WELL PITCHED exam papers for music were somewhat marred by a simple but confusing error in one of the higher level papers.

Most students sat two papers yesterday one in listening and one in composition. The mistake was spotted in question 5.

The question asked students to compose bass notes and chord indications to a given set of chords. The third chord left out the minor key symbol.

"They were okay after the exam," said TUI representative Noel Cronin. "But there was certainly a lot of confusion."

The mistake on the composition paper was an unfortunate blot on an otherwise excellent exam, according to teachers.

More than 5,500 students sat the music exam this year. There is a performance element of the exam which students have already completed.

The CD for the listening section is common to both higher and ordinary level with different questions asked. The higher level questions were very manageable, according to Fiona McManus, music teacher at the Institute of Education.

Question 1, which carries the most marks, referenced the Beatles, which was a very popular choice with students, she said.

The only issue that arose in the ordinary level listening was regarding the structure of the paper. There is an Irish music question in which higher level students are required to write a short essay, and there is a gap of 12 minutes on the CD to allow them to do so, Murray said. However, ordinary level students are not required to write an essay and just have to wait 12 minutes before they can continue.