Hi to everyone taking the Grade 5 theory and other theory exams tomorrow. Are you ready or are there things to brush up on still? I've saved one last paper to do today (2009 C). I'm also going to rub out and re do a few 'compose a melody' questions from other past papers and will spend more time on learning the performance directions.

One thing I am worried about is just how much scrap paper they will allow me - I've read somewhere that you get issued with an A5 ( ) peice of manuscript and whether you are allowed anymore is unclear. Has anyone had more than one peice and has anyone been refused more than one?

Good luck all

Good luck for tomorrow, I have a friend who will be doing her grade 5 tomorrow also. I actually sat the 2009 C paper. I had practiced writing small because I understood sometimes there was a paper space problem. I think they gave me an A5 sheet, but I know they dished out more paper to anyone who wanted it, although I didn't end up needing it.

I had also practiced writing the melody to the poem they supply, but on that paper there was a poem I couldn't even get to scan properly, (Wordsworth I believe), so I completed the piece for trumpet because I thought I could use the violin range for it. I put in crecendos and decrecendos and a big finish and got 13 out of 15 - I was very pleased with that. I really wished I could have remembered it so I could have played it at home later.

Son No.1 has spent all most all his half-term last week doing practice papers (6 in total ), which I had to mark for him, since he isn't going to see his teacher again till after the exam.

With the exception of the usual issues - viz:

- forgetting performance directions [he finds English enough of a struggle to communicate in, at times ]
- forgetting to check clefs
- forgetting to add his performance directions to his composition
- forgetting to read the question properly

... I think he's as ready as he can be.

Useful to know that they give you scrap paper: it's so long since I did my Gr 5 theory as a child that either everything has changed or I've just forgotten this point. I shall mention it to him! Up to now, he's just written straight into the answer space, and he might be best sticking with that [he tends to miss things when copying], but at least there's somewhere he can scribble notes as to cadences etc.

I'm sitting grade 6 tomorrow and feel I'm as ready as I can be. Feel a little nervous but also know in my heart that I'm ready to sit it.

At G6 level I'm def going to need more than one piece of A5 and will ask for more sheets at the v start if that's the case. I'm not going to let it worry me though.

Good luck to everyone - stay calm, stay focused, read the questions at least 3 times, and check your answers at least twice. The rest as they say is luck!

Let's all regroup and debrief Thursday!

Good luck to everyone writing the exam tomorrow.

Daughter attempted the theory exam early this year after learning herself at age 9 and miserably failed (short of 8 marks).

This time we are not taking any chances, as taken lessons from a theory teacher. She can pass with good marks, if she reads and re-reads the question and check twice the answer.

I am doing grade 5 tomorrow. I've not done any work for two weeks as I have been quite poorly. I am sitting it in London as I will be there for a meeting tomorrow.

I'm doing grade 6 tomorrow, and I think I'm ready...just. I've got to the stage when it just depends on the paper how well I do, so fingers crossed for a nice one!
See you on the other side!

I have one pupil doing Gr 5 and one doing Gr 4 tomorrow and one doing Gr 1 TG theory on Sat.
2 seem pretty secure and one is worrying me... won't say which is which though!

I have a friend taking G5 in UK tomorrow, she is Hungarian so the language may be interesting in places for her...

The Gibraltar exams are next Wednesday; I have a Grade 5 student who I think is pretty secure, and a Grade 2 who goes on holiday tomorrow for a week. If he works whilst he's away and learns what I've told him to, he'll be fine. If not, could be iffy. But he's done the work in less than 2 months, and he's only young.

Then I have a Grade 1 student that I covered the trickier parts of the syllabus in an hour with today, he has another lesson on Thurs so hopefully will be OK. His mum entered him, and then realised last week there was only 2 weeks to go and she hadn't done anything with him (she's an oboist!).

Fingers crossed for everyone!!

Good luck to all

What P*P said

I`ll be doing grade 5 theory tomorrow!

Most concerned about remembering the names of all the performance directions 0,0
Although I have noticed they account for 6-8 marks normally.


My father gave me an estimate.. and estimated I could get around 81.
but he used to the 10% rule.. and got worried -.-

Most confident with

Cadences
Choir score
Scales
and almost the transposing.. but not really (weirdly)

Im anxious !

Cant wait to see the after exam thought thread tomorrow

Good luck to everyone doing a theory exam tomorrow. x

Good luck, everyone

Good luck to everyone sitting theory exams today and the following days. And good luck to all teachers having students sitting exams.

Good luck to everyone taking exams this week!

Thanks everyone, can't wait till it's over now - haven't taken a written exam since 1970

Blackbow your 2009 C was quite tricky and I made more mistakes yesterday doing that one than I had on most of the rest, especially the transposing. Martin.Walters I agree with you totally and look forward to the after thoughts we all have later today.

