Music Theory Sample Paper Grade 1

Exam duration: 2 hours maximum Total marks (out of 75):

The following sample exam paper is a printed representation of how this exam will appear.
The structure of the questions, the knowledge required and the topics covered will be the
same. However, the wording of the questions and the method of answering them may be
different.

Terminology:
bar semibreve minim crotchet quaver semiquaver
measure whole note half note quarter note 8th note 16th note

1
Music Theory Sample Paper Grade 1
Exam duration: 2 hours maximum

1 Rhythm ⁄15
1.1 Circle the correct time signature for each of these bars. (3)

œœ ‰ œœ œ œœ œœ œœœ œœœ
œ 2 4 3
&
& ‰‰ JJœ œœ œ œ


(a) & J 4 4 4
### œ ™™ œœœ œœ 3 4 2

(b)
& œœ ™
&
& œ 4 4 4
?
?
? œ œ œœ œ œœ œJ 2 3
c 4 4
(c)
? 2 œ™œ œ œœJJJ œœ œ œJœ
Ϫ
? 4 œ™ œ œœœ ‰ ˙
2
‰ ˙

? 4œ œ œ J
toœeach‰of these

œ œ œ œ ˙ five melodies.
?
2
J ‰ ˙
the one
1.2 Add missing bar-line (5)

# œ
4
œ œ œ
? 2# œ œ œ J ‰ ˙ j œ œ

2
& #4# 4
4
3œ œ œ œ™ œj œ
3
&# 4
(a)

# œ œ œ œ™ œj œ œ
&# 4 œ œ œ œ™ œj œ œ
œ
3
&# 4
# œ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ
œ œ
(b)
3
& & 44# 4 œ
œ
œœ œ œ œj œ
œœ œœ™ œ œ ˙ œ
4
&4 ˙ œ
3
&4
4˙ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
(c)
˙ œ œ œ œ ˙
&4
? œ œ œœ œ œ
j
4
& ?
˙
442 œ ™ œ œjœ œœ œœ œœ ˙œ
2
œ œ œ ˙œ
4
?2 ˙
œ œ j œ œ œ œ
(d)
4
?2 œ œ
™
j œ œ œ œ
4
? 2 œ™ œ œ jœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœ œ
œ œ ## 3
™
?
4
? 43 œœ™™ œ œ œœ œ œ & 4 œ œœœœœ œ
3
œ
™
(e)
œ
œ™ œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ
4

? 43
1.3 Tick (?) one box œ œ œeach question. œ œ œ œ
43 Ϫ to answer
œ œœœœœ
(2)

? 3 Ϫquavers
4 œ œ areœthere in a h. ? 3 
4
## 3 ## 3
œœœ j
(a)
How many 4  5  6 
& 4 œ œ œœœ œ œ 3  & 4 œ œ 6 
œœ
(b) How many crotchets are there in a semibreve? 2  4 

1.4 Tick ( ) one box to show which bar is grouped correctly. (1)

# 3 ## 3 ## 3
& #4 œ œœœœœ œ & 4 œ œœœœœ œ
j & 4 œ œœœœœ œ


2

# 3 ## 3
1.5 Tick ( ) or cross ( ) each box to show whether the rests are correct or incorrect. (3)

&b 4 œ œ ∑
4 œ ™ œj œ Œ œ œ ≈œœœœ œ œ œ œ ˙

1.6 Tick ( ) one box which shows the four notes written in order from the shortest (1)
value to the longest.
?# w
# h w w
x ?e.
x h e. w ?# w w
&
w
&
x e. w h ?# w
?# w w
& &
#w
& ?# w w
2 Pitch
#w & ⁄15
w ? w
& &
2.1 Tick ( ) one box to show the correct name of each#note.
? w w (7)

? # w w
(b) & (c)  &
#w
(a)
w

& ? & bw
F# D# G
#w E A B F G E# C# D# G#
& bw ? w
& &

w #w ? nw #w
? bw ?
(e) & b

(d) (f) 
w
? w
G b F w B A ? bw
&
Eb Bb Db Ab
&
F G C D
#w ? b w

&

bw
?

nw #w &

? nw b

w
w
w

(g) & ? w bw ?b
& w
? w
D E
b w
G F
? & ? nw bw
nw #w & bw nw
b w

?b

w
& &
wnote of each of the pairs of notes. w
&
2.2 Tick ( ) the lower (4)

? ? nw b w w #w nw
? nw #w & b w nw &
(a)

b w
(b)

& (c) (d)

w #w nw
?
& nw bw & bw nw
Turn the page
&
  3


?#
w
2.3 Tick ( ) the correct clef needed to make each of these named notes. (4)

w w
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
bw
w
G E ?# C ?
b Bb
Bb
? 
&  &  w ?  & 
? 
& 
? 
w #
&#
bw
3 Keys and Scales ?# ?b ?b ⁄15
w
# #
&#
correctly written key signature of F major.
( ) one box to show the
3.1 Tick
&b
bw (1)

?# ?b ?b ?

