How to mark a piano exam | “On Your Marks” ABRSM

piano exam abrsm

If you’ve ever wanted to be a ‘fly on the wall’ at one of your students’ piano exams, have a look at this great free offering from the ABRSM.

timtopham piano teaching tips: abrsm piano examsWhat is it?

The ABRSM has just released a great feature on its website called “On Your Marks”. This resource allows you to watch and assess all the elements of an ABRSM piano exam (similar AMEB, ANZCA, Trinity) and compare your assessment with the ABRSM Chief Examiner, John Holmes.

The page is split into the four main exam sections: technical work, pieces, aural tests and sight reading. After watching a video of the student performing in each section, you can select your mark.

When you’ve made your assessment, you can compare it to the Chief Examiner’s mark and watch a video explaining why he marked the piano exam the way he did.

Why I like it

Firstly, it’s fun to use!

This is a great resource for both students and teachers. Teachers can confirm that their own thinking is on-track with an examiner’s; students can see what it’s like to sit a piano exam and they can compare themselves to the performances in the videos. I was also impressed that the webpage was just as easy to access on a mobile phone.

More from ABRSM for piano exams

The ABRSM also has a great Aural Training app for iPhone and iPad called Aural Trainer. While you may not use the ABRSM exam system with your students, the app is still a great resource for exam candidates.