THE TWO TYPES OF EXAMS
ABRSM 'Practical' and 'Performance' Exams
There are two types of exams offered by ABRSM – Practical exam and Performance exam. Here is a little more information about both exams:
- Practical Exams – You will take your exam at your chosen, local exam centre. The examiner will be in the room to assess your performance of Scales and Arpeggios, 3 Pieces, Aural Tests and Sight Reading.
- Performance Exams – This is a digitally based exam. You will perform and record 4 pieces of music on the piano. The recording is then upoaded to the exam site and assessed by an ABRSM examiner.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ABRSM
'PRACTICAL' AND 'PERFORMANCE' EXAMS
1) PRACTICAL EXAMS
‘Practical’ exams consist of 4 components:
1) Scales (marked out of 21) – You will learn a set amount of scales and will perform a selection of these for your exam. You will need to learn your scales by heart and will not be allowed to look at any music in your exam.
2) Pieces (each marked out of 30; total mark out of 90) – You will learn three pieces from the exam syllabus repetoire which differ in styles. These include a traditionally classical/ technical style piece (list A), a slower and more emotional piece (list B), and a more characterful and contemporary piece (list C). You can use your music in your exam.
3) Aural Tests (marked out of 18) – The aural tests examine your musical aptitude. They include skills like identifying a time signature, clapping in time, singing back a melody, identifying changes in a short piece of music and describing music. You will not play the piano at all during the aural tests!
4) Sight Reading (marked out of 21) – You will be required to perform an unfamiliar, short extract of music ‘at sight’. The examiner will place the music in front of you and you will have 30 seconds to find your starting hand position/starting notes, check the key signatures and any added sharps and flats, and play through as much of the piece as you can, given the time allowed. You will then perform it to the examiner as if it is a piece you have been learning at home for months! i.e. with excellent timing, accuracy of rhythms and pitches, dynamics and articulation. For grades 1 and 2, the hand position will not change throughout the extract. For grades 3 and upwards, the hand position will change as the piece progresses. Being able to read music fluently is essential to achieve high marks for the sight reading.
Your marks for each component will be added together to make a total possible mark of 150.
You can download the marking criteria by clicking the link at the top of the page or by CLICKING HERE.
How are grades calculated?
The marks for each component (scales, 3 pieces, sight reading and aural tests) are added together to make a total mark. You need a minimum mark of 100/150 to pass:
Under 100 marks = Not pass
Between 100 and 119 marks = Pass
Between 120 and 129 marks = Pass with Merit
Between 130 and 150 marks = Pass with Distinction
Here is an example situation:
1) Scales = 17/21
2) Pieces = List A: 26/30, List B: 25/30, List C: 24/30
3) Aural Tests = 14/18
4) Sight Reading = 16/21
17 + 26 + 25 + 24 + 14 + 16 = 122/150 (Merit)
How long does the exam last?
Grades 1 – 3 exams last for 12 minutes
Grades 4 and 5 exams last for 15 minutes
Grade 6 exam lasts for 20 minutes
Grade 7 exam leasts for 25 minutes
Grade 8 exam lasts for 30 minutes
How much does it cost?
(Accurate from January 2026)
Practical Exam Fees
Inital Grade = £55
Grade 1 = £62
Grade 2 = £70
Grade 3 = £82
Grade 4 = £89
Grade 5 = £96
Grade 6 = £112
Grade 7 = £121
Grade 8 = £143
When can you take a practical exam?
Practical exams are available 3 times a year. For 2026, the dates are as follows:
SPRING:
Exam entry dates – 13/1 to 26/1
Exam dates – 23/2 to 28/3
SUMMER:
Exam entry dates – 20/4 to 5/5
Exam dates – 8/6 to 11/7
AUTUMN:
Exam entry dates – 24/9 to 7/10
Exam dates – 4/11 to 5/12
2) PERFORMANCE EXAMS
The ABRSM ‘performance’ exams are different the ‘practical’ exams as they involve performing 4 pieces (only) which are recorded at home or at your piano teacher’s house. The pieces must be performed in one take, one after another, with a short break in between each piece. The final recording is submitted via the ABRSM online portal for marking by an examiner. This ‘performance’ exam is worth the same amount of credits as the ‘practical’ exam. They are equal in weighting to each other.
