Step 01

The boards and what a grade is

Music grades are unusual among the qualifications on this site: they are widely understood, they mean roughly the same thing everywhere, and nobody thinks they are a licence to do anything. A Grade 5 tells another musician what you can do in a way that "I've been playing a few years" does not. They run 1 to 8, they are regulated, and, unlike most exams, you choose which one to enter and when.

The main UK boards

ABRSM

The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. The biggest, and the default for classical piano, strings and orchestral instruments. Traditional, thorough, and strong on the supporting tests.

Trinity College London

Classical grades with a bit more flexibility in what you present, plus a separate Rock & Pop syllabus. Often described as the gentler classical route, though the standard is comparable.

RSL (Rockschool)

The rock and pop board: guitar, bass, drums, vocals, keys. Backing tracks rather than accompanists, and repertoire people want to play. Usually the best fit for the acoustic guitar course on this site.

LCM

London College of Music, part of the University of West London. Broad syllabus range including less commonly examined instruments.

Which board, and which grade

All of the above are Ofqual-regulated, so a Grade 5 means a comparable standard whichever badge is on it. What differs is repertoire and emphasis, which means the right question is not "which board is best" but "whose pieces do I want to spend six months with?" Because you will spend six months with them, and enthusiasm survives practice better than duty does.

On which grade: there is no requirement to start at Grade 1, and no requirement to take every grade. Many people jump. The honest test is to look at the syllabus for the grade above the one you are considering and see whether the pieces are within reach with real work. If the target grade's pieces are already comfortable, you have picked too low and will be bored for months.

Nobody is checking your paperwork

Grades have no entry requirements. You do not need the grade below, you do not need a teacher to enter you at most boards, and there is no age limit in either direction. The gatekeeping people imagine around music exams does not exist. The only real constraint is whether you can play the syllabus.

Part ofPlay to Grade·Course 2 of 2

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