Hey guys,

I just had my Grade 8 piano practical exam yesterday and i did it not that well,.pity uh,...i just wondering is there any difference between man or lady examiner? Some of my friends said usually lady examiner is stricter than man,..is that true?

Thanks

Urban legend I would think. As in all examining boards the AB will have monitoring and levelling to ensure that standards are applied across all examiners.

As an examiner (man - and NOT for ABRSM) I would say that it is all down to the individual. My students have had amazing results from seemingly grumpy examiners (either ###) and disappointing results from really friendly and welcoming examiners - the smile on the face of the tiger as one student puts it.

I have students taking exams with ABRSM, ICMA, TRINITY and the above can be said for all boards.

Recent ABRSM exams at a local school had some candidates reeling from shocking results. My one candidate felt she did really well to get a high pass by comparison with results of her fellow students which included several "fails".

I'm sorry about your disappointing result. You could always do it again. I re-did all my organ exams 20 years later!!

I had a female driving examiner who was really not a very nice person.....I failed 2 tests with her partly out of sheer nervousness and shock of her sarcasm. My test in which I passed I had a male examiner, and one of the other unfortunate candidates got the woman (inside I was jumping for joy that I didn't have to put up with her for a 3rd test). I'm sure not having her examine me on my test helped me to pass.
I had a male examiner on my grade 1 piano (taken as an adult learner). Although he wasn't rude, he wasn't particularly warm and friendly either.
I really don't think you can generalise and say "are women/men better examiners" any more than you can ask do they make better doctors/teachers/police officers etc although I'm sure some would beg to differ...it's just about what each person brings to their job irregardless of gender.

I have never had a female examiner (except for County Music Service exams when I was much younger).

Me too , I have never been examined by a lady examiner , uptil now...

Ancient history: Grade 3 flute - can't remember. Think it was a gentleman.
Grade 4 flute - definitely a gentleman.

Both awful exams (not entirely due to the examiners, but they weren't particularly sympathetic in those days)


Recent exams: Grade 5 singing - a lady, Grade 8 singing - a lady, ATCL singing - a lady, LTCL singing - a lady.
Grade 5 piano - a lady, Grade 5 recorder - a lady, Grade 1 violin - a gentleman.

All OK exams. Most were friendly and smiling - except the LTCL examiner who was courteous but spent most of her time talking to my accompanist, not me (she was an accompanist, not a singer, despite being the "specialist" examining me).

My two most recent examiners have been one of each, and to be honest both of them marked me higher than I would have!! (esp my scale mark for G1 challenge recorder - you have never heard such drivel )

From my childhood I can remember both chaps and chappesses, and besides one examiner who I am 99% certain was a man, who gave me 16/18 in G1 aural when (as a approx G5 candidate who always got full marks) I knew I had got everything right ("Generally an accurate response" - and two marks knocked off! I was not happy, lol, yeah, it still smarts ) the marking has been as far as I can tell reasonably fair and consistent. We always used to say in school that the examiners who were pleasant were harsh markers, but it was urban legend (as Jane says) and only coincidental when it was correct. I don't think there's any correlation between gender and harshness of marking. It all depends on the individual.

(Coincidentally, my two recent examiners also fell into the grumpy/friendly groups and yet both marked me (I felt) fairly generously)

Re: my post on this thread

For heaven's sake, I can't even say ### as in Middle###, Es###, Wes###

Sorry Forummers - I should have said GENDER

I shall remember that the next time I cross the county border into Sussex - or should that be Susgender?

Examiners for Grades 3 and 8 clarinet were male, but beyond that I can't remember.

We've had definite experience of this! Sometimes it seems that the grumpier they are on the day, the higher the marks they'll give! It's when an examiner has been really smilie that I now dread my pupils' results arriving. Maybe they're covering themselves so that we at least can't say that we were put off by an unpleasant examiner!

A sign of the times I think.

I always thought of gender as a purely grammatical term, whilst ### was a biological one.

You would therefore use a pronoun with *femine* gender to refer to a person whose ### was *female*.

