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Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
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The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music or ABRSM is an organisation that
arranges music examinations. The organisation is based in London, but they arrange
examinations in places all over the world. Many people, especially children, who
learn instruments take examinations of the ABRSM as it helps them to become better
players because it gives them something to work for. People of any age can take the
exams. Those who pass an exam get a certificate. Over 620,000 candidates take the
ABRSM examinations every year in over ninety countries.

The organisation is called “Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music” because
it is organised by a group of four music conservatoires:

Royal Academy of Music

Royal College of Music
Royal Northern College of Music
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

Contents

1 Graded Exams
1.1 Practical Exams
1.2 Theory Exams
1.3 Practical Musicianship
1.4 Jazz Exams
1.5 Diplomas
2 Other websites

Graded Exams

Exams can be taken on many different instruments. In nearly each case there are
eight grades, numbered from 1 to 8. For example, someone who has learned the piano
for a short while may take Grade 1 once he or she can play pieces such as a simple
minuet, and play a few scales with separate hands. By the time they take Grade 8
they will need to be able to play movements from sonatas by composers such as
Beethoven, play all 24 scales in various ways very fluently and be good at sight-
reading.

The marks are given out of 150. The pass mark is hundred. Below hundred marks is a
“Fail”. one hundred and twenty marks to one hundred and twenty nine is called a
“Merit” and one hundred and thirty and above is a “Distinction”.

Although some students take each of the
instrument, it is not necessary to have
higher grade. For grades 6 and above it
or Practical Musicianship or Jazz. This
knowledge of music.
grades as they get better at their
passed earlier grades in order to take a
is necessary to have passed Grade 5 Theory
is to make sure that students have a good

The examiners are people who are professional musicians. Many of them are music
teachers. They have a wide experience of music and they are trained by the ABRSM so
that they all mark in the same way.
The ABRSM also publish a lot of music, including the music set for their exams.

There are four kinds of exams:

Practical Exams

These are by far the most commonly taken exams. Available for over 35 instruments,
these exams consist of 4 different sections:

Set Pieces. The student will need to play three pieces which he or she will
have practised and can play well. There is a choice of pieces: students must choose
one from each of three groups of pieces. For some instruments a selection of these
pieces are published together in a book. The pieces will change every two years (or
with some instruments every four years).

Scales. These will include scales, arpeggios and broken chords, depending on
the grade and instrument.

Sight Reading. The student is given a piece he has never seen before, and has
30 seconds to look at it or try it out, and then he must play it as well as he can.

Aural Tests. The student must listen to examples played by the examiner and
answer questions on them. He may, for example, have to sing the notes the examiner
played, or clap the rhythm or say what kind of chords were played (depending on the
grade).

Each section has a certain number of marks and all the marks add up to 150. 100 is
a pass, 120 a merit and 130 a distinction.

There is also a Prep Test for those who are not yet ready to take Grade 1 but would
like to have the experience of taking an exam. Students who take a Prep Test are
not given a mark. It is a way to encourage young people and make them relaxed about
the idea of taking exams.
Theory Exams

These are written papers about musical theory. They are marked out of 100: 66 or
more is a pass; 80 or more is a merit; 90 or more is a distinction.
Practical Musicianship

These exams will test a student’s understanding of rhythm, melody, key and notation
together with the ability to sing and play from memory, and improvise and to
recognise changes to and answer questions about a score.
Jazz Exams

These are the newest types of exams. Jazz piano was first offered in 1999. At the
moment they are only available for flute, piano, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet and
trombone. They are also only available from Grades 1-5. They are marked in the same
way as practical exams. However many of the pieces include large sections where
they have to improvise (make something up) using particular chords.
Diplomas

The ABRSM offer diplomas in three disciplines:

Music Performance
Music Direction
Instrumental/Vocal Teaching

For each discipline there are three levels of award:

 DipABRSM (Diploma of The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music)
LRSM (Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music)
FRSM (Fellowship of the Royal Schools of Music)

These are professional qualifications which allow a person to put the letters after
his or her name.
Other websites

Official ABRSM website

Category:

Music education

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This page was last changed on 8 December 2019, at 09:15.

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