ABRSM - The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
MyMusicTheory.com music theory courses follow the syllabus published by the ABRSM. The ABRSM is a British educational institution with several strings to its bow and a worldwide arena to play in. Apart from providing practical and theory exams in more than 90 countries around the world, it is also a publishing company and a training provider.
Every year more than 650,000 candidates take ABRSM music exams. In 2012, nearly 137,000 of these were music theory exams. ABRSM publishes sheet music, books, exam papers and syllabuses, and runs training workshops for music teachers worldwide. The ABRSM is not affiliated to My Music Theory in any way.
Exams
The ABRSM offers practical and theory exams in music. This website is all about theory; if you want to find out about the practical exams offered by the ABRSM, visit the ABRSM website.
There are eight theory grades. Grade 1 is beginner level, and grade 8 covers topics which you might find in an undergraduate university course.
Grade 5 Theory is a requirement for all candidates who want to take Grade 6 or higher in their instrument. (Grade 5 Practical Musicianship or Grade 5 Jazz are considered equivalent exams to Grade 5 Theory.) Grade 5 Theory is also considered to be equivalent to a GCSE in music.
A pass at grades 6, 7 and 8 will earn you UCAS points (university entrance points).
Music Theory Exam Dates (UK)
Exam dates and fees vary from country to country, and the ABRSM has regional sites set up for many countries. The next UK date is shown on the right hand side of this page.
Resources and Materials
Click here to download the official complete Theory Syllabus (pdf).
Click here to see a comparison table of the grades.
Click here for a full selection of past papers from the ABRSM.
Music Theory Exams UK Statistics
NB The ABRSM does not seem to publish stats any more - these are the latest figures I have found.
| 2012 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | Pass | Merit | Distinction | Fail | Total |
| 1 |
776
|
1,817
|
3,909
|
255
|
6,751
|
| 2 |
147
|
588
|
1,414
|
147
|
4,410
|
| 3 |
1,461
|
1,607
|
730
|
523
|
4,321
|
| 4 |
621
|
846
|
636
|
166
|
2,269
|
| 5 |
7,285
|
7,474
|
3,772
|
3,036
|
21,567
|
| 6 |
388
|
152
|
27
|
235
|
802
|
| 7 |
100
|
81
|
11
|
21
|
213
|
| 8 |
139
|
65
|
11
|
97
|
312
|
| 40,645 | |||||
| 2006 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | Pass | Merit | Distinction | Fail | Total |
| 1 |
909
|
2,116
|
4,512
|
255
|
7,792
|
| 2 |
478
|
1,269
|
3,317
|
73
|
5,137
|
| 3 |
1,330
|
1,714
|
1,523
|
570
|
5,137
|
| 4 |
660
|
974
|
867
|
138
|
2,639
|
| 5 |
8,543
|
6,777
|
3,122
|
3,405
|
21,847
|
| 6 |
377
|
159
|
57
|
209
|
802
|
| 7 |
94
|
46
|
15
|
26
|
181
|
| 8 |
119
|
59
|
18
|
77
|
273
|
| 43,808 | |||||