Face to Face Exam advice page
Sitting exams is a lovely aspect of music education, there are so many areas of personal development that improve from taking an exam, it can really boost your confidence, technique, repertoire and experience.
When the time comes the administration can be a bit of a complicated process, so please allow us to explain. This page is in regards to face to face exams, for information on Recorded exams please have a look here.
Once we have made the entry, the London College of Music and the Registry of Guitar Tutors then collate all the information and give a provisional exam date, which is usually distributed by half term. Hopefully it suits you, but if not we will need to deal with it quickly.
You will be asked your availability at the time of booking. Please be aware that the system is very overstretched and although the exam coordinators do try, there is sometimes very little room for movement after the booking has been offered. It is important that you confirm your given exam date as quickly as possible (24hrs). If you need to change your exam appointment but you take too long to respond you may be stuck with that appointment.
The exam can happen inside school hours. This should be marked as an educational absence (we can give you a supporting letter) and should not affect your school attendance figures.
The entry process is that there are three entry dates and then there are exam periods, where the exam actually happens. The entry dates are the same every year: Spring sitting 8th February, Summer sitting 8th May, Winter sitting 8th October.
The exam periods are different each year, so it is difficult to know in advance. But as a guide the Autumn sitting happens between October half term and Christmas, the Spring sitting happens between February half term and Easter and the Summer sitting between May half Term and the Summer Holidays.
To make the exam entry we will send an invoice, the provisional exam dates and we will also request the full name and DOB of the person entering the exam. This is how their name will appear on the certificate. The name on the certificate can be changed later but there is a charge for this.
On the exam date, you will be expected to accompany your child to the exam centre, you will also need to take along your exam acknowledgment letter. If you need Steve or Claire to accompany your child, please speak to Claire and we will discuss the costs.
Here is a table of this years exam fees:
What to expect on the day:
At the exam venue
At the centre there will be signs showing candidates where to go and a steward to welcome them. The steward makes a note that candidates have arrived, shows them to the waiting area, and warm-up room if available, then into the exam room at the right time. The stewards and examiners work together throughout the day to make sure everything runs smoothly for candidates. Just like examiners, the stewards are there to help candidates to do their best.
Warming up
It is important for candidates to have time to prepare and settle at the exam venue before their exam begins. This might include thinking about the music they are going to perform or warming up ready to play or sing. Once in the exam room, all candidates are welcome to play or sing a few notes to warm up and the examiners encourage them to do this. This can be particularly helpful for pianists, who will want to try out the piano.
It’s natural to feel nervous!
Some candidates will feel nervous before or during their exam. This is totally normal, many performers feel this way. We find it helps to remember an old proverb:
“It’s not about the absence of fear it's about become the master of fear”
We hope that with nurturing and support our students will learn how to deal with nerves and taking exams can actually help with this. Other ways to help include:
Accepting nerves as normal;
Performing regularly in front of others;
Taking mock exams;
Arriving in good time at the exam centre;
Taking a few calm breaths before the exam itself.
How long does an exam take?
A Grade 1 exam lasts for around 12 minutes. As the grades get higher the exams gradually become longer, with Grade 8 taking around 30 minutes.
In the exam room
When candidates go into the exam room the examiner will welcome them and confirm their name. Sometimes there are two examiners in the room. One is there to run and mark the exam and the other is part of the training and quality assurance process. If there are two examiners present, this will not affect the marking or results and the steward on the day will explain this to candidates before they go into the room.
During the exam, there may be short pauses between pieces or songs and sections. This is nothing to worry about – the examiner will just be writing comments on the mark form. Also the examiner will have a short discussion about music theory and will ask a few questions your teacher will have covered with you in your lesson.
Setting up
In the exam room candidates can spend a short time getting comfortable and settled before the exam begins. This might include adjusting the piano stool or putting the music stand in the best place. The examiner will help with adjusting or moving things if necessary and will also give candidates the opportunity to warm up by playing or singing a few notes.
The order of the exam
Candidates can do the elements of the exam in any order. This is something that the candidate and teacher will decide together before the exam. You will be given a slip to fill out in the waiting room, it will ask for the candidates name, exam being taken and the songs to be played. This is where you write the songs down in the order you want to play them in the exam.
What about mistakes?
Examiners understand that candidates can make mistakes in an exam which they might not have made in lessons or practice. The will recognise when candidates recover well from a mistake, and they take this into account in their marking. So the takeaway here is that it isn’t about making mistakes, it is about how you recover from them, try not to let them distract you.
Mark forms and certificates
The exam board will usually issue the results within two to three weeks of the exam. All candidates will receive a mark form which shows the marks awarded for each exam element and an overall total mark. The comments on the mark form give an indication of the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to our marking criteria. The certificate celebrates their achievement and provides a record that they have met the standards set in their exam.
Thinking about results
When looking at results it helps to remember that success starts at the pass mark and also that exams are just one part of a student’s musical learning and progression.
After the exam
We feel it’s important to celebrate doing the exam, rather than waiting for the results to have a celebration. So what better excuse to treat the children to celebrate their achievement, and take them for cake!!
May we take this opportunity to wish you lots of luck, we are really proud of all your work and can't wait to hear all about it.
Kind Regards
Claire, Steve, Emily and Tiago