Music teacher - who is right?

I think it depends on the relationship you have with the teacher and the style of their teaching. I made sure the scales were there and I organised some separate aural sessions with a specialist in that. I also always attended the lessons and if the teacher isn’t able to accompany the child I would organize some sessions with whoever is going to be accompanying on the day - well in advance of the exam. Additionally the child should have performed the pieces lots in order to ensure it is fluent and they are confident with it. I don’t know many teachers who would allow a child to take the exam with pieces they hadn’t actually performed to an audience (let alone played through).

I think you need to maybe have a conversation with the teacher re the division of responsibility - so you know what you need to do. And I would pull out of the exam as it’s not fair to the child to go into an exam without knowing scales and pieces inside out. There is always next term and it’s no big deal to wait a few months in the scheme of things.

I think you know the answers to all these questions. Of course children are meant to cover the exam material with their teacher. We've not had much aural practice in lessons but the teacher suggests an app we can use. Aural gets more difficult every exam so of course you can't just rely on what you did for G4.

Also if they haven't done scales and aural, have they practised sight reading, and do they know what all the symbols on their pieces mean?

At this stage I would try to bite back your anger and see if you can book another lesson or 2 with the teacher to cover this material, including playing with accompaniment. Sit in on the lesson so you can reinforce what DC is told in practice sessions. Quash any notions of "only a pass" - a pass is a G5 achieved and cause to celebrate. Then find a new teacher and a practice book.

Playing with accompaniment can be difficult to practice if the teacher doesn't play piano, but we've always had one practice with the accompanist (which we've payed them for separately) before the exam.

We have had a teacher who expected DD to learn G1 violin scales without seeing them written down. She didn't really know what a scale was and couldn't remember them from the lesson, so practised them wrong and felt very out of her depth. I was quite cross about that at the time, it really knocked DD's confidence. But this is a whole different level.

NOT should have read NOW!

That's bad practice. The child should have the scale list and know what's required, but the onus is on the teacher to teach them and test them. I hear some scales in every lesson. Nothing wrong with a pass by the way - that's what most people get! - but if the accompaniment is unfamiliar, I suggest finding a recording of the pieces and listening to it lots NOT - and book a rehearsal with the accompanist. I would be looking for a new teacher too.

Grade 5 aural is very similar to grade 4, so it might be that 10 minutes was fine. There's no 'normal' here but I believe you can also practise the tests online and via an app (which I have never used tbf).

Instrument type might help here. Piano I did to 5 and was not considered for the exam until I had done all the scales. Once I was I bought the pieces music and chose 3, but of course this is unaccompanied. I would imagine bit weird if never played accompanied until the exam mind.

I think it depends if this is the same teacher they did grades 1-4 with? But not normal in my experience, no.