Regulation

GCE subject-level conditions and requirements for music technology (2022)

Published 11 November 2021

Applies to England

Introduction

About this document

This document is part of a suite of documents which sets out the regulatory requirements for awarding organisations offering reformed A levels and AS qualifications in 2022.

We have developed all our requirements for GCE qualifications with the intention that AS and A level qualifications should fulfil the purposes set out below.

For A levels:

• define and assess achievement of the knowledge, skills and understanding which will be needed by students planning to progress to undergraduate study at a UK higher education establishment, particularly (although not only) in the same subject area
• set out a robust and internationally comparable post-16 academic course of study to develop that knowledge, skills and understanding
• permit UK universities to accurately identify the level of attainment of students
• provide a basis for school and college accountability measures at age 18
• provide a benchmark of academic ability for employers

For AS qualifications:

• provide evidence of students’ achievements in a robust and internationally comparable post-16 course of study that is a sub-set of A level content
• enable students to broaden the range of subjects they study

Requirements set out in this document

This document sets out the GCE Subject Level Conditions for Music Technology (2022). These conditions will come into effect at 09:30 on 12 November 2021 for the following qualifications:

• all GCE A levels in Music Technology
• all standalone GCE AS qualifications in Music Technology

for Learners completing the qualification in 2022, except where the General Qualifications Alternative Awarding Framework applies.

It also sets out our requirements in relation to:

• interpretation of the content document - an awarding organisation must comply with these requirements under Condition GCE(Music Technology)1.1(c)
• assessment objectives - awarding organisations must comply with these requirements under Condition GCE(Music Technology)1.2
• assessment - awarding organisations must comply with these requirements under Condition GCE(Music Technology)2.3

With respect to the qualifications listed above, awarding organisations must also comply with:

• our General Conditions of Recognition, which apply to all awarding organisations and qualifications
• our GCE Qualification Level Conditions and Requirements
• all relevant Regulatory Documents

With respect to all other GCE qualifications in Music Technology taken by Learners completing the qualification in 2023 and after, an awarding organisation must continue to comply with the GCE Subject Level Conditions and Requirements for Music Technology.

Subject Level Conditions

GCE Subject Level Conditions for Music Technology

Condition GCE(Music Technology) 1: Compliance with content requirements

GCE (Music Technology)1.1

In respect of each GCE Qualification in Music Technology which it makes available, or proposes to make available, an awarding organisation must -

1. (a) comply with the requirements relating to that qualification set out in the document published by the Secretary of State entitled ‘Music technology GCE AS and A level subject content’, document reference DFE-00214-2015,
2. (b) have regard to any recommendations or guidelines relating to that qualification set out in that document, and
3. (c) interpret that document in accordance with any requirements, and having regard to any guidance, which may be published by Ofqual and revised from time to time.

GCE (Music Technology)1.2

In respect of each GCE Qualification in Music Technology which it makes available, or proposes to make available, an awarding organisation must comply with any requirements, and have regard to any guidance, relating to the objectives to be met by any assessment for that qualification which may be published by Ofqual and revised from time to time.

Condition GCE(Music Technology) 2: Assessment

GCE (Music Technology)2.1

Condition GCE4.1 does not apply to any GCE Qualification in Music Technology which an awarding organisation makes available or proposes to make available.

GCE (Music Technology)2.2

In respect of the total marks available for a GCE Qualification in Music Technology which it makes available, an awarding organisation must ensure that -

1. (a) 60 per cent of those marks are made available through Assessments by Examination, and
2. (b) 40 per cent of those marks are made available through assessments set by the awarding organisation that are not Assessments by Examination.

GCE(Music Technology)2.3

An awarding organisation must ensure that in respect of each assessment for a GCE Qualification in Music Technology which it makes available it complies with any requirements, and has regard to any guidance, which may be published by Ofqual and revised from time to time.

Subject content requirements

Requirements in relation to subject content for GCE Music Technology

The subject content for GCE Qualifications in Music Technology is set out in the Department for Education’s ‘Music technology GCE AS and A level subject content’, document reference DFE-00214-2015 (the ‘Content Document’).

Condition GCE(Music Technology)1.1(c) requires awarding organisations to interpret the Content Document in line with any requirements, and having regard to any guidance, published by Ofqual.

We set out our requirements for the purposes of Condition GCE(Music Technology)1.1(c) below.

Capture of sound

An awarding organisation must interpret paragraphs 8 and 13 of the Content Document as if practical work does not require the capture of sound.

Assessment objectives

Assessment objectives - GCE Qualifications in Music Technology

Condition GCE(Music Technology)1.2 allows us to specify requirements relating to the objectives to be met by any assessment for GCE Qualifications in Music Technology.

The assessment objectives set out below constitute requirements for the purposes of Condition GCE(Music Technology)1.2. Awarding organisations must comply with these requirements in relation to all GCE Qualifications in Music Technology they make available.

