To provide a more candidate-friendly experience, we will be moving the assessment of Music Theory at Grades 1 to 5 to an online exam.
With a focus on creating a more reliable and accessible assessment, our new Online Music Theory assessments give candidates the best opportunity to demonstrate their musical knowledge and understanding.
As an awarding organisation, monitored by official regulatory authorities, we take our responsibilities very seriously. These include reviewing and refreshing all our assessments on a regular basis.
We wanted to improve the exam experience for candidates and ensure that we are assessing the essential knowledge and understanding needed at this level. So, we’ve modernised the exam papers and put more focus on the ‘building blocks’ of music theory.
The revised Music Theory exam papers are the result of consultation and research, and reflect best-practice in question design and assessment.
Overall there is a greater focus on assessing the basic principles of music theory, with some modernised and updated exam questions.
The revised exam papers are based on our existing Music Theory syllabus and continue to assess the same broad areas of music theory to the same standards. However, they do not include rhythm-writing, word-setting, melody-writing or the Grade 5 SATB short/open-score question.
The exams still cover:
In more detail, this includes:
Although we’ve made some small changes to the skills needed in certain parts of the exam, the underlying knowledge you need to cover and understand has stayed the same. Candidates do not need to learn anything new to take their exams.
No. We’ve taken care to provide continuity for teachers and students. The underlying knowledge needed to take Theory exams at Grades 1 to 5 is still the same.
Following research into best practice in question design, we have modernised the assessment of musical terms and signs by using a clear multiple-choice format. Multiple choice questions are an accessible, effective and reliable way to test this kind of knowledge. They are widely-used in many different types of assessment, including school tests and exams, so are familiar to the majority of candidates.
At Grades 1 to 5 our main focus has always been to ensure that students are developing fluency with the ‘nuts and bolts’ of music theory. As a result, these questions were never designed to assess creativity. Our research and analysis suggests that rather than encouraging creativity or inventiveness these questions were often completed in a way which implies a formulaic or space-filling approach.
So, following consultation, we decided to replace these questions with more effective methods of assessment, which focus more clearly on the foundations of music theory. In this way, we’re giving candidates additional opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge while increasing the objectivity and consistency of the assessments.
At Grade 6 to 8, there is a shift towards applying knowledge through creativity and invention. The exams for these grades have not changed and candidates will still be asked to write melodies and harmonies. However, at this level candidates will be developing greater musical fluency, making this kind of question more appropriate.
Whatever level students are at, we would always encourage teachers to build creativity into learning whenever possible so that it becomes a normal part of everyday musical activity.
This question wasn’t a fixed part of the Grade 5 exam, and only appeared in some papers. The marks available for this question are now allocated to other questions. This allows us to focus more on the core knowledge we are encouraging at this level. Candidates also have less copying out to do, reducing the likelihood of copying mistakes.
At Grades 1 to 4, replacement questions are based on existing question-types with a clear focus on specific areas of theory knowledge. They cover familiar topics and teachers and candidates do not have to prepare anything new.
At Grade 5, we have transferred the 15 marks currently available for melody-writing or word-setting to an additional question on the features of a musical extract. In questions like this, candidates need to apply their knowledge in a wider musical context and use the same kind of ‘higher-order’ thinking as the melody-writing question.
Some musical extracts are shorter and specially written. This reduces the amount of unnecessary information on the page and gives more consistency across papers.
We’ve also simplified the layout of the interval questions at Grades 4 and 5, and the ‘chords at cadence points’ question at Grade 5 (Question 7). For Grade 4, Question 7, we’ve adjusted and improved the way we allocate marks.
Finally, exam papers for all grades, including 6 to 8, uses a font that’s clearer and easier to read.
No. None of the changes are about making the exams easier. The level of knowledge and understanding needed has stayed the same.
When multiple-choice questions are well-designed, the likelihood of being able to give correct answers through guesswork is very small. We are continuing to assess a full range of terms and signs, and candidates still need to learn these thoroughly to do well in this section of the exam.
At Grade 5, while we've removed the melody-writing/word-setting question, we are still asking candidates to apply their knowledge in a wider context when they answer questions about musical extracts. This calls for the same ‘higher order’ thinking as the melody-writing question. So the assessment method has changed, but standards are staying the same.
All online exams are automatically marked by the system. Answers are authored by our Senior Theory Panel and approved by the Chief Examiner to ensure 100% accuracy.
As a regulated awarding organisation, we routinely monitor our marking statistics for papers as a whole, by section and for individual questions. This helps us ensure consistency between exam papers and continuity of standards across different question types.
When we decided to make these changes to our Theory exams, we used these statistics to help us design the revised questions. This has allowed us to make improvements to the exams with minimal disruption for candidates and teachers. It also means that we shouldn’t see fluctuations in marks when comparing results year on year.
Whenever candidates take one of our exams, we are confident that the mark they are awarded is an accurate reflection of their music theory knowledge and understanding.
No. We have been careful to ensure that despite the slight shift in focus at Grades 1 to 5, the step up to Grade 6 has not changed. We have not lowered standards at Grades 1 to 5 and are not expecting any changes to the marks awarded.
Once students have passed Grade 5, with its clear focus on the fundamentals of music theory, they should have the tools they need to start tackling the different requirements of the higher grades.
Free practice materials to help students with their exam preparation are available on our website. This includes two sets of sample exam papers for Grades 1 to 5. These are free to view, download and print. You can also try our online quiz to practise the new multiple choice questions for terms and signs.
In addition to the free material on our website, printed Practice Papers and Model Answers for the revised exams at Grades 1 to 5 are currently available to buy on our website and from music shops.
We have also changed the name of these papers from Past Papers to Practice Papers as this is a clearer way to describe them.
Yes. These books still cover all the knowledge and skills you need for our Music Theory exams at these grades. The sections on rhythm-writing, word-setting and melody-writing will not be directly relevant to the exams, but these books continue to provide plenty of valuable teaching and learning material for the exams.
Yes. You will still be able to buy Past Papers and Model Answers from previous years (2016 and earlier). They continue to provide valuable teaching material, and can be used in addition to the new Practice Papers.
No. We are not planning any changes to Music Theory at Grades 6–8 at the moment.
We regularly review, refresh and, if necessary, update all our exams and assessments. This helps to ensure that our syllabuses are relevant, that they meet the changing needs of teachers and students, and that we are following best-practice in delivery.
We have designed these small changes to our Music Theory exams to provide immediate improvements to the focus, accessibility and validity of the exams, while maintaining standards and causing minimal disruption to teachers and candidates. We are continuing to work on long-term improvements to Music Theory. Any future changes will be based on research, consultation and feedback, and we will keep teachers and students fully up-to-date with any developments.
As students progress with their playing and singing, music theory knowledge becomes increasingly important. It helps students to perform with sensitivity, insight and confidence.
We have a longstanding benchmark that candidates must pass Grade 5 (or above) in Music Theory, Jazz or Practical Musicianship before they can enter for a practical exam at Grade 6, 7 or 8. This is because we believe that a thorough understanding of the elements of music is essential if musicians are to perform effectively at these higher grades.
Our Music Theory exams encourage students to develop their understanding of the building blocks of music. This starts with the basics of rhythm and notes, and goes on to cover harmony and counterpoint, composition, and a broad knowledge of western music, including composers and their works, structure, style and period.