Very pleased to have just got our first set of practical results for 2009, all but one using the new syllabus.

Grade 1 piano Distinction x 4 (130,134,135,135) Merit x 1 (126)

Grade 3 piano Pass (117)

Grade 6 piano Distinction (130)

I knew this was (with one exception) a very good batch of pupils, able & motivated, but still very pleasing & perhaps a little surprising. I didn't expect one of the distinctions & the 117 was actually very weak - I did consider suggesting she pulled out of the exam. I can't help thinking this examiner marked quite differently from the one we had in December, when the results were significantly lower than I'd expected.

Sight-reading results are interesting - they all did well & I'm sure they're finding the new syllabus easier. The grade 1 pieces have been far more successful than the previous syllabus.

Good luck to everyone else with exams coming up & hope you're enjoying the new syllabus.

Well done! Great results.
Did you have a special visit then?

Thank you. Yes, we had a visit at my teacher's house. Her 2 pupils also got good distinctions - she agreed that the examiner seems to have marked quite generously (she was expecting probable distinctions, but not quite that high). Several other teachers also entered pupils, so it will be interesting to see what they got.

We also had a visit in December, but wanted to wait for the new syllabus for some pupils - seems to have been the right decision. The two examiners appear to be on different planets - we seem to have had the extremes of harsh & generous marking in the space of about 6 weeks.

Yes, well done indeed! It's always gratifying when they do better than anticipated. When adrenaline is flowing in the examination context there's no telling how much better they can do than we give them prior credit for.

That said, I've had experience of a couple of (female as it happens) examiners lately who have been very stingy with marks; one of them allocated a 14-year-old student of mine the princely mark of 102 when she had been allocated a distinction for the previous grade. Admittedly she had not been as prepared on this occasion, but a thirty mark gap is somewhat staggering. ABRSM were honest enough to acknowledge that a number of other complaints had been made about said examiner (in response to my direct question). Sorry about the gender comment, but that's been my recent experience: the female examiners have been much tighter with marks.

Perhaps they have higher standards?!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone brave enough to comment?

LR

I would have agreed with you until last summer, when a lady examiner gave mine very good marks - and was charming and friendly into the bargain. My students were delighted with the experience!

Well done with your results.

My experience is quite the opposite, with female examiners making more effort to put the candidate at ease. I was one of the candidates on one particular occasion, and rigid with terror about my forthcoming piano exam. The lovely lady examiner was really friendly and made me feel that she was on my side, even though I made enough mistakes (through sheer nerves) to suspect that if I passed it would be a very scraped affair. When I got my crit, however, I was pleasantly surprised - and this wasn't a case of Candidate Focusing on Bad Points, because I had a number of students in for exams and they were marked similarly generously.

But well done, Bevpiano, these are really terrific results!

Fantastic set of results. Just wondering how the new sight-reading and scale syllabus went down with your pupils?

I don't feel the scale syllabus made much difference. The grade ones were all very well-prepared & had slightly less to do than previously, not having to do arpeggios. The grade 3 girl found it hardest, having previously learnt the old syllabus & having to learn a few extra - she was a bit of a slow learner & hadn't been with me terribly long. She was originally supposed to have done the exam last term, but I didn't feel she was ready enough by the closing date. The grade 6 girl was fine as we'd used the new syllabus from the beginning.

They all found the sight-reading quite straightforward & all got good marks. I feel it's definitely easier than the previous syllabus.

Thanks for all the congratulations. I'm starting to feel slightly uneasy - although I knew this was a good batch of candidates, they weren't quite that good. As the day has gone on, we've been hearing of more distinctions & it's starting to get slightly ridiculous. We seem to have had the two extremes of examiner in a few weeks - they were both men by the way, & both very pleasant & welcoming to the candidates, just very different in their marking.

Anyone else got any results through yet? My one and only flute pupil did her grade one last Wednesday and I'm really hoping for the results to come tomorrow!! (As my piano students before christmas came exactly a week after the exam!)

I hope I'm not in for a long wait...so anxious as I haven't taught flute before this student!

I did my sax grade 2 on 2nd March and still no result. I think my grade 1 result took about 2 weeks in June last year.

The result could arrive tomorrow (I had results through once within the week), it's more likely though to be 10 days to a fortnight after the exam. Occasionally a little longer.