i've little information about learning singing and taking singing exams. i've been in school choir for 6 years, originally alto but was moved to soprano2 last year....the fact is that i don't sing really well. like i can reach all the notes but it just doesnt sound good for me. my voice is really soft. do i really have to be trained in private lessons in order to get a good voice? and what is tested in a singing exam?

Soft voice? Do you think you may be singing from your throat which can sound a bit squeaky as opposed to from the diaphram? I know very little about singing but had sung in choirs like you and the first few lessons we had from an opera singer was all about posture, basic breathing and singing from inside you using all the cavities in your entire body, not from your throat?