I haven't taken an ABRSM exam in a while - 8 years, really, since my grade 4 piano.

I've been playing the double bass for 3 years, and I recently took up the cello (6 months ago) and I'm going to take my grade 4 cello exam in February. I like to think I'm relatively well-prepared, but I really have no idea what to expect. How strict is the examiner going to be? Will I lose many marks if I get a note slightly out of tune? How difficult is it to get a merit or a distinction? Do you have to be mind-blowingly good to obtain the latter?

Thoughts and advice would be much appreciated!

Have a look at These Music Exams.
Page 37 gives you the marking criteria.

I agree with sbhoa, the marking criteria make matters fairly clear. From a personal perspective I can add that (having done cello grades 3 and 5) you are certainly not going to be marked down for playing a note out of tune. Playing in tune is a lifelong endeavour and at grade 4 you will not be expected to have perfect intonation all of the time. The examiner will be marking each entire piece on its musical merits and the odd wrong note is not a disaster. If the tonality of the entire piece is uncentred you will lose marks of course.

You certainly don't need to be mind-blowingly good to get a high mark. If you are well prepared and can master your nerves you'd have a good chance.

Good luck!

I took my first ever exam (G3 oboe) in December and got a distinction. I am NOT "mind-blowingly good". I was about as well prepared as I thought I was ever likely to be, thanks to good teaching and plenty of practice. The important bit in your pieces is musicality. You get high marks for a convincing performance - keep going, even if you slip up here and there. I messed up a couple of quaver runs in one piece and I'm sure my intonation wasn't spot on but the examiner did make positive comments about ensemble with the piano and articulation.

I agree with sbhoa, read and understand the marking scheme. Do bear in mind how many marks are up for grabs in scales, sight reading and aural. Even with high marks in your pieces these can let you down. I'm often surprised by comments on the forums about scale and arpeggios letting people down in exams. These are not hard to prepare - they just need work. No I didn't get top marks for them, I still managed to mess up two arps.

Do regular work on sight reading and aural and get your teacher to give you a mock exam complete with marking sheet and comments. Good preparation will give you a chance of getting into the exam in a reasonably relaxed frame of mind and that alone will be worth a few marks.

I'm taking cello grade 4 this coming March! My only other practical exam has been piano grade 1 in 1996...so I'm slightly nervous...
But I'm excited all the same!

How interesting that this thread should be revived 2 years after I made the comment above - as I've just decided not to take Grade 6 this session, largely because I don't feel my scales are adequately prepared

Oh hey my old thread! Ah, fond memories. Apt timing, too - I'm taking my grade 6 cello this session. Very, very nervous about arpeggios (especially those fiendish ones in thumb position).

Advice to people who are worrying about taking grade 4 anything, or grade anything for that matter - worry not! Or at least, worry not as much as you think you should. Every exam I have taken has turned out better than I expected (probably because I listen to way too many professional recordings of my exam pieces and hence expect far too much of myself). At grade 4, no one expects perfect intonation, dynamics or expression. Just be natural about it, and you might be surprised (I sure was, when the examiner praised my 'judicious use of rubato' when in fact I hadn't tried to do rubato at all - I was trying to play precisely in time!)

thanks for the kindly advice! I will definitely skip 5 after this and go to 6...so we're on the same road it seems