resitting abrsm exams?

i have just taken my grade 8 horn and i passed with 118, i know thats a good pass but im absolutely gutted!! i came out convinced i had got a merit (i thought i would have just missed a distinction). my scales were pretty poor but i think my pieces deserved much higher marks. im trying to decide whether to retake it just for personal satisfaction? any ideas...thanks

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Reply 1

username196545

Resit Grade 8!?
LMAO, I failed Grade 2. No, really.
If you want to, go for it, you're obviously capable.

Reply 2

The_Lonely_Goatherd

If you got 118, that usually means that you just missed out on a merit on the day (examiners aren't supposed to give a mark that is one mark either side of a boundary. Like 119, 121, 129, 131, etc.).

If you have the time, the energy, the drive and the money (not sure what the exam fee for Grade 8 is these days) to do it again, then you may as well. Though you should only do this if both you and your teacher think you can improve and if you improve with your scales (some examiners take an instant dislike to people who can't play scales! :eek:

Reply 3

username196545

No, isn't merit 125 though?

Reply 4

ArchedEdge

Merit is 120.

Reply 5

my:favorite:things...

Theres no reason you can't!
Its your £80

Reply 6

sphee

my mum has offered to pay again, i go to a junior department of a london music college and i know i should have done better. the examiner seemed so nice, why did he have to be such a harsh marker!!!? i got 130 in my grade 7 and was over the moon and i think i would have been satisfied if i had just got a few extra marks and scrapped a merit. so fustrating!!

Reply 7

The_Lonely_Goatherd

sphee

Sometimes it's the nice ones you have to watch out for. My Grade 3 and 5 piano examiners were lovely. That didn't stop them trying to fail me! :eek:

Seeing as your mum is willing to pay for it again, you might as well do it again. Only if you can stand to be practising those pieces for another term though. I could still retake my diploma but I couldn't face having to practise those pieces again! :wink:

Reply 8

sexysax

I know someone who re-took their grade 8 trumpet 3 times to get a distinction! I personally wouldn't do it, an exam result is just a reflection of how 1 person thought you played in that 30 mins on one day. There is so much more to music and playing than getting a grade 8 distinction, however nice that may be. However, if you are wanting to apply for music colleges as an undergrad, you may want to do it again to get that distinction. How old are you though? If university/music college is a while off, I'd enjoy playing instead of focusing on exams!

Reply 9

sphee

im just 17. no im not interested in applying anywhere for music but i had been thinking about applying for music scholarships for uni possibly so i would need a distinction. i suppose i have the summer to decide what to do.

Reply 10

beautifulbigmacs

if you dont think that the marks you got for your pieces match up with the comments the examiner gave there may be scope for appealing..personally if this was the case id definately try seeing how close you were

Reply 11

sphee

i havent seen the comments yet, ive only got the scores off the internet hopefully should come through and see if they match up reasonably

Reply 12

beautifulbigmacs

ah, this could be good then...definately hold fire before thinking you'll have to resit...if theres just the slightest difference between marks awarded and comments made, you should definately appeal

or, for the effort it takes to resit grade 8, how about going one better and taking a diploma :wink:

Reply 13

sphee

id never thought about doing a diploma, how much harder/more work etc would be involved? i dont know much about it...

Reply 14

The_Lonely_Goatherd

sphee

id never thought about doing a diploma, how much harder/more work etc would be involved? i dont know much about it...

Very hard work, don't do it unless you need it or really want to do it. Especially as you're not planning to do Music at uni. Lots more practise, lots more emphasis on detail, viva tests, programme notes :s-smilie:

Though it's very rewarding if you can get through it all and pass :smile:

Might be worth talking to your teacher about. If you're thinking about music scholarships, it would be a good idea to retake your Grade 8 and try and get that Distinction though :smile:

Reply 15

hmjessop

The_Lonely_Goatherd

examiners aren't supposed to give a mark that is one mark either side of a boundary. Like 119, 121, 129, 131, etc.

Really? I got 121 (merit) for my grade 8 piano!

Reply 16

Hygeia

i resat my grade 8 violin as i wasn't happy with the mark i got (108), ended up with exactly the same mark the second time (though was given full marks for the aural despite knowing i'd completely messed it up!)

Reply 17

The_Lonely_Goatherd

hmjessop

Really? I got 121 (merit) for my grade 8 piano!

Well that's the instruction my theory teacher was given when she was an ABRSM examiner! Maybe the policy has changed... :smile:

Reply 18

sphee

ive just got my results through and the examiner wrote in the comments that i deserved a merit but my scales let me down. one of the pieces he says the tempo was uneven but i did this intentionally because my teacher had said it made it more characterful, very annoying because i could have just played it straight and very dull!!

Reply 19

The_Lonely_Goatherd

sphee

Seems like what I said earlier about some examiners and scales has happened to you :frown:

Take the results sheet to your teacher and ask for his/her advice. Sounds like if you can sort out your scales, you'll do better next time!

Btw, don't worry too much about the uneven tempo thing. This happens to me all the time. Some teachers/examiners have very set ideas about the ways in which certain composers' pieces should be played and if you play it differently, they don't understand why :s-smilie: