Hi
I'm new here, and I play the bassoon (Grade 7-ish).
I took Grade 5 last year and need to get Grade 5 Theory before I take my next grade (which will be 7, cos I'm skipping 6).
I've taught myself Grade 4 and some of Grade 5, using the ABRSM Music Theory in Practice books and the Theory Made Fun books.
I've been learning since Christmas (although admittedly I should probably do a bit more work)!

Anyway, my questions are,
1. Will it be possible to sit the exam this summer?
2. What are the main things I should make sure I know?
3. Do I really need to learn ALL the terms (my friend said only to learn the more common ones)?
4. What are the marks for pass, merit and distinction?

I know thats a lot of questions, and I would really appreciate any answers for any of them.

Thanks,
Saz

1. Technically, yes, whether you're ready or not depends on how you go in the next few weeks.
2. There's a reasonable amount to cover. Certainly, you should have a good working knowledge of scales/key signatures/basic chords/transposition/cadences, have the ability to write a reasonable melody, know how to use alto/tenor clefs (not necessarily read them fluently, just be able to use and calculate notes from them). There are also things like ornaments/being able to use triplets/various time signatures/groupings of notes successfully. Have a look at one of the grade 5 books for more details.
3. It's as well to have a good working knowledge of Italian terms, and a basic grounding on the French/German terms. You can only do so much, and you might get caught by a term you don't know, but overall, I'd make sure the points in my paragraph 2 are covered thoroughly, rather than learn a list of terms by rote.
4. It's out of 100, 66 is a pass, 80 a merit, 90 a distinction.

to the forums!