Edexcel A Level Music - The Beatles 'Eleanor Rigby' Element Map

I create these ‘Element Maps’ for my A Level Music class. They are essentially element-based mind maps, but they are catered to the 30-mark essay in Section C of the Edexcel A Level Music Listening & Appraising paper.

I ask my students to structure their element paragraphs using the following template:

• a general description of the element in the set work
• two specific features of the element in the set work, linked to two relevant corresponding wider listening references
• a link to their argument

The ‘Element Maps’ that I create are therefore structured like this, with a box for each of these aspects of a model paragraph for every element. I feel that this equips students comprehensively for Section C of the exam.

Please note: this is not a resource with detailed analysis of the set work, the idea here is to strip back the detail found in the Edexcel notes and anthology to make it more manageable for students to prepare for the exam.

Finally, I think the strength of these resources lies in the fact that AOS4: Popular Music is the Area of Study that I feel most at home in, and I therefore feel that I have been able to provide a wide range of interesting and relevant wider listening references for students.

The feedback from my students has been very positive so far, but I would welcome further feedback!