ABRSM Performance exams - what are they looking at?

[Londonmummy66]

DD wants to do Grade 8 singing and school have said performance over practical as practical may not happen. She usually picks marks up on the sightreading as she is very good at it (a function of never practicing).

Has anyone any insight into how they are marking performance exams vs practical? In particular what the extra marks for the overall performance are awarded for?

There’s info in here: gb.abrsm.org/media/65525/00-qualification-specification-music-performance-grades-011220.pdf

If you’re on Facebook there’s a good group called ABRSM Exams where in a recent post this month lots of people shared the comments they got from their marking sheets fro performance exams.

Just submitted DDs piano performance so found that group quite useful.

Thank you - will check out Facebook

Practical exams should run from May, and are even running in a few private visit centres at the moment so if practical would suit her better it's ok to wait.

Thanks blue - school have said they are only going to do performance for the forseeable future so have no option here.

It’s overall musicality, performance, poise, consistency and technique. Also how you move from piece to piece (no shuffling of papers etc, well prepared, breathing before next piece) but basically for us the mark was kind of an average of the 4 pieces for grade 7 piano. The pieces seemed to be marked just like in an exam. My very musical child who is great at performance but not perfect at technique/consistency of rhythm just missed a Distinction (in actual exams she gets Distinctions because of strength at aural and sightreading), I think they are more inclined to overlook perfect technique there. However, every examiner is different.. you can always take Grade 8 twice, if need be.

Does anyone know of anything similar for Trinity singing - for example are there any "Trinity experience" facebook groups? I have n't managed to find any. Thank you.