Hope we get great papers, good luck everyone

Good luck to everyone. Take deep breaths and have calm thoughts.

I'm not impressed that I have to wait until 5pm to sit my paper today.
Surely there must be a way of finding suitable venues that enable morning exams?

Have looked through a couple of past papers this morning but there's nothing more to do. After all, if you don't know it on the day of the exam, you're never going to know it!!

Hate the waiting though...doesn't help the nerves.

Good luck everyone

I know the feeling.. :/
5pm for mine to! Schools seem to be the best places to hold them because they have the facility and equipment.
Ergh, thats freaky infact.. going to school to sit an exam.. again after quite a few years.

Most of the exam centres are schools I guess. Also they may want the children to attend exam without loosing out a school day. DD is at school, so has to pick her up by 4PM and straight to exam centre is the plan for us.

The session A and session C theory are always on a weekday at 5pm.
The session B is on a Saturday at 10am.

Should I ever get round to G6, it will be on a Saturday morning, because the idea of not getting dinner until after 8pm is not one I can cope with!

Yes I realise the B period is in the morning but I thought in September I ought to stop being scared of it and entered myself not perhaps fully appreciating that the waiting game is horrid.

And got a thumping headache....ahhhh!!!

Just popped in to wish everyone all the best for the theory later today.

OMG I'm so nervous!!

Thanks for popping in

Ill have to pop on the bus to get to pop on the train to pop into the exam room soon!

good luck to everyone taking the exam

When I took the exam a while back my then teacher entered me for the exam and it happened to be at 5pm too. As my weekly intrumental lesson with that teacher was supposed to be on that same day (in the middle of the exam ) I asked him if we could reschedule it (or cancel the lesson if it wasn't convenient for him to reschedule it) but he declined!! . Needless to say I have a different teacher now!

Good luck to everybody taking the exam!!!

Hope the headache clears but it's still possible to do well if you know your stuff.
I did grade 7 theory the days after I'd been in hospital as a day patient (not general anaesthetic) and was very uncomfortable. Took painkillers to take the edge off (but not much) and managed to get a respectable 90.

Hi everyone,

I just finished my Grade 3 Theory exam not too long ago at half 6. I surprisingly found the paper quite easy: there were no confusing questions e.g. group these notes correctly (hate them) and the last page was easy.

Has anyone else done this exam?

PaulMoscrop

Just sat the grade 5 theory exam! Didn't find it too difficult but really gutted I got the bowing question wrong :'( hoping I still get one mark? Good luck with results everyone! It's gonna be a long wait...

I've done it!!! G6 done!! Blimey!!! And I was SO lucky with no ornament to write (my major nemesis)!

Completed the paper in 1.5hrs inc checking everything v v carefully.

Word of warning: if u hope for lined paper you don't get any, only manuscript, but at G6 you get an double-side of A4.

As for details, I'd like to invite feedback from other G6 students....!!!

I'm impressed... you must be good!!
Took me the whole 3 hours when I did grade 6.

Me too!!

I'm not sure it's to do with being good! I've actually been a little concerned that it didn't take me longer.

I already know that I got the definition of "Piatti" wrong as I just couldn't remember! Should have been cymbals but I put timpani.

I did feel very well prepared, as I've been working a past paper every day for the past couple of weeks.

Are there any other G6s from today's paper?

If you'd gone by my theory teacher's instructions it makes you good.
She used to tell her students 'If you leave before the end you'd better get a distinction'.

Thank you Maestro that makes me feel better.

Never before have I been more practised and I think knowing the paper's layout was a huge relief factor as I knew which questions I was going for.

I recommend heading straight to the hardest questions first and work back from there to the easiest last.

I did grade 6 too and I also finished early - just before 2 hours. I checked and checked though so I don't think i could have done any more! I thought the paper was really nice, especially the trombone melody in B minor, which is my favourite key . I'm also quite chuffed I guessed the cymbal thing, purely off the fact it must have not been pitched and it was pianissimo so unlikely to be a drum! I'm also glad there wasn't an ornament question and the horrible prevailing key question wasn't too bad.
Now the horrible wait for the results!

I had finished grade 6 after 2 hours too. Then I checked that I'd done 5 queations and I checked that it was grade 6, because I couldn't believe I'd finished so soon...I never have in practices. I spent the last hour checking everything.
I got piatti wrong too (guessed timpani).
Overall I was pleased with the paper, I felt they were asking for things that I could do. I was quite disappointed not to get an ornament.
Six weeks of biting my nails now!

Six weeks to wait?! I thought they'd got quicker with results. Maybe theory takes longer to mark?

I ordered all my G7 stuff last night; workbook, theory in practice and some past papers.