Edexcel A level music paper 3 mark scheme June 2026
Mark Scheme (Results)
Summer 2026
Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Music
(9MU0)
Component 3: Appraising
,Edexcel and BTEC Qualifications
Edexcel and BTEC qualifications are awarded by Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding body. We provide a wide
range of qualifications including academic, vocational, occupational and specific programmes for employers. For
further information visit our qualifications websites at . Alternatively, you can get in touch with us using the
details on our contact us page at
Pearson: helping people progress, everywhere
Pearson aspires to be the world’s leading learning company. Our aim is to help everyone progress in their lives
through education. We believe in every kind of learning, for all kinds of people, wherever they are in the world.
We’ve been involved in education for over 150 years, and by working across 70 countries, in 100 languages, we
have built an international reputation for our commitment to high standards and raising achievement through
innovation in education. Find out more about how we can help you and your students at:
General marking guidance
• All candidates must receive the same treatment. Examiners must mark the last
candidate in exactly the same way as they mark the first.
• Mark schemes should be applied positively. Candidates must be rewarded for what
they have shown they can do rather than penalised for omissions.
, • Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme not according to their
perception of where the grade boundaries may lie.
• All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded. Examiners should
always award full marks if deserved. Examiners should also be prepared to award zero
marks if the candidate’s response is not worthy of credit according to the mark
scheme.
• Brackets around parts of words/phrases in this mark scheme indicate the possible
additional words/phrases candidates may write as their answer. They must not be
awarded twice for an answer relating to one bullet point. Marks must not be awarded
twice for an answer relating to one bullet point, unless it specifically allows for
additional marks to be awarded, normally for additional points of information.
• Where a word is underlined, that word must be included in the answer to be awarded a
mark for that point.
• When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of the mark scheme to a
candidate’s response, the team leader must be consulted.
• Crossed-out work should be marked unless the candidate has replaced it with an
alternative response.
How to award marks for the levels based mark scheme
(Questions 5 and 6)
For all questions marked using a Levels Based Mark Scheme, examiners should pay
particular attention to the initial rubric which precedes the indicative content section. This
rubric details the Assessment Objective and where applicable strand emphasis that should
be applied when making judgements within each band.
Finding the right level
The first stage is to decide which level the answer should be placed in. To do this, use a
‘best-fit’ approach, deciding which level most closely describes the quality of the answer.
Answers can display characteristics from more than one level, and where this happens
examiners must use their professional judgement to decide which level is most appropriate.
Placing a mark within a level
After a level has been decided on, the next stage is to decide on the mark within the level.
The instructions below tell you how to reward responses within a level. However, where a
level has specific guidance about how to place an answer within a level, always follow that
guidance.
Examiners should be prepared to use the full range of marks available in a level. Examiners
should start at the top of the level and then move down through the level to find the best
mark. To do this, they should take into account how far the answer meets the requirements
of the level:
, • If it meets the requirements fully, markers should be prepared to award full marks
within the level. The top mark in the level is used for answers that are as good as can
realistically be expected within that level
• The middle marks of the level are used for answers that have a reasonable match to
the descriptor. This might represent a balance between some characteristics of the
level that are fully met and others that are only barely met.
• If it only barely meets the requirements of the level, markers should consider awarding
marks at the bottom of the level. The bottom mark in the level is used for answers
that are the weakest that can be expected within that level
Mark Scheme (Results)
Summer 2026
Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Music
(9MU0)
Component 3: Appraising
,Edexcel and BTEC Qualifications
Edexcel and BTEC qualifications are awarded by Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding body. We provide a wide
range of qualifications including academic, vocational, occupational and specific programmes for employers. For
further information visit our qualifications websites at . Alternatively, you can get in touch with us using the
details on our contact us page at
Pearson: helping people progress, everywhere
Pearson aspires to be the world’s leading learning company. Our aim is to help everyone progress in their lives
through education. We believe in every kind of learning, for all kinds of people, wherever they are in the world.
We’ve been involved in education for over 150 years, and by working across 70 countries, in 100 languages, we
have built an international reputation for our commitment to high standards and raising achievement through
innovation in education. Find out more about how we can help you and your students at:
General marking guidance
• All candidates must receive the same treatment. Examiners must mark the last
candidate in exactly the same way as they mark the first.
• Mark schemes should be applied positively. Candidates must be rewarded for what
they have shown they can do rather than penalised for omissions.
, • Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme not according to their
perception of where the grade boundaries may lie.
• All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded. Examiners should
always award full marks if deserved. Examiners should also be prepared to award zero
marks if the candidate’s response is not worthy of credit according to the mark
scheme.
• Brackets around parts of words/phrases in this mark scheme indicate the possible
additional words/phrases candidates may write as their answer. They must not be
awarded twice for an answer relating to one bullet point. Marks must not be awarded
twice for an answer relating to one bullet point, unless it specifically allows for
additional marks to be awarded, normally for additional points of information.
• Where a word is underlined, that word must be included in the answer to be awarded a
mark for that point.
• When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of the mark scheme to a
candidate’s response, the team leader must be consulted.
• Crossed-out work should be marked unless the candidate has replaced it with an
alternative response.
How to award marks for the levels based mark scheme
(Questions 5 and 6)
For all questions marked using a Levels Based Mark Scheme, examiners should pay
particular attention to the initial rubric which precedes the indicative content section. This
rubric details the Assessment Objective and where applicable strand emphasis that should
be applied when making judgements within each band.
Finding the right level
The first stage is to decide which level the answer should be placed in. To do this, use a
‘best-fit’ approach, deciding which level most closely describes the quality of the answer.
Answers can display characteristics from more than one level, and where this happens
examiners must use their professional judgement to decide which level is most appropriate.
Placing a mark within a level
After a level has been decided on, the next stage is to decide on the mark within the level.
The instructions below tell you how to reward responses within a level. However, where a
level has specific guidance about how to place an answer within a level, always follow that
guidance.
Examiners should be prepared to use the full range of marks available in a level. Examiners
should start at the top of the level and then move down through the level to find the best
mark. To do this, they should take into account how far the answer meets the requirements
of the level:
, • If it meets the requirements fully, markers should be prepared to award full marks
within the level. The top mark in the level is used for answers that are as good as can
realistically be expected within that level
• The middle marks of the level are used for answers that have a reasonable match to
the descriptor. This might represent a balance between some characteristics of the
level that are fully met and others that are only barely met.
• If it only barely meets the requirements of the level, markers should consider awarding
marks at the bottom of the level. The bottom mark in the level is used for answers
that are the weakest that can be expected within that level
