IGCSE Music (0978) — real past-paper questions, marked by AI
0978 is the 9-1 graded version of IGCSE Music, sat on the same listening-and-appraising paper as its A*-G twin: you identify features in set works and unfamiliar extracts, then describe them using named musical terms. Describe, identify, and compare are the working command words, and the mark scheme rewards a labelled technique — 'imitation', 'triadic harmony' — over a general impression of the sound.
This hub holds 187 real 0978 questions from 4 papers set across the 2023 to 2025 sessions. The topic list includes listening questions on describing music in Western traditions, the Baroque-to-twentieth-century strand, world music, and named set works — Haydn's Symphony No. 100, Brahms's Academic Festival Overture, and the Haydn Trumpet Concerto — plus listening questions on historical periods and keys and tonality. The extracts and prompts here are the transcribed written material, not audio. Type your answer and the AI examiner marks it instantly against the real Cambridge mark scheme, showing which named feature or set-work detail earned the point.
It is free, with no signup, so you can drill a set work or a listening strand as many times as you need.
Past papers by year
2025
| Paper | Session | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 12 | May–June 2025 | 39 |
2024
| Paper | Session | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 12 | May–June 2024 | 8 |
2023
| Paper | Session | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 12 | May–June 2023 | 11 |
| Paper 12 | October–November 2023 | 10 |
Practise IGCSE Music by topic
- Set works (24 questions)
- Listening and analysis (skeleton score) (20 questions)
- World music / World focus (17 questions)
- Listening: Western tradition (6 questions)
Frequently asked questions
Which 0978 papers and years are covered?
4 papers from the May–June and October–November sessions between 2023 and 2025, all from Component 1.
What is the difference between 0978 and 0410?
0978 is the 9-1 graded version of IGCSE Music, reporting grades 9 to 1 instead of A* to G, with the same course content and exam style as 0410.
Does the hub include the listening audio?
No — the material here is the transcribed written prompts and set-work questions from the appraising paper; you practise naming and describing musical features, not the audio extracts.
How does the AI marking work for music answers?
You type your description of a musical feature or set work, and the AI examiner checks it against the real Cambridge mark scheme, showing which named term matched a marking point.
Is it really free?
Yes — questions, mark schemes, and AI marking are all free, with no signup or card details.
Are these official Cambridge papers?
The questions are transcribed from real Cambridge papers and marked against the real mark schemes, which remain © Cambridge International. Cambridge Papers is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge.