Guidance
Guidance for Performance Grades
This page includes important information for candidates, teachers and parents. Please read this carefully and watch the video below before you record and submit an exam video.
Translations of the guidance on this page are available to download as PDFs in Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.
For information about using recorded accompaniment, go to our Performance Grade accompaniment page.
Downloads
For your Performance Grade you will need to submit the following:
1. A continuous video recording with:
- an announcement of your name, instrument, grade and pieces/songs
- the opening of your own-choice piece/song – shown to the camera
- photo identification for Grade 6, 7 and 8 – shown to the camera
- a continuous, unedited performance of your four pieces/songs
2. An online programme form and declaration:
- completed during the upload process by the candidate or responsible adult (if the candidate is under 18)
Getting ready to record
Most modern smartphones, tablets and laptops will be suitable for video recording the exam.
The recording must be of a good enough quality to allow assessment of all aspects of the performance, including tone quality and dynamic range. Our examiners mark based on what they hear and see and cannot take poor quality recording into account.
Test your recording device and do a trial recording before the exam to make sure the recording will be of good quality with clear, undistorted sound and vision.
Other things to check include:
- suitable lighting levels
- camera position
- clarity of the information shown to the camera
Before recording, check that audible or distracting notifications are disabled on the device, that it is charged and has enough storage space.
If a responsible adult (or any other person not involved in the performance) is in the room, they should remain still and silent during the recording and be out of the camera view. They should not disrupt or direct the candidate’s performance or interfere with the recording in any way.
You must record all parts of the exam (listed below) as one continuous audio-visual file.
1. Introduction - at the start of the recording, before your performance:
- Announce the following (the responsible adult can do this if preferred):
- your name
- subject and grade
- the title, composer and syllabus list number (where relevant) for each piece/song in performance order
- Show the opening of your own-choice music to the camera with the following visible (the responsible adult can do this if preferred):
- title
- opening clef(s), key and time signature
- tempo marking and other performance indications
- a few lines of music
- For Grade 6, 7 or 8 show your photo identification to the camera with your face in full view
It is important that your video introduction is complete. If you miss some of this information, you are allowed to make a small edit to the introductory section of the video only to add missing information. We do not allow any edits to the performance section of the video.
2. Performance - a continuous un-edited performance of your four pieces or songs
You don’t need to record tuning up before the exam. However, any re-tuning or break during the performance must be included as part of the continuous recording.
Do not edit the recording in any way after the exam.
File names
Your file name must only include letters, numbers, underscores (_) or dashes (-). No other characters will be accepted and the film name must not be blank.
Compressing your video
If you have a large video file and/or slow broadband speed, you may want to compress the file to reduce the upload time.
For high grade exams videos are likely to be 20 to 30 minutes long. Even set on 720p HD video at 30 fps, a 30-minute video may be up to 1 GB. In such instances we recommend you compress your video so that it uploads more quickly.
Before you upload a compressed video, always watch the whole recording to make sure you are happy with how it looks and sounds.
There are various free internet sites that can help with video compression. Here are some examples:
- free online convertor: https://www.freeconvert.com/video-compressor
- downloadable software (rather than an online convertor): https://handbrake.fr
We do not endorse products and recommend that you make your own choices when using third-party software. There are many other options available.
You can upload your video recording through your ABRSM account as soon as you have booked the exam. The upload function will be available for 28 days. Please leave plenty of time to upload your video in case there are any problems.
When you are ready: log in, select ‘submit recordings’, select the exam/candidate and start the upload process.
You can only submit your recording once, so make sure you select the right one.
Before you upload the video, you will be asked to complete the following:
1. An online programme form
- Enter each piece/song in performance order, giving the list number (if relevant), composer and title.
- Indicate which piece/song is own choice.
- If there is a syllabus overlap available, indicate if the pieces/songs are from the current or previous syllabus.
2. A declaration
- This is to confirm that the recording was made in accordance with our exam regulations.
- For candidates under 18, the declaration must be made by the responsible adult who was present during the recording.
