Could anyone give me an idea of roughly what grade Beethoven's Moonilight Sonata is?
Thanks

That's a very difficult question to answer. Personally I would place the first movement around grade 3-4, second movement probably grade 5 and the last movement certainly much higher than that, perhaps grade 7 or maybe even 8.

I'd say the first movement is Grade 5 + (although someone at a lower grade could probably handle playing the notes) and the last has recently been on the syllabus for Grade 8.

I think the second movement is Grade 5-6.

No way - the key signature, accidentals (double sharps) and the amount of off the stave notes make it much too difficult to read. It's a lot easier to play than it is to read! I think a pupil would need to be at least post grade 5 to make a decent job of the first movement - possibly even post grade 6.

My little book "The Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature" gives this an overall grade of 10 which I think is equivalent to grade 8 in the UK.

Really?!? I have to admit I have always considered the last movement as far too difficult to even contemplate trying to play and certainly way above Grade 8 level. Are you sure you are not thinking of the last movement of the Pathetique, (which is on the current Grade 8 syllabus and significantly easier)?

The first two movements of the Moonlight are pretty straight forward though so probably about grade 5/6 level.

Possibly...

Yes, maybe you're right, although perhaps a competent grade 4 pupil might be able to play it. I'm not very good at estimating grades of pieces.

Regarding the first two movements - having a think about it, I think this is one of those pieces where the notes are the easy bit but actually playing it well and musically is incredibly difficult. It makes it a very hard piece to "grade". It could probably fit happily in any grade between 5 and dip depending on your expectations of the level of interpretation.

There you go, Barbara - roughly 9 different answers, of varying degrees of usefulness. Does that leave you any the wiser? Many (most?) pieces don't really fit into grades, after a certain level. Sometimes it's more helpful to 'grade' the student, as it were, rather than the piece. Best idea is to have a go at playing whatever you fancy, and see how you get on. ( Fwiw, I wouldn't consider giving it to a Grade 3/4 student! There is so much other good useful and appropriate stuff for this level. But - if they'd found it themselves, and wanted to have a go, we'd work round it, and see what was possible. Not the last movement, of course - which I've heard played excrutiatingly badly so many times, by players who think they've got a flashy technique )

Thank you all so much for your help. The reason I was asking is that one of my students is playing the first movement purely for pleasure and as I am retiring from teaching shortly, she asked me what grade I think she is so that she can tell the next teacher. She hasn't taken an exam for a few years but got to about Grade 4-5. I told her to tell the next teacher exactly which pieces she has been playing and the next teacher can assess it for her/himself.

Id say Grade 6, Grade 7, and DipA for the three movements

Very wise - only possible answer you could give!