To appeal against my DD's Grade 3 piano result???

[Sticklebug]

Please tell me if IABU and just being a precious mum or should look to appeal (not even sure if I can).

My DD had her grade 3 piano exam a couple of weeks back. Her piano teacher predicted an easy distinction for her (134 and 138 in 2 mock exams - her teacher is also an examiner) and my DS's teacher who has heard her play agreed she should get a distinction. I could hear her playing in the exam from the waiting area and although I am completely unmusical it sounded exactly as it had at home and she made no mistakes.

She went in confident and came out beaming with the view that it had gone well. She knew that she had made a minor mistake in her B piece and she had to start one of her scales again, but apart from that she believed that she had done well. She got a merit in her grade 2 (4 points off a distinction but failed sight reading) and a distinction in her grade 1 and she felt that it went as well as her grade 1.

I have just received her results online (which, unfortunately I let her read with me as we had every confidence they would be good) and she has scrapped a pass with a score of 105. She cannot believe it - she tried so hard and played so well and her confidence is knocked completely. Her friend got exactly this score in her grade 2, but she knew she messed up completely and had to restart one piece twice and did not complete another.

She is so confused and now says that she wants to retake it but would be so nervous as she thought she had done so well.

She has always been so confident in exams that I do not want this to affect her.

We have not had the details yet as they come in the post a little later. Her teacher is 'gobsmacked' and will ring me tomorrow to discuss.

Is there any right of appeal?
Am I just feeling so awful because I hate to see my quiet, confident little girl so destroyed? Or should I look to take this further for her?

Well I'm going to go against some of the previous comments and say there ARE some very inconsistent examiners out there - or at least, there certainly have been in the past.

I did exams as a kid on 2 instruments, alongside my sister. As far as I can remember, we both got merits or distinctions on pretty much every exam from grade 1 to 8, on both instruments (sorry not trying to boast but it's relevant!) - EXCEPT one piano exam, where my sis scraped through by just a few marks, and I failed! I was totally gutted (esp. as younger sis had passed!), but it didn't seem possible that we had both done so badly compared to every other time. In the end I did retake the exam at the next opportunity, as I had failed it, and this time got a distinction even though I hadn't done anything very much differently (so then sis was a bit jealous, she didn't resit as she'd passed).

However - in this case, given that your DD has passed, it would be best to do as you are doing in your last posts to reassure her that she has still done well, and put it behind you. But if the teachers want to informally raise the examiner's marking with ABRSM, that is no bad thing either as it will make sure her marking is consistent for her next lot of examinees.

Hmm, now that's interesting sticklebug with regard to her pieces. Isn't 20 a pass for pieces? So she effectively failed on 2 pieces?

Dancergirl - I was not aware that there was a pass mark for individual pieces?

Just checked the ABRSM website and that says:

'In each case two-thirds (66%) of the total possible marks is the mark required for a Pass. A Pass in each individual section is not required to pass overall.'

Not sure why there is a pass for each individual element if it does not affect whether you pass overall?

I don't think there is exactly a pass mark for individual pieces - it's just that as you have to get 100 out of 150 to pass, then 2/3 of 30 is 20.

20 is the pass mark for pieces. The I think its 14 for scales and sight reading and 11 for aural IIRC.

I would reserve judgement til the post comes tomorrow and you might find it all makes sense then. They should be able to explain any loss of marks in their comments. If the comments dont add up then it might be worth questioning. I would think that that is the only way you will get them to reconsider. The marks will not be appealed if the comments match in my experience.

I'm watching this thread with interest Sticklebug as ds (13) did Grade 3 on Tuesday so we are eagerly awaiting results. He thought the exam went 'ok' with only one small mistake at the end of one of his pieces. So we will see!

He only spends half the year working for grade exams which he does in November though. He will now just play for fun until the summer when he will start working for his grade 4. He's also desperate for a bass guitar for Xmas!!

My DD also only works on the grade pieces from easter and takes in November. Before the Grade 3 result she had decided that she wanted to go straight onto grade 4, but we will wait until easter again as she needs a break and some tunes she knows well to build her confidence back up.

Not had the comments yet - am ready to ambush the postman when he arrives as they did not fit through letter box last time and he took them back to the depot without ringing the bell - even though I was in!!!

Good luck with your DS results - let me know how he gets on..

YABU

She passed. Onwards and upwards and if she is so brilliant as you say she should have no trouble with starting Grade 4.

