Enjoyment through achievement
Earning an ABRSM certificate is a rewarding experience. If you're working hard to make progress with your music, you need a way to recognise your success and reassurance that you're on the right track.
Music exams offer:
- Motivation and inspiration, working from a carefully structured syllabus towards a definite goal
- A measure of personal progress and attainment against internationally recognised benchmarks
- An objective guide to improve your musical skills
- Assessment by a respected and independent musician who's highly trained and is monitored
- Performance opportunities and a real sense of achievement
What’s new?
New repertoire lists and scale requirements at all grades
Repertoire:
- More choice than ever before, with the lists extended to ten pieces (30 pieces in total per grade)
- Duet option included for the first time – up to Grade 3
- Revised list structure
Scales requirements:
- A more realistic and manageable assessment load, with the focus instead on technical development and progression
- Initial Grade exam introduced – a pre-Grade 1 assessment following the same structure, content and assessment criteria as ABRSM’s existing graded music exams (three pieces, scales and arpeggios, sight-reading and aural tests)
Syllabus validity:
Piano syllabus 2021 & 2022 comes into effect on 1 January 2021. This means:
- Candidates can begin to present the pieces and scales requirements from the new syllabus;
- Candidates can continue to present the pieces and scales requirements from the 2019 & 2020 syllabus during the overlap period (see below);
- Sight-reading and aural test requirements remain exactly the same as for the 2019 & 2020 syllabus.
Syllabus overlap:
For candidates wishing to present pieces and scale requirements from the 2019 & 2020 syllabus, a one-year overlap period (up to 31 December 2021) now applies to all countries.
All three pieces and the scales requirements must be prepared from the same syllabus.
