Music subject report · May 2010

May 2010 extended essay reports Page 1 © International Baccalaureate Organization 2010 MUSIC This is a supplementary report following the May 2010 session and should be read in conjunction with the May 2009 extended essay report. Overall grade boundaries Grade: E D C B A Mark range: 0 - 7 8 - 15 16 - 22 23 - 28 29 - 36 The range and suitability of the work submitted There was a wide range of work, from sharply focused, well planned, and structured investigations, several with imaginative enquiries, productively pursued, to some with ill defined topics, disorganized ideas and/or no strategy. There was a variable understanding of research metho dology (weak to accomplished). A few papers were made exclusively of personal views; others demonstrated some discernment o f the difference between opinion and fact; and some had rigorously objective approaches. Many of the topics were music centred, though many could have used more music illustration and substantiation. Some used isolated argumentation, unsupported by an acad emic context or other lines of enquiry and a great deal of use of general, non -specialized sources, with reliance on the internet - noticeably Wikipedia. Several essays involved lengthy explanations about aspects of music theory. These essays inevitably received lower marks than those that focussed on real pieces of music. Other candidates focused on general research topics: the history of punk rock, classical and romantic music, and lives of performers for example. Other inappropriate essays included topics such as ‘music as a universal language’ and ‘music and its effect on academic results’. It is exceptionally difficult to apply the assessment criteria with rigour to such general extended essays, and those which were not musically based (as in the above two examples) inevitably received low marks. Those who achieved very good marks concentrated on specific analytical and/or compositional features of certain works. Such candidates worked with scores and were able to find detail in the respective texts and comment with authority and confidence. Some candidates wrote ‘compare/contrast’ essays, which did not show a