Graded exams in music
Four awarding organisations offer graded music exams, covering orchestral instruments, piano, electronic keyboards, singing and guitar. Every one of them also awards in another art form.
What a graded music exam covers
Music grades run the full range of the repertoire: orchestral instruments, piano, electronic keyboards, singing and guitar, each assessed against the same progressive structure.
The four organisations awarding them are broad examination boards rather than music specialists. All four also award graded exams in at least one other art form.
Grade 8 and higher education
- In music, conservatoires often specify Grade 8 as a prerequisite for their courses. Grades 6 to 8 also carry points on the UCAS Tariff, which gives higher education institutions a way of comparing applicants holding different kinds of qualification.
The 4 organisations awarding graded music
Each sets its own syllabuses and appoints its own examiners. Contact them directly for syllabuses, entry, fees, dates and results.
All four, alphabetically
Founded 1877 to 1991
The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM)
4 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
London College of Music Examinations
University of West London, St Mary's Road, Ealing W5 5RF
RSL Awards
Harlequin House, 7 High Street, Teddington TW11 8EE
Trinity College London (TCL)
Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0TA
Looking for a different discipline?
The same graded structure runs through all four performing arts. Twenty organisations award them between them.
Every exam question belongs to an awarding organisation
Syllabuses, entry, fees, dates and results are set by each organisation, not by CDMT. Pick one above and go direct.