"With maths you can practise questions, there's right or wrong answers but with music, all you can do is listen and write what you think you hear," she said

The aural exam for Music 1 has students listening to a variety of compositions while they complete a written analysis.

Students are asked to apply the elements of music, meaning they discuss the rhythm, tone and timbre of pieces chosen by the Board of Studies.

Despite the stress of being unable to prepare for a specific piece, Charlotte said Music 1 was, overall, a relaxing subject.

"It's my fun subject, I chose it because I knew I would do well because I play music and enjoy music," she said.

The 17-year-old has played piano since she was five except for a brief hiatus as a child.

"I stopped for a few years because I wasn't practising and Mum refused to pay for lessons if I wasn't going to practice," she said.

She decided to return to piano while picking up another talent on the way.

Charlotte is enrolled in the selective performing arts program as a drama student, with her family relocating to Wollongong after hearing about the specialist school.

"I'm originally a country girl from Wagga and when my stepdad got a job in Sydney we moved to Wollongong so I could go to this school," she said.