Can I earn 20 more UCAS points by learning to play the piano?

Question

I recently had a response from the University that I most wanted to go to. They have given me a conditional offer and I need to achieve 20 more UCAS points (280 - 300) before they will accept me.

I have a wonderful near full-time job at a bookstore and really don't want to leave, so returning to school isn't really an option for me. The bookstore is like my second home.

I've always wanted to learn the piano, so would it fit in here? Could I earn 20 UCAS points by learning to play the piano? The deadline for achieving these extra few points is 31st August.

If learning the piano won't earn me those points, is there anything else I could consider without having to leave my job? Any help is really appreciated <3

Answer 1

UCAS only accepts the ability to play instruments for UCAS points if you've achieved at least a grade 6 in an instrument (and you can generally only attain a grade a year, two if you're reasonably talented).



I would look into doing another AS-Level at college, as you shouldn't have to cut down your hours at work to much to achieve this. The easiest one to do would be General Studies, it's two exams and no course work and I achieved an E at A-Level having not even turned up to any of the (very few) General Studies class and answered only a handful of the questions (we as a class were protesting against being forced to do General Studies)



Our protest was relevant - as very few Universities accept General Studies A-Level for UCAS points and for each and every one of us it was a pointless A-Level that was worth nothing to us. Before you sign up to do it - CHECK with your University to see if they accept General Studies. There is no point in wasting your time and money doing it if they don't.

Answer 2

Not a chance -you have to pass Grade 6 in an instrument before it counts for UCAS points. It would take 100s of hours of practising to achieve this level (and then you'd have to find time to do the exam and get the result before the end of August.



However, you could take AS General Studies (although you need to check that this would be acceptable to the university as some exclude General Studies as an allowable subject). General Studies, as it sounds, is mostly general knowledge. You could do a few past papers and have a go. An E at AS would get you 20 points, a better grade would get you more.



To take General Studies you would have to enter for the 2 exams (there is no coursework) at an exam enter as a private candidate. AQA is the exam board most friendly to private candidates - see link to their website for private candidates, which includes a pdf of centres which may accept them. You'd have to pay to enter - the exam board fees are about £18 for each of the 2 papers but the exam centre will also charge you for admin and invigilation and this varies from centre to centre. It's certainly a lot cheaper option that paying for a lot of piano lessons.



AQA offers 2 different A level syllabuses - see links 2 and 3 for the specification, past papers etc.



If General Studies is no good then the next easiest(?) option is Critical Thinking. This is harder but has considerably more credibility with universities and so is accepted by most (if not all) universities, has no coursework etc. It is still based on general nous, but you do have to learn the technique to answering the questions. New link added for AQA syllabus.



I don't think FSMQ would be an option. If you are taking Maths A level then this will trump FSMQ and so FSMQ will get you no points. If you're not doing A level then you will find FSMQ hard - in many respects it is significantly harder than AS Maths.

Answer 3

In future, students will be awarded UCAS points for attaining Advanced Level LCM qualifications (grades 6, 7 and 8). A sliding scale of points has been allocated to Pass, Merit and Honours at these three grades. The ruling applies to both practical and theory examinations, although fewer points will be available for theory. For example, an Honours pass at grade 8 will attain 75 points, a Merit 70 points and a Pass 55 points, whereas for theory the points would be 30, 25 and 20 respectively. Points awarded for AS-levels range from 20 to 60 depending on the grade achieved, while A-level passes earn between 40 and 120 points. Points for the highest LCM grade the student has attained will be added to those allocated for A-levels and AS-levels. This will come into effect from 2004 entry into Higher Education.

Answer 4

Did you do Maths A Level by any chance? Because then you could do the FSMQ, which is a fun little qualification nestled between GCSE and AS standard. Our class did it in extra classes, an hour a week in years 10 and 11. Maybe you could find some way of doing that?

Good luck either way :)

Answer 5

By learning to play piano using the powerful technique of https://tr.im/PianoLessons you'll unleash your creative potential as a musician and songwriter.



You'll begin playing music you love right away. As you move through the course you'll learn the complex ideas on the way. This method is based 100% on solid music theory, the skills you'll learn can be applied to any style or genre of music.

Answer 6

You'd have to progress pretty quickly cos you only get ucas points for higher grades.

I'd say your best bet is an ABRSM music theory exam. Just get the grade workbook, work through it like crazy and cram all the info.

xxx