Teacher's Guide Cambridge Pre-U MUSIC Available for teaching ...

Cambridge Pre-U Teacher Guide
The assessment of essays in this section of the paper will be based not only on the candidate’s ability
to harness relevant information and provide apposite illustrations, but also on the clarity of the
argument in relation to the specifics of the question and on the quality of language employed.
Component 41: Dissertation
In preparing for this component, candidates are not expected to undertake original research or to
tread new scholarly paths. They should, however, demonstrate a good understanding of current
thinking about their chosen topic, close familiarity with a range of relevant music and sensible,
informed reflection about what they hear and study. On the other hand, a simple compilation of
extracts from standard texts or a repetition of second-hand judgements about the music, unsupported
by any evidence that the candidate has actually heard it, will not meet the assessment criteria. The
presentation should offer reliable evidence of independent learning: to achieve this, however, all
candidates will need their teacher’s supervision throughout the course and, in many cases, structured
guidance as well. The perceptions and judgements in the final document will, nonetheless, be entirely
those of the candidate, communicated in his or her own words.
Ideally there should be regular supervision throughout the course. At the very least, teachers should
expect to have close contact with candidates at three key moments:
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•
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at the start: choosing and framing a title and defining the scope of the project; assessing and
locating necessary resources; drawing up a manageable timetable.
in the middle: checking progress against the agreed timetable; reviewing the actual availability
of resources; identifying stumbling-blocks and/or potentially unfruitful directions of enquiry.
towards the end: prior to finalising the form of the presentation, checking candidates’
assimilation of their material; ensuring that all quotations and their sources are fully
acknowledged; gauging whether the presentation can be readily handled and understood by
the reader.
When choosing a title, candidates must be advised about the practicality of their suggested topic. Is it
too large a subject to be possible to address within the limit of 3,500 words? What skills are needed?
Do the individual candidates possess those skills, or the potential to develop them quickly enough?
Do they have access to adequate, reasonably scholarly resources? Above all, what music will they
need to listen to and become familiar with? At a time when students usually turn first to the internet
for their initial research, it is all too easy for them to overlook the need for recordings and scores,
yet these are the essential tools without which they cannot form their own judgements or learn
independently.
While candidates will benefit from guidance, particularly in being steered away from topics that are
too broad, or for which resources are not readily available, it is important that their interest should
be engaged: they should not be directed towards an unwelcome topic. Whatever the candidates’
level of intellectual and musical ability (and this, too, needs judicious assessment in terms of whether
a particular topic is feasible for a particular candidate), the project is more likely to be carried to a
successful conclusion if the topic arouses at least some curiosity, or preferably real enthusiasm.
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