## #
& ##
bw
& &b
?b ?b ?
3.2 Tick ( ) one box to show the correctly written key signature of D major. (1)

## # #
& &b &# & ##
?b ?

#
&b & ## & ##
?
3.3 Tick ( ) three boxes to show which notes need an accidental to create a melody (3)
in the key of G major.

# ˙ ˙ # ˙ ˙ œ ˙ ˙
&4
4# &# œ œ œ œ

& ##
3.4 Tick ( ) two boxes to show the two pairs of notes in this scale which are a semitone apart. (2)

& w w w w w

w w w

  4
3.5 Circle true or false for each statement. (4)

(a) There is one flat in the key signature of F major true false

& w
(b) There is one sharp in the key signature of D major true false

(c) & w This is the 2nd degree of the scale of G major true false

?
(d) w This is the 4th degree of the scale of F major true false
?
w
3.6 Tick ( ) one box to show the correctly written scale of G major ascending.
? w w w #w w (1)
w w w w #w w
? w w w w w w
? w w w w #w
w w
? w w w w
? w #w w w w w
#w w w w w
? w w w w w
w #w w w
? w w #w w
? w w w w #w w
w w w w w
? w w w #w w
w w w w
3.7 Circle true or false. (1)

? w bw w w w w w w
 

This is the scale of C major, descending   true   false

3.8 Cross ( ) the two incorrect notes in the following scale. (2)

D major, descending

& w #w w w w w w #w

  5 Turn the page

 ? ? ? w w &w w
4 Intervals  ⁄10

4.1 For each example, write one note to form the named interval. (5)
Your note should be higher than the given note. The key is D major.

?? w w ?? ww w w
& &?
& ww
?
(a) & w
?? ww && w w
w (b) (c)

w
w8th / 8ve
4th
w
2nd &
& w & w
?? w ??
&& w w
& w
(d) ? ww
(e)
w ?
5th & w 6th w & w
w ? w w w
&
w
4.2 Tick ( ) one box to show the correct number of each interval. The key is C major. (5)

w w w ? w w
(a) &
? w
(b) &
? w w (c)
w w
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 7th
8th/8ve 2nd 4th 5th 6th

?

w

?

w
& w
w w w w
(d)
? w
w &
(e) w
4th 5th 6th 7th 5th 6th 7th 8th/8ve
? w ? w w
w
w
w w
&
& w

5 Tonic Triads   ⁄10

? w w
w
w &
& w
w
w
5.1 Circle true or false for each statement. (3)

& w
w
w
w w
(a) &
?
& w w
w
w
w
This is the tonic triad of G major true false
w
(b)
? w
w
w This is the tonic triad of F major true false
? w
w
w
(c) & #w
w
w This is the tonic triad of D major true false
& #w
w
w
& #w
w
w
  6
?5.2 Add
w
one missing note to complete each triad, with the tonic as the lowest note.
Use accidentals if necessary. &
(3)

w ww w
?(a)?? w w w ??? #w#w#w (c) &&&
w w w
w
w
(b)
ww
w ww w


? w
? w? w
w
F major
w ? D major C major

? w
w
w
5.3 Circle the correct key for each tonic triad. (4)

? w
? w
w
(a) ?
w
F major C major G major D major
w

w
? w
w
(b)
& w
w
C major F major D major G major
? #w
w
w
w
w
(c) & w
#w
w G major D major C major F major

& #w
w
w
(d) & C major D major F major G major
& #w
w
w
&
w
w
& w
w
6 Terms and Signs
w
w
  ⁄5
&
Tick ( ) one box for each term/sign. (5)

staccato means: decrescendo means: Adagio  means:

accent gradually getting louder slow

fairly quick gradually getting quicker quick

loud gradually getting quieter at a medium speed

detached gradually getting slower  fairly quick

mp means: q = 120 means:

moderately loud 120 crotchet beats

moderately quiet 120 crotchet beats in a bar 

120 crotchet beats in
very quiet a minute
quiet 120 crotchets in the melody 

  7 Turn the page

 7 Music in Context ⁄5

Look at this melody and then answer the questions that follow.

Andante

&4 ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ j œ ˙™
1 2 3 4

œ œ™ œ œ œ

4
mf cresc. f

œ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ w
˙
5 6 7 8

& J
ff mf

7.1 Circle true or false. (1)

The melody gets gradually louder towards the end   true   false

7.2 Tick ( ) the bar number that contains all the notes of the tonic triad of C major. (1)

bar 1     bar 2     bar 5     bar 6 

7.3 Complete the following three sentences by ticking one box for each. (3)

(a) The longest note in the melody is a …

minim     semibreve     crotchet     dotted minim 

(b) Bar 1 has the same pitches as …

bar 4     bar 5     bar 7     bar 8 

(c) The letter name of the highest note in the melody is …

A     F     B     G 

  8 End of exam