Assessment objective	Description	A level weighting	AS weighting
AO1	Demonstrate use of music technology to edit and produce recordings	30 to 40%	30 to 40%
AO2	Demonstrate use of music technology to create, edit and structure sounds to develop a technology-based composition	20 to 30%	20 to 30%
AO3	Demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding of music technology	20 to 30%	25 to 35%
AO4	Use analytical and appraising skills to make evaluative and critical judgements about the use of music technology	10 to 20%	10 to 20%

Assessment requirements

Assessment requirements - GCE Qualifications in Music Technology

Condition GCE(Music Technology)2.3 allows us to specify requirements relating to the objectives to be met by any assessment for GCE Qualifications in Music Technology.

We set out below our requirements for the purposes of Condition GCE(Music Technology)2.3. Awarding organisations must comply with these requirements in relation to all GCE Qualifications in Music Technology they make available.

Forms of non-examination assessment

Condition GCE(Music Technology)2.2(b) states that an awarding organisation must ensure that of the total marks available for a GCE Qualification in Music Technology, 40 per cent of those marks shall be made available through assessments set by the awarding organisation which are not Assessments by Examination.

In respect of that 40 per cent, an awarding organisation must ensure that -

1. (a) 20 per cent of the total marks available for the qualification are made available through a task which assesses a Learner’s knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to the editing and production of recordings (the ‘Recording Assessment’), and
2. (b) 20 per cent of the total marks available for the qualification are made available through a task which assesses a Learner’s knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to the development of a technology-based composition (the ‘Composition Assessment’).

The Recording Assessment

An awarding organisation must ensure that each Recording Assessment is designed and set to -

1. (a) assess only assessment objective AO1,
2. (b) require each Learner to edit and produce an audio recording, with a duration of -
   1. (i) for a GCE AS qualification, at least one minute and 30 seconds, and
   2. (ii) for a GCE A level qualification, at least two minutes
3. (c) require each Learner to provide such additional evidence as is necessary to enable the consideration of that Learner’s level of attainment in respect of all of the relevant criteria against which Learners’ performance in that assessment will be differentiated,
4. (d) be taken under conditions specified by the awarding organisation, including, in particular, conditions which ensure that the evidence generated by each Learner can be Authenticated,
5. (e) minimise the predictability of those assessments, and
6. (f) facilitate comparability of those assessments, both within each set of assessments,^{[footnote 1]} and over time.

In respect of the task(s) which it sets for each Recording Assessment, an awarding organisation -

1. (a) must not communicate the task(s) that it has set to Centres before 1 June in the calendar year preceding the year in which the qualification is to be awarded,
2. (b) must ensure that each task details the evidence which must be submitted to the awarding organisation, and
3. (c) provides sample recordings (stems) or approves sample recordings selected by the Centre that are suitable for Learners to demonstrate their ability to edit and produce audio recordings.

The Composition Assessment

An awarding organisation must ensure that each Composition Assessment is designed and set to -

1. (a) assess only assessment objective AO2,
2. (b) require each Learner to develop a technology-based composition with a duration of -
   1. (i) for a GCE AS qualification, at least one minute and 30 seconds, and
   2. (ii) for a GCE A level qualification, at least two minutes,
3. (c) require each Learner to provide such additional evidence as is necessary to enable the consideration of that Learner’s level of attainment in respect of all of the relevant criteria against which Learners’ performance in that assessment will be differentiated,
4. (d) to be taken under conditions specified by the awarding organisation, including, in particular, conditions which ensure that the evidence generated by each Learner can be Authenticated,
5. (e) minimise the predictability of those assessments, and
6. (f) facilitate comparability of those assessments, both within a set of assessments, and over time.

In respect of the task(s) which it sets for each Composition Assessment, an awarding organisation -

1. (a) must not communicate the task(s) that it has set to Centres before 1 September in the calendar year preceding the year in which the qualification is to be awarded,
2. (b) must ensure that each task details the evidence which must be submitted to the awarding organisation, and
3. (c) must ensure that the requirement to create sounds can be satisfied with or without requiring Learners to capture live sounds themselves.

Marking of assessments

Evidence generated by a Learner in an assessment for a GCE Qualification in Music Technology which is not an Assessment by Examination may be marked -

1. (a) by the awarding organisation or a person connected to the awarding organisation,
2. (b) by a Centre, or
3. (c) through a combination of (a) and (b).

An awarding organisation must demonstrate to Ofqual’s satisfaction in its assessment strategy that -

1. (a) it has taken all reasonable steps to identify the risk of any Adverse Effect which may result from its approach to marking of assessments, and
2. (b) where such a risk is identified, it has taken all reasonable steps to prevent that Adverse Effect or, where it cannot be prevented, to mitigate that Adverse Effect.

1. For the purposes of these requirements, a ‘set of assessments’ means the assessments to be taken by a particular Learner for a GCE Qualification in Music Technology. For clarity, the assessments taken by Learners may vary, depending on any possible routes through the qualification. ↩