Recommended Reading
Getting the best out of the available Study Guides
The study guides published for each of the examination boards are well worth having in this crucial run up to the Listening and Areas of Study examinations. But remember, this is a music exam and music does not exist until it is heard. So, for every musical feature mentioned in these texts, make sure that you listen to the actual music spoken of from the relevant Area of Study; or, for the Listeneing Papers I would highly recommend the Rhinegold: Dictionary of Music in Sound - a brilliant resource for hearing examples of all those musical devices that you will be expected to identify and describe.
