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Piano

About Piano exams

We offer assessments for pianists at all levels.

Face-to-face Practical Grades and digital Performance Grades are available from Initial Grade to Grade 8. 

The Prep Test is a fun first assessment with no pass or fail and Music Medals (UK only) are teacher-led assessments for the early stages of learning. 

For advanced pianists we offer ARSM, LRSM and FRSM diplomas in Music Performance. 

Scroll down to find out more about Practical Grades and Performance Grades or click through for more information on the Prep Test, Music Medals and diplomas.

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What’s new
New syllabuses

Piano Syllabuses 2025 & 2026 – refreshed repertoire lists for Practical Grades and Performance Grades.  

  • Wide-ranging repertoire from Baroque and Classical to pop, stage and screen 
  • Pieces that you can play with one hand only for Performance Grades 1 to 5 
  • No changes to the supporting tests for Practical Grades  

You can use the new pieces in exams from 1 January 2025. There’s also a one-year overlap period ending on 31 December 2025. During this period you can choose your three set pieces from the 2023 & 2024 syllabus.   

Piano Prep Test – new tunes and pieces to inspire creativity and imagination. You can use the new Piano Prep Test book (from 2025) in exams from 1 January 2025. You can continue to use the current Piano Prep Test book until 31 December 2025. 

Music Performance ARSM – an expanded piano repertoire list that provides more choice and a wider variety of genres and composers from across the world. You can use the new repertoire immediately - you don't have to wait until 2025.

New books 

Piano Prep Test – an inspiring, illustrated book to support this fun first assessment. 

Piano Exam Pieces 2025 & 2026 – books of selected pieces for each grade. Audio recordings are available through major streaming platforms - see Audio below. 

Piano Teaching Notes – expert guidance on teaching the repertoire in our Piano Exams Pieces books. 

More resources

Audio - professional recordings of all syllabus pieces are available through major streaming platforms.

Digital sheet music – for selected pieces. 

Piano Practice Partner – our popular practice app now featuring pieces from the new syllabuses.  

Piano Practical Grades

Initial Grade and Grades 1 to 8

Piano Practical Grades are accredited face-to-face exams. They focus on all-round musical knowledge and skills, including performance.  In the exam you perform three pieces, play scales and arpeggios and take sight-reading and aural tests.  

Qualification Specification, syllabus and repertoire lists

The Qualification Specification includes the syllabus and repertoire lists. You can download a copy on this page. 

You can find general information and additional guidance for all subjects on our Practical Grades page

Specification validity and overlap period

The 2025 & 2026 specification is valid from 1 January 2025. The 2023 & 2024 specification is still valid until 31 December 2025. During the one-year overlap period you must choose your three pieces from the same specification. 

Grade 6 to 8 entry requirements

If you’re taking Practical Grade 6, 7 or 8 you must pass Grade 5 (or above) in one of the following before you book: Music Theory, Practical Musicianship, a Jazz Practical Grade.   

You can find a list of accepted alternatives on our Practical Grades page.

Downloads

The qualification specification includes: the syllabus and repertoire lists, exam requirements and marking criteria.

Piano Performance Grades

Initial Grade and Grades 1 to 8

Performance Grades are accredited exams that we assess from a video recording. They have a strong focus on performance, including communication, interpretation, delivery and performance as a whole. In the exam you perform four pieces: three from the syllabus lists and one own-choice piece.

The new 2025 & 2026 repertoire lists include piano music for one hand at Grades 1 to 5. Any candidate can play these in their Performance Grade exam from 1 January 2025. You can find full details in the syllabus, available to download on this page.  You can also read answers to common questions below. 

Qualification Specification, syllabus and repertoire lists  

The Qualification Specification and the syllabus (which includes the repertoire lists) are available to download on this page. 

General information for all subjects is available on our Performance Grades page. It’s also essential that you read our guidance for Performance Grades. This includes important information about recording and submitting your exam video.  

Syllabus validity and overlap period

The 2025 & 2026 syllabus is valid from 1 January 2025. The 2023 & 2024 syllabus is still valid until 31 December 2025. During the one-year overlap period you must choose your three set pieces from the same syllabus.

Grade 6 to 8 entry requirements

If you’re taking Performance Grade 6, 7 or 8 you must pass Grade 5 (or above) in one of the following before you book: Music Theory, Practical Musicianship, a Jazz Practical Grade.   

You can find a list of accepted alternatives on our Performance Grades page.

Repertoire for one hand - common questions

Why have you introduced a repertoire list for piano for one hand? 

One-handed repertoire opens up piano playing for people with a range of upper limb differences and impairments, for example as a result of cerebral palsy, stroke, Poland syndrome and other conditions. It also allows students who have temporarily lost use of their arm or hand, to continue playing. It might also be helpful for a student who needs to concentrate on their technique for one hand more than the other or could be an activity that’s enjoyable just because it’s a new experience.

Who can play the pieces for one-hand in their Performance Grade exam?

Anyone! The music is of equivalent difficulty to the other pieces in the list for the same grade. Pieces are marked ‘left hand only’, ‘right hand only’ or ‘left or right hand only’. Candidates must not perform the one-hand pieces with two hands and they must use the hand specified in the lists. Any candidate can choose to play a piece from these lists and they can perform a combination of two-hand and one-hand repertoire if they want to. 

What happens if I have two partial hands?

Please contact our Specific Needs team ([email protected]) who will agree a reworking of the music.

Why is pedalling included in early grade repertoire?

To make a melodic line flow when performing with one hand requires some sustained sound. In one-handed repertoire you can’t achieve this by holding down a key alone as the hand has to cover so much of the keyboard. To help with this, the sustaining pedal appears at an earlier stage than for two-handed repertoire.

Is one-handed repertoire a new idea?

No. Composers have written one-handed piano pieces for decades but this is the first time that we’ve include them in our Piano syllabus. The most famous commissioner of one-handed repertoire was Paul Wittgenstein (1887 –1961) who became a right-arm amputee during WW1. When we carried out research to compile these repertoire lists we discovered a wealth of material. We also commissioned new works from participants on our composer mentoring programme. 

Can I see any pianists performing one-handed repertoire in public?

Yes! The first one-handed pianist to graduate from the Royal College of Music is Nicholas McCarthy and we worked with him on the development of these repertoire lists. Nicholas performs across the world on a regular basis.

I’ve never taught one-handed piano music before, is this a problem?

No! As with all teaching, it’s best to learn the music yourself first and then you’ll soon understand what’s needed to develop a musical performance.  Don’t be tempted to bring in your second hand when things get tricky. Instead, develop fingering and pedalling strategies to make it work. In a good performance, the listening audience won’t be know that the pianist is playing with one hand alone.

Downloads

The Piano Performance Grades Syllabus includes the Piano repertoire lists and exam requirements. 

The Performance Grades Qualification Specification is for all subjects and includes the entry requirements and marking criteria.

 

Audio recordings

Recordings of all pieces in the 2025 & 2026 Piano Syllabuses are available from major streaming platforms, including Amazon, Apple Music and Spotify.  With over 400 pieces available, they’re a great way to inspire practice, playing and teaching.

Add and save the recordings to your music libraries for access any time.

Watch a performance

Enjoy this performance of Jinx, from Mean Little Monsters by Diane Hidy, featured in our Initial Grade Piano Syllabuses 2023 & 2024.

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