I have not said that she is brilliant, just that the marks were so far away from what her teacher expected. She is generally musical and she was confident that she had played well.

She has responded really well to the knock back (better than I have!) and wants to move on and do better next time.

You're not doing so badly yourself though Sticklebug - I think it's great how you've taken all the comments on board, and decided to go forwards !
Glad DD is OK with it now.

Doesn't seem worth the trouble.....
c) Appeals
i) Practical exam: Appeals concerning the validity of results should be made only by the applicant and must be addressed in writing to the Quality Assurance Manager, ABRSM, 24 Portland Place, London W1B 1LU. Such appeals should be postmarked within 14 days of the results? despatch from ABRSM, accompanied by an investigation fee and a copy of the mark form(s) concerned. In order to aid the full and thorough investigation by the Quality Assurance Manager and/or the Chief Examiner, it is highly recommended that, together with the appeal correspondence, the Applicant submit an unedited recording of the candidate performing the exam pieces and a selection of the technical requirements. This may be on CD, minidisk or cassette tape and must be accompanied by a letter verifying that the candidate is the performer and the recording is unedited, and stating the date of the recording. The investigation may include a detailed statistical review of the candidate?s and Applicant?s result histories. ABRSM may involve an independent person at this stage.

If the appeal is unsubstantiated, the investigation fee will be retained and a detailed response provided. If the appeal is substantiated, the investigation fee will be returned and a voucher issued to be used either to enter again free of charge at the same grade in the next exam Period or as part payment towards a higher grade within one year of the voucher's issue. ABRSM aims to acknowledge receipt of appeal correspondence within three working days and to resolve all appeals within three weeks of the acknowledgement.

To make yourself feel better you could write a (polite) letter to the Quality Assurance manager at the ABRSM recording your surprise. If they have had similar letters about the examiner they might check her out.

grovel - am going to do as you have suggested and send an informal appeal to the ABRSM - not asking them to formally review her results, but to express surprise that there were so many students (including my DD) who got marks lower than expected on that day. I am waiting for the comments though before I do that.

Good plan, stickle.

As a real old hand at these things I'd say drop it and don't worry. Some examiners just are evil markers and as the whole thing really comes down to musical interpretation.

Try to use it as a resilience building excercise- the examiner didn't like the way she played them (there should be comments as to what theythought went well and what didn't) and forget it an move on.

Too much angst is invested in grades and can take the enjoyment out of learning and playing music.

Have you got the comments yet? I find myself unaccountably caught up in this story!

Yes, I'm interested too.

And I just remembered something that DD's piano teacher told me. She's been teaching for about 30 years and she said that she'd always been able to predict the mark a student would get, to within about two or three marks. And then about five years ago, it all changed and the marking started to go all over the place, so she never now tells a parent what she thinks a student is going to get.

markng my place too. Am interested to know what the examiner said, the idea of recording exams does seem sensible, especially at the higher levels.

I think that the problem is with the teacher. Whilst pupils need encouragement, predicting grades is building the child up for a beating. Your DD would have been perfectly happy with a pass if the teacher hadn't predicted a merit/distinction.
I'm afraid these things happen in exams and your daughter will have to learn to roll with the punches. Tell her to that this examiner was pretty tough, which can happen and if she though that she got a tough break, she should consider what happened to other kids who weren't so accomplished. By making a song and dance about it you will not help your daughter. FOR GOODNESS SAKE SHE PASSED! Move on. I
Oh and I am speaking from experience. My daughter got shafted by a tough examiner.

I'm just marking my place waiting for the comments, too.

It does sound like the examiner was harsh, esp if she had two others with high expectations also did badly.

Sticklebug, if this were me (and it was for DD2's grade 4 horn exam (she had won her county performing arts festival category with the same pieces the week before so we suspect the exam marking may have been less than objective), I would not do anything. Firstly because your DD passed, and secondly because a little adversity is a good thing in a child's life. She has to grow up able to deal with the slings and arrows as well as the good. Leave it be.

For the record- the op isn't making a fuss- she's got over it long ago! It's us vicarious music exam takers who are keeping the thread going!

Come on, OP.

Just got the comments. For the 2 pieces that she failed the comments are:

1 - You started confidently but there were some dips as you progressed. The right hand melody needed slightly greater control and articulation in a couple of places. (19/30)

2 - The left hand rang out at bar 17 but the right hand melody was not always under control. The pulse was good. (18/30)

overall comments were:

Technical handling let you down in the first 2 pieces but C2 showed that you have the skills to build more secure playing for all styles....