7 Place of Exams: Visits
a) Practical and/or Theory exams may be held at premises provided by the Applicant in accordance with the regulations and requirements stipulated immediately below.
Practical exams
b) The entry options are presented in the table in the Visits section and cater either for Applicants with sufficiently large numbers of candidates (Standard Visit, Large Entry Visit, Special Visit) or for candidates whose subjects cannot be taken at an ABRSM Centre (Harpsichord, Organ, Percussion, Choral Singing, Jazz Ensemble). Harp exams may be taken either at a Visit or at an ABRSM Centre.
c) For a Standard Visit, Large Entry Visit or Special Visit, the Applicant must ensure that the entry fulfils the minimum time requirement (see the table of times in the Visits section and table of exam lengths in the Exam Timings section). The Applicant should also take into account the following parameters used by ABRSM when organizing Visit timetables: exams do not normally begin before 9.00 or end later than 17.30; each morning and afternoon session normally includes a break of 10 minutes; where the total examining time exceeds 3 hours 45 minutes, a lunch break of 1 hour 15 minutes is included; the standard exam day is 6 hours 10 minutes of examining time – entries exceeding this are normally timetabled on consecutive days (except for Special Visits, where up to 7 hours of examining may be timetabled on a single day).
d) Two or more Applicants may combine their entries in order to meet the minimum time requirement but the exams must be held at a single venue. An Applicant wishing to participate in another Applicant’s Visit must seek permission from that Applicant before submitting an entry. The Applicant hosting the Visit is responsible for the provision of suitable facilities and arrangements (see regulation 7e) and for the receipt of instructions and timetables from ABRSM.
e) Applicants hosting a Visit are responsible for ensuring suitable facilities and arrangements at their own cost: a waiting room (or area); an exam room, which is quiet as well as properly lit, heated and ventilated, and which contains a satisfactory piano (see regulation 7f) and is, where possible, out of hearing of the waiting room; a suitable person to act as steward outside the exam room for the duration of the exams in accordance with ABRSM’s instructions; transport for the examiner, if requested (see regulation 7g).
f) A piano must be provided in the exam room. It must be properly regulated and in tune (a’= 440). An electronic piano may be used, provided it has a clearly recognizable piano tone, a touch-sensitive keyboard with full-size weighted keys, and an action, compass and facilities that match those of an ordinary piano, including a sustaining pedal.
g) If requested by the examiner, transport between the Visit venue and a station, hotel or other examining venue must be provided by the Applicant. For a Standard Visit, Large Entry Visit or Special Visit, the Applicant may invoice ABRSM for any such travel expenses after the Visit has taken place. Transport expenses cannot be reimbursed where the Visit is solely for a Harpsichord, Organ, Percussion, Choral Singing or Jazz Ensemble exam.
h) Where a Visit is solely for a Choral Singing exam, an examiner attendance fee is charged.
Theory exams
i) Theory exams may be held, as a Visit, at any school of general education or LEA music centre approved by ABRSM. Completion of the entry form requires the head teacher to accept responsibility for the safe custody of the papers and proper conduct of the exam. Theory exams cannot be held at teachers’ private studios or houses.
j) Applicants hosting a Visit are responsible for ensuring suitable facilities and arrangements at their own cost: an exam room, which is quiet as well as properly lit, heated and ventilated, and with tables that allow the reasonable spacing of candidates; a responsible person appointed by the head teacher to act as invigilator within the exam room for the duration of the exam in accordance with ABRSM’s instructions.