Good night, folks!

I'll reply if I want! No, maybe you can't recreate the origainal sounds exactly, but there is a vast difference between right and wrong. There are many interpretations of a piece and not all of them will be correct.

There is a difference too between just thumping a couple of chords on a piano and playing it musically. I'm sure the latter will make the music more enjoyable to listeners. What is music without emotion and feeling? Nothing but noise.

Indeed. A musical performance needs to be technically secure as well as musically convincing and sensitive to the character of the piece.

I really don't want to break into an arguement but I think you have misunderstanded the term "music".
Music is NEVER PERCISE and no matter how hard you practise, it will NEVER be PERFECT. But it can be close to perfect. What I do is only trying to do the best I can, and I think that is what the spirt of classical musicans.We always try our best to make the piece livelyest-possible.And that's the fun of classical music, is you spend time to do the best you can to interpret it, not just fluff through it like you are playing it well but actually you are only play half of it correct. NOTHING in the world is perfect, Nothing in our World is good enough. That's the reason why only one or two people in the world can get 150/150 (if there's really such case). If I get 150/150 then I can relax and say that it's good enough for the exam. ( which will be impossible anyway....)

Well said! Anyway, I keep getting 126 for violin now. Looks like I've hit my limit.

But don't be hopeless Ann, I will be happy to get 126 for the violin if I can...

How do they Grade them? e.g. 130+ Distinction, merit or pass?

100 - pass

120 -merit

130 -distinction

*prays for distinction!*

Lol ..get practising then

Today I received my Grade 5 theory marks back...I really don't want to sound like a show-off but seeing as everyone here is flaunting their highs, I guess I should share mine...I got distinction at 100%, thats full marks! It hasnt really hit me yet because I've never achieved that highly, its a first time and hopefully not a last...

Goodness - well done, Julia!

Congratulations Julia!! I always think that full marks by the time you get to Grade 5 is more impressive, as it isn't just a question of right or wrong - the examiner has to like your composition as well I got 100% on my Grade 5 Theory (a loooong time ago, I probably wouldn't pass if you gave me the paper to do today!) and my teacher said he only knew of one other person who had a achieved it: him!

Yes, my violin teacher got 147 for her grade 8 way back when.

Yes, the composition was my main worry, the poem had a really tricky rhythm that made me go through about 5 time signatures before I settled on 3/4. Well done to you for your result also!!

I usually hover around the 80% mark. My highest score to date was 92/100 for Grade 7 Bass, my lowest pass score was 125/150 for Grade 1 Percussion, and my lowest fail score was 91/150 for Grade 2 Percussion.

I got 135 for my grade 5 violin. I've never had below a merit though my grade 7 was JUST a merit - 120 points.

I got 99% once!! But it was grade 3 electronic keyboard!!

I got 133 for g5 piano, I don't think I'll get more than 145....

100/100 for grade 1 theory.

Other than that it must have been when I did grade 1 piano because that's the only time I ever got a distinction but I can't remember exactly what mark I got for that.

i got 101 for grade 3 piano! xxx

my highest mark is 131, which i have got twice now but i got 90% for grade 5 theory i have now worked out that 131 is 87.3%...so my highest mark is therefore my grade 5 theory! grr. xxx

I heard once that examiners are not allowed to give marks which border directly on the next boundary, e.g. 99, 119 or 129. They will in such circumstances find the candidate another mark rather than have them feel that they have just missed out. Anyone aware of such marks ending in ...9. I have been reliably informed of this, perhaps through the magazine Libretto or anecdotal evidence backed up by personal experience.
R

for theory, highest mark was Grade 2... 98/100
for practical, highest mark was Grade 4...135/150 and second highest was Grade 5... 133/150......

ShArOn

I got 143 on my Grade 3 Piano, but I know someone who got 147 on their Grade 3 Sax, and a girl who got 147 on Grade 1 Violin (mind you, they practise 24/7).

Hope that answers your question!
BR.

One of my pupils, aged 11, has just got 133 for Grade 7 clarinet, and 138 for Grade 5 flute.

mine is 132, and it was my first piano exam on level 4

mine is 132, and it was my first piano exam on level 4

My 9 year old son got 140 in his grade 3 cello at christmas and has just got 138 in his grade 5 this term.

I had a couple of students with 136-138 this term on the grade 1-3.

My daughter got 132 for Grades 1 and 3 Piano at age 8 and my son got 136 for his Grade 1 Piano aged 7!

Here's hoping that one day they will surpass those as they have already surpassed my 123 for Piano Grade 3.

My highest is 133 in grade 2 piano.

My new best is 141, and I made a few mistakes. Oops I don't think the mark you get always matter too much - I took the exam to see how I could improve (and to get the qualification of course!)

I got 144 on my grade 7 piano and recieved a £150 cheque from ABRSM

Was the money linked to your excellent pass? Or is it totally unrelated?

I know some awards are available for candidates who perform very well on certain instruments at certain grades in certain centres - were you one of these lucky ones, oli236?

HOw come you got the money??
That's soooo amazing! I'm jealous!haha well done!

Well, my best result was 122 for grade 8 piano........ but it was also my very first exam!!! And, so far, my only one!

I got 93 for grade 5 theory, though!

I got 139 in my Grade 7 flute

I got 150+ in my maths exam

Lol! Now we see where the 150+/150 comes from! Highest I ever got on practical was 127 in grade 2 piano. My grade 1 theory was the highest. I think I got 90. I stopped both at grade 3 though.

*Starts practising furiously to beat current best of 139*

My daughter's violin teacher had a pupil last term get 147 in Grade 4 violin!!

I got 100% in grade 2 theory. woo go me!

Out of 11 exams I haven't got less than 125 and I think my highest was about 136. Not too sure though I can't be bothered to go and check

Wow!

The highest mark I've ever got was 142 for Grade One Jazz Piano... But then, that was a very easy exam!

I also got 91 for Grade Eight Drums... Which was good, coz it was out of 100!

I'll have to do % to find out which was actually higher...

So hold on a minute...

142/150 = 0.9466666666666666666666666666666666666666

Ans x 100 = 94.66666666666666666666666666666666666666

So Grade One Jazz Piano = 94.66%

And Grade Eight Drums = 91%

So yeah, the Jazz Piano was my highest ever mark!

Unless you count a 98% for Theory...!

My highest was 143 for grade 6 cello. I also got 140 for grade 6 piano and 141 for grade 8 cello.
I have a friend who got 147 on grade 8 flute - now that's impressive!

I managed 137 3 times! That was Grades 3 and 8 on piano, and Grade 6 on Clarinet. But my highest ever was 140 on Grade 7 piano. Loks like that's it though.... my grade journey is over - unless I decide to do the Grade 1 challenge!

About marks being rounded up - they don't always. However the examiner may be listening to you and thinking - "Hmm this boy will get a distinction" then start adding and find the candidate has 129 - then they will round it. However if you dont fall into the distinction category, and neither did your playing (I think somewhere on the website there are proper guidelines as to what constitutes each category) the examiner may leave it be. That's what my piano teacher told me - after she gave me a mock exam and marked me at 129 she looked shocked when I suggested that she round it to 130!

ALL pretty impressive if you ask me!

I knew someone who got 145 on G8 cello.... despite failing the aural - or was it only just passing?! I think she must've got full or nearly full marks in every other section of the exam though! aMAzing player!

My highest so far is 136 in G4 flute... haven't been brave enough to do another exam on it since though