Just got back from the theory exam. Can you imagine that they put the WRONG ADDRESS OF SCHOOL in the letter? I had 40 minutes to spare and if it weren't for another students parents, I would have been half an hour late!!!!! It took us about half an hour by car to get there (or even find that place) and I was very very barely in time.

Next thing was, that there was not even one tiniest little piece of notice paper included in the envelope. NOT ONE SINGLE PIECE. For none of us. I am sorry, but those exams are expensive enough as they come. It SHOULD be possible to hand out at least one bit of paper for each student.

Which meant, that I HAD to use own paper. I HAVE TO MAKE NOTES! Which made me feel so uneasy to use, that all the mistakes I made are exactly in those questions where I needed to use it. Thus, I am probably lucky to get a merit this time. I don't want to talk about my usual distinction. Which by the way I would probably have gotten with all the work I invested.

I am really so damn angry right now. And this will have consequences. For one, I already called the office organizing that thing here in Germany. But additionally, I will officially complain with ABRSM directly. That is SOOOOOO POOR!!!!!

Calm down, dear!



You probably did better than you thought Sorry to hear it didn't go as smoothly as you'd expected!

Oh no! Thank goodness you left extra time.

I know you've worked hard for this exam so what a shame that it didn't have a good start - I really hope it's gone better than you think

Sounds dreadful and it certainly doesn't put you in the right frame of mind to start the exam.
I would expect a least a sheet of manuscript paper for rough working out.

It sounds as if it might be a 'new' venue or a new centre rep who doesn't know what should be provided.

Good luck for the results and hope it's better than you think right now.


Louise

lucky you had paper with you, I'd be writing on the table! It is pretty poor, you should complain - and they should take into account that you did not have the full exam time or full provisions.

I'd have used the empty spaces on the question paper.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience and hope that you were sufficiently well prepared that it hasn't significantly affected the result.
And Just in case do get your complaint in to the board quickly.

How odd! I woudl definitely raise it with the board!

The regulations which cover theory exams do actually say:

So they should provide you paper. The fact that they didn't meant you had to use your own - which is against the rules, but you had to do it because they didn't meet their part of the rules in supplying paper!

As for the location mix-up, that's just terrible. I'm usually a super-early arriver at places, but I don't think I'd have been early enough for that one!

We are in the same boat in Italy, but-correct me if I'm wrong - but it sounds like you arranged everything with ABRSM in the UK. Didn't you contact the reference person in your part of Germany? The school will have people who organise the exams. We have 3 places now where we can do the ABRSM exams within a few hours drive and in each case there's somebody who organises it, speaks english well and will liaise with the students and parents.

It's important to talk to the person who will actually BE there, invigilating.

Close to exams, we receive mails giving us all the latest news and I always reply and check that everything's okay.

Of course, being in Italy, I make damned sure that the info is correct. But so far, it is.


Steve

Good job it wasn't a practical, sorry to hear of your bad experience..

for a good result

Hi - I didn't get paper either but knew, from this board, that paper should be provided so I asked for some and they gave it to me. I think sometimes new centres have a few teething problems so it is well worth knowing your rights beforehand!

Thanks for all the support.

@Steve, there is a contact person, but not in the same city. In Germany it is organized now from a central point. And I actually did use that German contact to enter myself into the exam. I am native German speaking. So, there are/were actually no language barriers whatsoever.

@all. ABRSM contacted me in the meantime and appologized. For which I am very grateful that this abmyssal exam experience did not go unnoticed.

I am only damn disappointed about the whole experience. These exams are very important to me for various reasons. And the result will probably not reflect my real knowledge performance I would otherwise have demonstrated.

Aside for the fact that the last two weeks were an ongoing nightmare for me. Not only concerning the exam. Which was just a highlight of all the ###### happening.