ABRSM - Practical Grade Examinations (face-to-face)

Prep Test
Initial grade
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4

£39
£40
£44
£50
£58
£63

Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
ARSM

£69
£80
£85
£101
£170

PRACTICAL AND ONLINE SESSION 1

Booking period: 18 January - 01 February

EXAM PERIOD

1 March - 1 April

We will contact you if your exams have been affected by COVID. For the latest information, and to check which venues have closed, please visit our Latest updates page

You can switch between Performance (digital) and Practical (face-to-face) exams as you progress through the grades. Updates on availability are available on the ABRSM website.  




We've designed our Practical graded music exams to motivate instrumental and singing students of all ages and a wide range of abilities. They're available at Grades 1 to 8, as well as a pre-Grade 1 Initial Grade for some subjects. They provide:

  • Progressive goals to aim for
  • Recognition for achievement
  • Carefully structured syllabus requirements
  • One-to-one assessment by an expert professional
  • An objective guide to a candidate’s skills and progress.

ABRSM exams are music exams rather than instrumental or singing exams. Examiners assess the quality of the music-making, not how it's achieved. For this reason, we don't restrict examiners to assessing only their own instrument but require them to examine all instruments.

There are no age restrictions and students can start with any grade or skip grades if they want to.

Broadly, we assess:

  • Performance skills through pieces or songs
  • Technical skills through scales and arpeggios
  • Notation skills through a sight-reading test
  • Listening skills and musical perception through aural tests

Total marks in all individual Practical graded exams are 150.

  • 100 marks are required to pass
  • 120 marks are required to pass with merit
  • 130 marks are required to pass with distinction