Here’s the scenario: you’ve taken or recorded your exam and received notification that it has been referred, delaying the release of your result. Firstly, don’t panic! There are many reasons why an examiner may refer your exam and, in this blog, we’re going to explain the main causes and what happens next. We’ll also share our top tips to help you avoid referrals in the future.
What is a referral?
A referral is made when an examiner is unable to complete the assessment of an exam due to an irregularity. Let’s explore what these might look like in different exam scenarios:
Face-to-Face exams: In this setting, an examiner will refer an exam if they identify that an irregularity has taken place. Typically, these would be in instances where the syllabus requirements have not been met, such as for Classical and Jazz, there being no accompaniment or backing track for pieces identified as ‘accompanied’, or incorrect, simplified or shortened pieces or technical work exercises being performed. For Rock and Pop exams, an exam may be referred if the own-choice song doesn’t meet the parameters for the grade set out in the syllabus. However, more broadly, these can be anything that could impact the examiner’s ability to conduct a fair and valid assessment, such as not providing them with a copy of the music where required, suspicion of malpractice, or Trinity not being notified of a special educational need or medical condition in advance of the exam. An extensive list of example infringements for this type of exam can be found on our website.
In these circumstances, the performance will be heard, without prejudice, in order to form an objective assessment of the whole exam. The examiner may then report the issue with the performance to Trinity’s London office, where a review will take place. Because of this, the exam result will be withheld until the review has been completed.
Digital Grades and Diplomas exams: There are two main reasons why a digital exam may be referred: these generally fall into the categories of syllabus infringements or errors with the submitted video or documents. A syllabus infringement occurs when the exam regulations or requirements, as detailed in the appropriate syllabus, haven’t been met, and the examiner is therefore unable to complete the marking. Examples are similar to those listed in the face-to-face exams above but may also include specific issues with the recording, such as there not being sufficient view of the candidate’s face. For Rock and Pop, this could be due to digital exams not being accompanied with the official Trinity backing tracks (excluding the own-choice song which has different parameters set out in the syllabus). As with a face-to-face exam, in this instance the exam would be referred to Trinity’s London office for review before the result is released.
Video and documentation errors focus more on the submission itself, rather than its content. These might include issues such as the video finishing partway through an item or the online submission form being completed incorrectly. The most common reason for a referral is that not all of the required elements and/or information has been uploaded with the exam submission. This means that the examiner is unable to complete the marking. In this instance, the Submitter of the exam will be notified of the error and will be invited to log into the platform to rectify any errors. Should you require assistance with doing this, please contact dgd.uki@trinitycollege.com who can provide technical support.
Diploma exams: In addition to the above points, which often apply to both grade and diploma exams, there are also some additional reasons for why a diploma exam might be referred. These might include a candidate performing own choice repertoire without presenting a programme approval letter, performing a different programme to the one on the approval letter, and the programme performed being too short or long. Further diploma infringement examples can be viewed on our website. As with face-to-face and syllabus infringement referrals, an exam that does not meet the requirements outlined in the syllabus will be sent to the Trinity London office for review before the result is released.
How are referrals resolved?
As highlighted above, where digital exams are referred for errors with the video or documentation, the Submitter will be contacted and invited to rectify the issue.
All other referred exams will be sent to Trinity’s London office for review before the exam result is released. For digital exams, notification of this will be sent to the Submitter; face-to-face candidates will be informed by their centre representative.
During the exam, the performance will have been heard without prejudice, in order to form an objective assessment of the whole exam. The exam is then sent for review to verify that the assessment that has taken place is both fair to the candidate, and to all others who take the same exam. Please be aware that all reviews are conducted objectively, considering only the infringement and the impact this has on the validity of the exam. As a result, we are unable to disclose the reason for any referral until the review has been completed.
Depending on the type of infringement, marks may be deducted or, in extreme cases where the validity of the entire exam is impacted, invalidated. It is important to highlight that mark deductions are only incurred where the validity of an exam has been affected and are reflective of the severity of the infringement and its impact. To ensure that all candidates are treated fairly, infringements of a similar type are always treated in the same way.
The outcome of referred exams will be communicated to the candidate as soon as possible after the matter has been considered by Trinity. Processing a referral takes the marking time + 30 working days. Therefore for face-to-face exams, the referral process may take up to 7 weeks to complete from the date of the exam/submission (for grades), or 14 weeks from the date of the exam/submission (for diplomas), depending on the complexity of the issue. For digital grades and diplomas, the referral process may take up to 14 weeks to complete from the time of upload, depending again on the complexity of the issue, and also the time it takes for the candidate to respond.
Full information about referrals can be found on our Release of Music Results page. Referral decisions are final and marks will not be reinstated once a review has been completed.
How do I avoid being referred?
Most referrals occur when our guidance or regulations haven’t been followed so, before you book your exam, double check the following:
- That you are using the valid syllabus for your instrument. The majority of our syllabuses are now valid indefinitely; however, if you are playing from a slightly older Classical & Jazz syllabus that has overlap arrangements in place, make sure you are aware of what these are. For example, when is the deadline for taking an exam using this syllabus and are there regulations in place regarding mixing the older syllabus with the new? Details of overlap arrangements can be on the relevant instrument page of our website.
- Make sure you have had a read over the relevant syllabus for the exam you are entering for. There are specific sections for each grade so you can read requirements relevant to your exam. There are also general regulations at the front of our syllabuses and information on where you can purchase exam materials at the back. Syllabuses are free to download from our website, under the page for your instrument type (for example, Woodwind and Jazz Woodwind).
- Check that your pieces are listed on the repertoire list, and you are using the correct publications from the repertoire groupings for your instrument. Repertoire lists are also available for free on our website and are on the instrument pages mentioned above.
- If you are entering for a digital exam, make sure you are familiar with our Digital Grades and Diplomas webpages. Here, you will find all the information necessary for entering for digital exams, including Music filming guidance with a useful checklist for recording, and some FAQs. Make sure you understand how to submit to avoid any issues when you get to filling out information on the portal.
- We now have a repertoire-only pathway: remember that the extra piece still needs to comply with the rules in the instrumental syllabus. For example, at Singing Grades 6-8, no more than two songs may be chosen from any one group and at least one song must be chosen from group A. This rule still applies, so as long as you have fulfilled the criteria, then you can pick the group for your final piece accordingly. You can read the blog ‘Introducing Trinity's new Repertoire-only pathway for digital exams’ for more information on the repertoire-only option.
If you need further support, you can check out this resource, which advises your candidate on how to avoid a music exam referral. You can also take a look at our UK and Ireland blog where we post regularly on topics which will assist you with your exam learning and delivery. If you have a specific query, you can reach out to us at ukandireland@trinitycollege.com
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