However, language usages change. One of my dictionaries gives a what it believes to be a citation of the earliest use of "gender" to mean "###" in the context give above. It is some time in the early 1980s.

This is completely wrong.

An earlier example can be found in an episode of "The Goodies" screened in about 1974. They were commisioned to make a ### education film by a character based on Mary Whithouse. To avoid offending her they called it a "gender" education film. That was actually funny back in the 70s.

The automatic censor will have a field day with this message - I'm actually glad I grew us in the years of the permisive society when this nsort of thing wasn't an issue!!

Absolutely, and the English language gets diminished as a result, as the subtle differences within it get lost. Don't get me on this hobby-horse Grrrr.

There is nothing obscene or vulgar about saying s-e-x. It's not a swear word (unlike the one which unfortunately appears in the middle of the Lincolnshire town name), these stupid automatic censors make a mockery of sensible posts.

Anyway back to topic...just to reiterate and summarise. The whole thing about classifying male or female examiners as one thing or another is a generalisation. (and I can't stand people who generalise says she - generalising! ) People are individuals regardless of their s-e-x (I *will* say s-e-x and not gender! I like to be grammatically correct). You might as well say blue eyed examiners are good and brown eyed ones are bad, and I'm sure you will find contemporaneous examples to support this theory, or any others.

In the meantime the AB (as I said earlier) will have procedures in place to minimise the effects of hard or soft marking when it might occur. If you got hard marks it is possibly because you did not perform so well on the day, not because of the examiner's s-e-x.

(But poor Sarah and her aural, that was spittingly annoying)

It was, especially at that age and knowing I had got it right. I wouldn't have minded if he'd said "A1 incorrect" or similar... to knock marks off and not tell you why seems rather silly.

Hey, I'll live - I don't think it would have affected the classification of my rather dismal piano exam marks

I recall we all used to absolutely trust in these generalisations and urban legends at school: looking back, I'm sure this was because we only really noticed the times when our assumptions were "proven" and ignored the ones that didn't fit! I've only taken two exams as an adult, but I've had one taciturn chap - generous marker - and one very lovely lady - generous marker...

I am sure there will always be one or two rogues who give marks which seem unfair (and the board does seem to be reasonable when marks don't match comments or similar in giving retakes) but generally I think given the vast number of exams and all the different examiners marking them, it's remarkable how consistent the marking is.

I am sure that it makes no difference at all. One small, or maybe not so small point though. Ladies with ample bosoms can find the playing of certain instruments problematical. Playing the cello can be difficult for example if one has short arms and a large front, and so can the playing of arpeggios on a keyboard instrument. All male examiners should try wearing a false set for a day or so to see just how it feels, and then try playing a few different instruments.

And lady examiners who are not so well endowed. (I wouldn't have any problem ...soz too much information )

I can tell that from your profile pic.

I thought TEETH! Shows what happens when you don't read the last post on the page!

I had a female examiner for my grade 7 piano and i got a distinction so they cant all be bad!

Oh No.....This is the first time i had a lady examiner ABC, and according to past year exam record, this lady examiner ABC failed so many Grade 8 piano exam students,...(if for other examiners, would got merit, or at least a "pass"..)...hope my exam goes fluently......Everyday is struggling for the results...
Perhaps is all based on the individual... but poor me..... Hope my luck is not that bad.

Cheers,
Liz

My lowest exam mark was from a female examiner; it was however the exam in which I played the worst so was perfectly fair . I don't think either males or females are more strict.

My grade 8 distinction was from a female, my lowest marks have been from male examiners. Like AP, it always reflected my actual playing. Only possible exception was grade 6 piano - male examiner, quite generous marks for how I played. I don't think it makes any difference.

Hi Guys,

Struggling for weeks, at last, my Grade 8 exam results out...Pass with Merit... Thanks God for giving me a good start for my next .....
Thanks u guys for your courage, support and All the best!

Liz

Well done, Elizabeth. Good result.

For three of my previous tests, they were all male examiners. This will be my fourth test for Grade 8 Piano and it is again, a male examiner.

I would prefer a male examinor, as I have passed all my exams (2 and 3 and 5), with a man examinor.