The British Library Sound Archive
This isn't just for A level students, it's useful for all musicians. A good ear is really essential to doing anything in music.
If you play, you have to be able to listen to yourself in an active way in order to improve your playing. Composers need to be able to hear their music in their heads so that they can write it down. In ensemble playing, each member must be aware of the whole sound, as well as their own part. When it comes to exams, GCSE and A level students have to sit listening papers and grade exams have an Aural Test component.
The British Library Sound Archive is a great place to start, with a really diverse range of music recordings, as well as spoken word and wildlife and industrial sounds, to get you started. You can access 25000 recordings for free here:
