81% of Brits choose orchestral music as a study soundtrack, new research finds
26 June 2026, 11:00
A quarter of the British population turns to Beethoven to get their facts straight!
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Four in five people in Britain say they would turn to classical or orchestral music to help them revise, according to new research from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO).
The findings come as GCSE and A-level exam seasons draw to a close, while many university students remain in the thick of finals and resits in August. The survey of 2,000 adults asked respondents which genres they chose as a revision soundtrack.
Across all ages, “smooth classics” led the way, chosen by 30% of respondents, followed by film soundtracks at 24% and musicals at 23%.
Among younger listeners aged 18-24, film scores took the top spot with 26% of respondents using the genre to supercharge their revision sessions, with video game soundtracks chosen by 21%.
Beethoven emerged as the UK’s favourite study companion, chosen by 26% of revisers, with Vivaldi and Mozart close behind.
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Interestingly, 12% of under-25s chose opera as their revision soundtrack, suggesting that traditional concert repertoire holds its own against film and game scores in many students’ study playlists.
“Students have been reaching for orchestral music at exam time for a long time,” says RPO managing director Sarah Bardwell. “The appeal may come down to what orchestral music doesn’t do as much as what it does – no lyrics competing for headspace, no hooks demanding attention, just structure and momentum that lets the brain get on with the job, giving you everything you need to concentrate. ”
