0410_s26_ms_11 2026 May-June Music 0410 Mark Scheme 1 Variant 1 · Cambridge CAIE IGCSE

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0410_s26_ms_112026 May-June Music 0410 Mark Scheme 1 Variant 1

This is the official Cambridge mark scheme for Music (0410) Mark Scheme 1 (Variant 1) from the 2026 May-June session. Mark schemes show exactly how each mark is awarded, including acceptable alternative answers, required key terms, and common errors that lose marks. Cambridge mark schemes use notation like "allow," "accept," and "do not credit" to define the boundary between full marks and zero.

Also referenced as: 0410_s26_ms_11 · 0410/11/m/j/26 ms · 0410/11 May/June 2026 ms

Paper 1: Listening This is Paper 1: Listening, worth 70 marks with a duration of 1h 15m. Listening exam on unfamiliar Western, world and set/focus works. Sections A–C cover unfamiliar Western and world music; Section D is the set work (Beethoven Symphony No. 5 or Haydn Trumpet Concerto). Answer questions only on the set work you have studied.

This mark scheme corresponds to 0410_s26_qp_11. For maximum revision benefit, attempt the question paper under strict exam conditions first, then use this mark scheme to self-assess. Pay attention to the marking notation: "allow" means an alternative is accepted, "do not credit" means a specific phrasing is rejected even if technically correct, and "ORA" (or reverse argument) means the mark can also be earned with the opposite reasoning.

Cambridge mark schemes reward precise language. For Music (0410), look for keywords the examiner requires — definitions must include specific terms (e.g., "per unit mass," "resultant"), and calculations must show working even if the final answer is correct. Understanding mark scheme conventions helps you write answers that hit every marking point, not just the general idea.

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Same paper, other years

Music (0410) Mark Scheme 1 (Variant 1) from other exam sessions — practise the same paper across the years, then check each one against its mark scheme.

Examiner Insights — Paper 1: Listening

Based on analysis of 1 official Cambridge documents (2025)

1

Vague answers that do not refer to what was actually heard in the extract

Answers are sometimes too vague to be awarded credit; specific examples are given below. This is particularly the case in questions on the set works, where candidates are expected to know the music in detail.0410 Paper 1, May/June 2025

How to fix: Anchor every answer to a specific audible event: name the instrument, the bar/section, the dynamic, the articulation. Replace 'the key changes' with 'modulates to the dominant in bar X'. Replace 'African music has call and response' with 'a solo singer is answered by the chorus'. If you cannot point to a moment in the extract that proves your point, do not write it.

2

Answering with the wrong category — giving a time signature when asked for a tempo marking, or naming a movement when asked for a section of the exposition

Answers are sometimes not appropriate to the question being asked, e.g. a question asking for a tempo marking might result in a candidate giving a time signature and a question asking for the name for the part of the exposition might have candidates giving answers such as development or recapitulation, or even a movement of the work.0410 Paper 1, May/June 2025

How to fix: Underline the noun in the question (tempo marking? time signature? key? section?) before writing. Tempo markings are Italian words like adagio, lento, largo, grave, andante, allegro. Time signatures are numbers like 3/4 or 4/4. Exposition sections are 1st subject, transition, 2nd subject, codetta — never development or recapitulation, which belong to the rest of sonata form.

3

Set-work questions answered very poorly — Beethoven and Haydn details are not learned in enough depth

As in previous years, questions about the set work were answered poorly in general, with many candidates gaining very low marks in this section.0410 Paper 1, May/June 2025

How to fix: Build a one-page memory map of your set work: list every section (exposition 1st subject / transition / 2nd subject / codetta / development / recapitulation / scherzo / trio), the key of each, the key relationship to the tonic (dominant, relative minor, tonic major), the instruments that announce each theme, and any technical details (stretto, hemiola, dominant pedal, tonic pedal). Test yourself on bar numbers and key signatures, not just general impressions.

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Music Exam Guide: How to Score Higher

Top mistakes, scoring patterns & answer frameworks from 1 official Cambridge documents