on. Years ago, grade 5 theory and grade 5/6 practical were "equivalent/above" GCSE grades. Now I'm less sure. Whilst it is true that students with g5 theory are very well-placed, their knowledge is confined to the Western Classical Tradition and GCSE Music is much broader than that. You can score highly in a practical instrumental exam yet play the same piece for GCSE and come unstuck because the examiners are looking for different things. That said, we take decent committed musicians who have not taken the GCSE onto the A level course on the proviso that there is some ground to be made up, but this is done on a case by case basis.

To the person stating that GCSE has 8 set works and A level 13, you are talking about one exam board. The one I teach has 2 at GCSE and 4 at A level, yet students are expected to know about a vast number of styles beyond those. Please don't generalise as it is unfair to people doing other specifications and their parents.

To the OP, what is the obsession with being a pianist? Piano skills are ok, but having spent the last 3 days teaching year 8 as a class orchestra, the pianists are without doubt the most inflexible performers. Most are incapable of keeping up with the group, something the basic string players manage without any problem. Most grade 8 pianists can't accompany anyone or adapt their playing to work in a duet. Orchestral or band musicians do this from day 1.

If I was advising your DD, I would steer her towards Music on the grounds that the 30% performance component was already within her capability. All she needs is the composing and appraising. Sociology is not so highly regarded and it is perfectly possible to pick that up either at A level or degree level without prior study. History is an excellent choice as it involves analysis and essay writing.

Being a triple threat girl and only able to choose 2 out of dance, music and drama at GCSE we looked at this very closely. Every we did and would have applied accepted grade 5 theory and at least 5 in first instrument for A-level music. DD got a place on the Hampshire music scholarship program with grade 5 theory and Grade 6 (distinction) MT singing.

We had a similar dilemma as my daughter had one fewer option than she would have liked ideally. Like your daughter mine did a lot of extra curricular music, and sounds to have been a similar standard, and she wasn't sure whether it was worth studying to GCSE.

In the end she decided to drop Spanish (she was doing French and Latin, so it would have been her third language) and was glad she had stuck with music, which she subsequently studied to degree level. The composition was something new for her at GCSE but she also enjoyed learning about genres that she didn't really know anything about which gave her a wider musical appreciation.

I would definitely recommend music, history and drama if she loves it over sociology, which most school don't teach until A level.

The 6th form my daughter goes to accepts ABRSM (or equivalent) grade 5 in place of GCSE music.

The A level music at my DD school very much follows on from the GCSE. For example, there are 8 set works at GCSE and 13 at A level. The performance and composition making up the remainder just like GCSE. I have been told that GCSE Music is a very good grounding for A Level Music. My daughter has just started her GCSE Music course and is really enjoying it so far.

So she could do music, drama, history and Latin - then do the adored history, music and xyz for A level; sounds good to me.

Check on your local sixth-form providers. Ours will take them on the strength of grade 5 theory and practical. The obvious gap in preparation is on the composition side, so it would be worth seeing whether she can do some either with one of her existing teachers or someone separate, so that that isn't quite such a learning curve.

I agree, while grade 8 in an instrument is as such a higher level than a GCSE, the GCSE leads in to the A level and will cover things not covered in gradings. If she genuinely wants to do music A level and she knows that now, then surely it makes sense to take the GCSE.

Sociology GCSE is most certainly not required for A level as not many schools offer it.

What else would she drop to keep music GCSE OP? Other things that she might wish to do at A level? If so, are they linear subjects such as MFL? Or modular, like history - which can be picked up at A level without GCSE (tho again, why wouldn't you take the GCSE).

She will need to do composition for GCSE and A level. It isn't advisable to start A level without having composed at all.

I would contact the curriculum leader at the sixth form you think she will attend and ask for the entry requirements for the course.

I can't speak for nowadays sorry but I did a level music without doing the gcse. I had grade 8 violin and grade 5 theory. Initially it was a very big shock to the system and I had to work hard to catch up but I ended up with a good grade. What I would say though is if she is a certain she wants to take the a level then it's going to be much easier path to take the gcse. I wasn't expecting to take the a level when I did my gcse choices.