The Music courses provide candidates with broad practical experience of performing, creating and understanding music. The courses enable candidates to work independently or in collaboration with others, and can help them to plan and organise, to make decisions and to take responsibility for their own learning.
We’ve updated the course specifications and coursework assessment tasks for assignments for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Music.
Details of the updates that have been made can be found in the ‘history of changes’ tables at the back of each document.
General marking principles
We’ve updated the general marking principles in the course specifications to include the following:
If a candidate submits a performance plan consisting of screenshots of a digital audio workstation, which may include only names of instruments, and no further information, award 0 marks.
If a candidate submits a score or performance plan with any part as tablature (TAB) only, award 0 marks.
If a candidate doesn’t annotate all their note rows in their serial composition, award 0 marks.
These principles will be applied during marking of the assignments from session 2025-26 onwards.
Creative input and performance plans
We’ve also added guidance to the course specifications and/or coursework assessment task documents. Candidates should clearly identify their input to their composition or arrangement (Advanced Higher only). Information to be included in performance plans is also detailed.
Analysis template (Advanced Higher)
We’ve updated the analysis template to include a dedicated space for candidates to insert the link of the audio of their chosen piece. A significant number of candidates did not include this in their submission in 2025.
If candidates have started working on the superseded template, they can continue to do so for this session. However, they must ensure that the link to the audio of their chosen piece is included, or an audio file is submitted alongside the analysis template.
Audio presentation
We’re currently developing an Understanding Standards audio presentation to highlight the changes to the documentation. The audio presentation will also signpost the range of Understanding Standards materials available to support teachers and lecturers with the assignment. This will be published in due course.
About post-exam diet changes to documents
It’s normal practice for SQA to review course materials after the marking of exams and coursework is complete.
During marking, our exam teams sometimes identify areas of the published marking instructions and instructions for candidates that could be made clearer.
