Evaluations differ from exams in that marks are not awarded. Instead, constructive comments are written by the examiner onto the certificate that each candidate receives at the end of the assessment. There are two types of evaluations offered by the Board:
Prep Test is designed for pupils who have been learning an instrument for about six to nine months. Prep test available for:
Piano | Clarinet |
Guitar | Bassoon |
Violin | Saxophone |
Viola | Trumpet |
Cello | Flugelhorn |
Double Bass | Cornet |
Recorder (Descant) | Trombone, Baritone, Euphonium |
Flute | Horn, E flat Horn |
Oboe | Singing |
Performance Assessment is open to musicians aged 21 or over and to musicians of any age whose specific needs mean they are unable to access graded music exams.
All practical exams take place in front of one or more highly qualified examiners from the Associated Board’s examining panel. All examiners undergo continuing professional development, moderation and monitoring. In such a way, individual experience is combined with comprehensive and rigorous training, both prior to acceptance on to the panel and throughout an examiner’s carrier with the Board. The result is a team of impartial, objective and consistent examiners. Independent research conducted by senior academics shows that Associated Board examining procedures are “highly consistent and reliable”.
Each candidate receives “Libretto” magazine and a set of promotional materials (Syllabus for a chosen subject, Examination Information and Regulations booklet, etc.). Candidates can obtain both music and other supporting materials for the Board’s Practical exams from ABRSM Publishing, one of the UK’s leading music publishers. These materials include albums of selected exam pieces, textbooks on theory, harmony and musical form, scale books and specimen books for the sight-reading and aural tests, theory papers from previous years, various anthologies, including scholarly editions of Baroque, Classical, and Romantic masters, as well as works by contemporary composers (f.e.“Spectrum” – serial of contemporary music), jazz materials, etc.
The Associated Board awards scholarships and prizes (f.e. the “Hedy King Robinson” Award and many International Scholarships for study at the four Royal Schools of Music, which include tuition fees, a grant of £4,500 sterling per year towards living expenses, and the return fare home). The possibility of earning ABRSM certificates and diplomas is an important opportunity for young musicians from our country. Such opportunities enable them to receive recognition of their capabilities beyond the country’s borders.
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