Common reasons why graded music exams are referred and how to avoid them

It can be a bit of a worry: you’ve spent months preparing your student for their exam only to find out afterwards it has been referred to Trinity’s Head Office for review before the result can be released. Referrals form an important part of our quality assurance processes and exist to make sure that all candidates are treated fairly and equally; as such, each one is reviewed on an individual basis and any decision made about the outcome is done so with this purpose at its core. Not all referrals are made because of a mistake made by, or in the preparation of, a candidate, but there are some common reasons for referrals which can be easily avoided. Read on to find out how…

Issues with the accompaniment or backing track

There are a number of referral reasons that fall into this category, which we will aim to address here, but the important thing to highlight in the first instance is that the accompanying part should not provide any additional assistance to the candidate. This means that an accompaniment or backing track should not:

• be used for pieces that are listed in the syllabus as being unaccompanied
  
• play any additional rhythms or shadow the written line where this isn’t printed in the written score
  
• include a click unless stated in the syllabus that it is permitted.

In the case of Rock & Pop exams, any pieces performed published by Trinity must be performed with the accompanying official backing track.

Teachers are therefore advised:

• to check the relevant instrumental syllabus and repertoire list for guidance on whether a piece should be performed accompanied or unaccompanied
  
  
• that, in the case of Drum Kit exams, whether a piece is to be performed accompanied or unaccompanied also determines whether it can be played with a click track; all accompanied pieces can be played with a click but unaccompanied must not have anything at all
  
  
• to use the publication recommended on the repertoire list. We know this isn’t always possible and often they are purely a recommendation but, when compiling these lists, we will have looked at both the solo and accompaniment part to make sure that, when played together, they are appropriate for the exam
  
  
• that, if you are using a different edition to the recommended one, check the accompaniment line to make sure it is not playing the solo line throughout
  
  
• to make sure any recorded accompaniments used are backing - not demo - tracks, which will include the solo line
  
  
• to refer to our website for a page dedicated to finding recorded accompaniments for exams.

Classical & Jazz exams

Specific to Classical & Jazz exams are the following referral reasons:

Duets played solo

Duets should be played with another musician playing the same instrument or an instrument from the same instrumental family. The duet part may be pre-recorded (Initial-Grade 3 only for face-to-face exams but at all grades for digital exams) but these pieces should not be performed solo or with piano

Use of a metronome

This is not permitted for pieces or technical work. The only exception is where Drum Kit and Rock & Pop Drum exam candidates are permitted to play using click tracks, as per the guidance in the syllabus.

Own composition piece does not meet the required technical requirements for the exam being taken

We love being able to provide candidates with the opportunity to develop their compositional skills and express their musical personality in their exams, but it is essential that what they perform is comparable in technical content to the other pieces on the repertoire list for that grade. The best way to ensure this is to consult the own composition parameters provided in your instrumental syllabus. As exemplified below, these provide an indication of the required piece duration and what compositional techniques the candidate may wish to employ. An own composition does not necessarily need to contain all of these features but, the more it aligns with, the more confident you and your student can be that it will meet the required standard.

Scales not played from memory or with a book open on the music stand

Scales should always be performed from memory and, for digital exams, we request books are closed and removed from the music stand to make sure that it is obvious to the examiner that this requirement is being met.

Wrong combination of Technical Work items

The Technical Work requirements will vary depending the grade, instrument, and whether the candidate is taking a face-to-face or digital Technical pathway exam. It is therefore imperative that teachers check the relevant information relating to the exam being taken. These are:

Face-to-face: the instrumental syllabus

Digital Technical pathway: the technical work list for your instrument*.

*Please note that this information is in the process of being integrated into our instrumental syllabuses. In instances where the link sends you directly to the syllabus, please make sure you refer to section relating to digital, and not face-to-face, exams.

Rock & Pop exams

For Rock & Pop candidates, there are two common referral reasons, both relating to song selections:

No Technical Focus song

Each candidate must perform one Technical Focus song, labelled as such in both the syllabus and the song books, which will be assessed using a different mark scheme, which allows for a higher mark to be awarded. If no Technical Focus song is performed, we are unable to use the full range of marks available for this section of the exam.

Own choice song does not meet the requirements for the exam being taken

Being able to pick – or write - your own song for an exam is something many of our candidates find really exciting. However, the song chosen does still need to be of the same difficulty as the rest of the songs being performed. It is therefore vital that, when choosing an own choice song, it is done so in reference to the parameters laid out in the relevant instrumental syllabus. Below you will see the parameters for a Grade 2 Guitar exam. As outlined in the own composition section above, an own choice song doesn’t need to contain all of these features, but the more it does, the more confident you and your student can be that it is of an appropriate standard.

If you want more information on what a referral is and what it means if an exam is referred, please do check out our previous blog: Understanding Trinity referrals for instrumental exams. And remember, we are always here to guide you with any queries you may have relating to exam prep. Teachers and candidates based in the UK and Ireland can email our support team or book a support call.