Trinity Grade 3 easier than ABRSM

[thekarlie]

My daughter did Grade 1 & 2 piano with ABRSM but her teacher changed exam boards with us as she was having problems or didn’t like how ABRSM was dealing with COVID/online and exams.
That’s fine and my daughter did the recording (scales, arpeggios, exercises and 3 pieces) we got her results back, she got a distinction with a score of 100 out of 100.
Amazing, incredible, fantastic!! Two piano teacher said they have never had a perfect score for practical ….. but then said “I always use ABRSM though so I’m not sure how stick trinity are with grades, they might score different”
I’m not musical at all so don’t know a lot about the 2 boards. Is ABRSM better? Is Trinity easier? Should my daughter go back to doing ABRSM exams?

Only ever done ABRSM. Lots of people say Trinity is easier. Piano teacher says they are not easier, just different.

I don't think it matters, specially the low grades are there to aim for something. Your DD has done exceptionally well, I have never heard of a 100% score for practical exams. Just enjoy it and don't worry about which board it was.

The syllabi are different for each board so would suggest she picks whichever pieces she enjoys mist for Gr 4 and go with that.

Thanks for your advice and I have found a few threads talking about ABRSM and trinity so understand a little more and they hold the same UCAS points at the end of the day. (Not sure if that will matter anyway as my daughter said she is just doing it for fun)
I will definitely make sure she enjoys and is celebrated as it’s quite a rare result and it should do wonders for her confidence.
I will get her to have a listen to all the pieces from both boards and she can pick by which she enjoys more ….. I will give her a little break first lol

That's brilliant, well done!

I use ABRSM almost entirely although I've had kids do Trinity Gd 6+ sometimes if they are slow at their theory work. I think Trinity is a bit easier but who cares, it's still an amazing g result.

My daughter has done grade 1 & 2 theory and is working on grade 3 ATM, all with ABRSM, so I did wonder if it would matter being different boards? But apparently not.
As long as using different boards didn’t hinder or slow down her progress then I happy for her to pick which she like the best.

I do think it was helpful that you can submit your video as soon as ready rather than having to wait or plan when think they will be ready to do ABRSM as my daughter was ready about 6 weeks before exam date on both 1 & 2 so got so board of keep playing the same 3 pieces over and over again

Is ABRSM back to in person exams?

ABRSM has historically been the more academic and the more classical performance focused of the two. Trinity is a more modern exam with less emphasis on theory and more emphasis on creative musicianship. For most students in most instruments it is regarded as a little more forgiving.

Nobody cares! Different not easier. Mine did both, partly to avoid G5 theory. When they get to uni/conservatoire, no-one is interested ... or even if they don't ... which board they did, just how they play. But I do understand how this question arises ... it's the same with GCSE/A level exam boards.

I find the marking more consistent in Trinity than ABRSM - I think the fact that they split the marking of their pieces really helps this, as sometimes with ABRSM my students feel like they have been dinged massively for something an examiner personally disliked - a Grade 4 in November (face to face exam) was given 21/30 for a piece due to the speed she played at - which was the speed marked by the composer! All the comments were related to the speed, which the examiner felt was too slow. In Trinity fluency & accuracy, technical facility and Communication & interpretation are the three areas marked, with the scores for each added together to achieve the final mark for each piece.

With ABRSM you can complain if you feel the marking is unreasonable, but you will be offered a free retake at best. Trinity however make an audio recording of all their exams all of their exams, and therefore they can be more rigorous about holding their examiners to account about their marking.

I’m glad nobody cares and it has put my mind at ease. I’m new to all this so was just checking I wasn’t leading daughter down the wrong path or wasting her time …. Just in case she does decides to pursue a career in music.

ABRSM record all their exams too now

Firstly congratulations. And good luck, try to listen to the pieces and see which one she likes etc.

Shufflestep ..."In Trinity fluency & accuracy, technical facility and Communication & interpretation are the three areas marked, with the scores for each added together to achieve the final mark for each piece." ... totally agree, felt there was more credit for musicality rather than box ticking. And one of mine got his G8 result on the same day with Trinity which was lovely, and the fixers seem to take an immense amount of care putting the day together whereas we have had very mixed experiences with ABRSM.

I would say that ABRSM are harder than Trinity. But if you want to do exams and avoid music theory then they are an excellent option.

DD never bothered with singing exams before, but school wanted her to do them (they pay for her lessons so fair enough) - she had the choice of doing G7 Trinity or G5 ABRSM (hasn't sat the theory exam yet) and we've gone for the G5 ABRSM.

Piano we've always done ABRSM, as her teacher doesn't do any of the other boards.

Depends a bit what you are after.

If you compare the pieces between boards, I don't think you'll find very much difference. There are the other bits and pieces but that's more of a question of playing to your strengths. I do approve of the way ABRSM does all the scales, for G5 piano, assuming they still do ...

Sadly they don't still do all the scales for grade 5, it's a much more piecemeal approach now. Which for me had been one of the points of rigour I liked about ABRSM. Trinity you do less scales but in a solid order, for grade 5 all scales and arpeggios are hands together, piano or forte and legato or staccato, so technique is challenged there.

Oh, it was a mammoth task.

Is sight reading still optional for the lower Trinity grades?

Well I did singing not piano but it was known back then (15 years?) that trinity was ‘easier’ than ABRSM, but mainly because it was easier/more modern repertoire.

Hmm I see that this thread was going on ages ago. However! I just wanted to mention that there seems to be a lot of people saying that ABRSM is 'harder' than Trinity. I will clarify a few things are regards singing exams. Firstly, Trinity require four pieces at grades 6-8, not three, like ABRSM. This means that if you're doing a digital exam, you are required to perform for way longer, without stopping. Also if you are doing a face to face, the sight-singing is absolutely horrific, whereas ABRSMs test are far more forgiving. Students are required to sing in a foreign language if taking Trinity. There is no such stipulation with ABRSM. So Trinity exams are easier? I think not.