Have you ever heard someone play a piece of music with such conviction and expression that you hardly notice that there are slips in pitch and occasional errors?

Or have you found yourself left unmoved by a performance although the technical skill and fluency was virtuosic throughout?

Are correct rhythms and pitch alone convincing enough to call the output ‘music’?

Whenever a piece of music is performed, ABRSM believe that the success of the performance is not simply about whether the correct pitch and rhythms are played. Other musical elements such as tempo choices, tonal control, phrasing, articulation detail and dynamics, all work together to shape the melody and accompanying textures in order to create musical character and style. This special combination of expressive nuance and balance, combined with technical fluency and skill, influences the success of the performance and how vividly the music is communicated to the listener.

ABRSM recognise that this can be achieved through many different techniques and so, by identifying these five essential elements for musical communication, ABRSM make sure that the focus of our exams and assessments is always the musical outcomes. All ABRSM examiners are generalist music examiners who examine all instruments using the same criteria. They want every candidate to do their best in the exams and so these criteria are publicly available and included at the end of the Qualification Specifications for all instruments in both the Practical Grades and the Performance Grades.

When listening to the candidate’s performance, examiners mark up or down from the pass mark for each component and balance the five different elements of Pitch, Time, Tone, Shape and Performance to come to the given mark.

It’s a bit like balancing an equaliser in a mixing studio - as the examiner listens, they are working out the positive and negative aspects of the performance and balancing the significant determining factors that raise or lower the overall mark.

Pitch, Time, Tone, Shape Performance criteria

Examiners might ask themselves questions like:

  • Is the pitch highly accurate throughout, or are there frequent errors?
  • How does the chosen tempo reflect the general character of the piece and is the underlying metre clearly defined and maintained?
  • Perhaps the opening is convincing but there is a section which becomes less sure - did the performer quickly recover from mistakes or was the flow of the music very disjointed and continue so?
  • Does tonal projection enhance the style and mood and are the different themes and melodic lines well balanced and blended?
  • Do the phrases have shape and direction which enhances the melodic character?
  • Are the dynamics varied and expressive or is there a lack of musical colour?
  • Is the style and character vividly communicated?

For Practical Grades, there are specific criteria for the technical elements of the exam which are similarly considered by the examiner to arrive at the given mark. Again, it is the musical outcome that is being assessed and not the techniques employed to deliver the requirements. For example, the rhythmic fluency and accuracy of scales on the piano can be evaluated in terms of the musical outcome, but the fingering patterns used to deliver the scales are an aspect of technique and therefore not commented on. 

The criteria for the technical elements of the Practical Grades can be found at the end of the Qualification Specifications for your instrument. Download a copy to keep below

ABRSM aims to make exams as accessible and inclusive as possible and our designated Specific Needs team is there to answer any questions regarding access requirements. You may like to watch these videos to find out more about our specific needs policy and how to make a booking for a candidate who has specific needs such as needing extra time for processing or large-print scores for sight-reading.

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Sarah Baker is an ABRSM Examiner, musician, conductor, and composer. She composes music for performers of all ages and abilities, and her works are included in ABRSM's one-hand piano syllabus.

Last modified: Friday, 14 August 2026, 2:41 PM