The ‘performance’ exam is a relatively new type of exam introduced by ABRSM in late 2020/early 2021. The introduction of these exams meant a few things:
1) Students no longer had to travel to an exam centre to be able to take an ABRSM exam.
2) Students only need to learn 4 pieces of music (no scales, no sight reading and no aural tests!)
3) Everything is done digitally.
Much the same as the ‘practical’ exams, you will have to learn 3 pieces of music, each of differing styles – one from list A, B and C. You can then select an additional fourth piece known as your ‘own choice piece’. This can be any piece of the same grade as you are taking and does not need to be from the repetoire list.
Each piece is marked out of 30 and you will also receive a mark out of 30 for the ‘performance as a whole’, making a possibility of a total of 150 marks.
You can download the marking criteria by clicking the link at the top of the page or by CLICKING HERE.
How are grades calculated?
The marks for each of the 4 pieces are added together and then this mark is added to the ‘performance as a whole’ mark You need a minimum mark of 100/150 to pass:
Under 100 marks = Not pass
Between 100 and 119 marks = Pass
Between 120 and 129 marks = Pass with Merit
Between 130 and 150 marks = Pass with Distinction
Here is an example situation:
1) List A piece = 26/30
2) List B piece = 27/30
3) List C piece = 28/30
4) List D piece = 26/30
5) Performance as a whole = 27/30
17 + 26 + 25 + 24 + 14 + 16 = 134/150 (Distinction)
How long does the exam last?
The performance exam must be recorded in one take. It must have an introduction at the beginning (this can be edited on afterwards if necessary) in which the candidate announces themselves and their pieces before beginning their performance. If the candidate is a student who does not feel comfortable making the introductory announcement section, someone else can do this. I often do it for my students if they prefer. Candidates should also show the opening of their own-choice piece to the camera.
The whole programme of 4 pieces must not exceed the following times (this does not include the spoken announcement at the beginning but does include the gaps in between pieces):
Initial grade = 5 minutes
Grade 1= 6 minutes
Grade 2 = 7 minutes
Grade 3 = 8 minutes
Grade 4 = 10 minutes
Grade 5 = 12 minutes
Grade 6 = 15 minutes
Grade 7 = 20 minutes
Grade 8 = 25 minutes
How much does it cost?
Accurate from January 2026)
Performance Exam Fees
Inital Grade = £50
Grade 1 = £55
Grade 2 = £64
Grade 3 = £72
Grade 4 = £79
Grade 5 = £87
Grade 6 = £100
Grade 7 = £108
Grade 8 = £127
When can you take a performance exam?
Performance exams are available all year round, so whenever the pieces have reached the highest standard possible, the entry will be made, the recording created and uploaded to the ABRSM exam portal ready for marking.
MARKING CRITERIA
If you want to view the official marking criteria for both the ABRSM Practical and Performance exams, you can do so by CLICKING HERE
CREDITS AND UCAS POINTS
Both ‘Practical’ and ‘Performance’ Exams carry the same amount of credits. They also carry UCAS points for university entrance.
Initial Grade = 4 credits
Grade 1 = 6 credits
Grade 2 = 9 credits
Grade 3 = 12 credits
Grade 4 = 15 credits
Grade 5 = 18 credits
Grade 6 = 22 credits (UCAS Points = Pass: 8 points, Merit: 10 points, Distinction: 12 points)
Grade 7 = 27 credits (UCAS Points = Pass: 12 points, Merit: 14 points, Distinction: 16 points)
Grade 8 = 32 credits (UCAS Points = Pass: 18 points, Merit: 24 points, Distinction: 30 points)