Grade 2 aural test D: musical features answers
Grade 2 test D asks two questions about a short piece. The first is about either the dynamics or the articulation; the second is always about the tempo. You are told both features before the piece is played. Tempo is new at this grade, so it gets the most attention here.
Which features are asked at Grade 2
- First question: dynamics or articulation — loud and quiet, with any sudden or gradual changes; or smooth (legato) and detached (staccato) playing.
- Second question: tempo — did the music slow down, speed up or stay at the same speed? You can also say whether it was slow, moderate or fast.
How the examiner asks
The examiner names both features, plays the piece and then asks about each in turn. For tempo, expect something like 'What happened to the speed?' or 'Did the tempo change at all?' The question is open, so describe what you heard rather than just answering yes or no. If the first question is about articulation, the same idea applies: smooth, detached or a mixture, and where.
What makes an answer complete
Say whether the speed changed, how it changed and where. Slowing down often happens at the very end; speeding up tends to build excitement through a passage; sometimes the music slows, holds a long note, then returns to the first speed. If nothing changed, 'a steady speed throughout' is a complete answer. Useful terms: ritardando or rallentando (slowing down), accelerando (speeding up), a tempo (back to the first speed) and pause (a held note). Plain English is just as good.
Example answers: tempo
Imagine a cheerful piece at a steady walking pace that slows down over the last few notes. The full answer gives the change and where it happened. The partly right answer catches the slowing but not when it came. The thin answer describes the speed without noticing the change, which is the point of the question.
Full answer
“It was at a steady, moderate speed, and then it slowed down at the very end — a rallentando.”
Partly right
“It slowed down.”
Not enough
“It was medium speed.”
Example answers: when the speed comes back
Now a piece that slows down in the middle, holds a long note and then picks up its first speed again. The full answer describes both moves and where they happened. The partly right answer notices only the slowing, so it sounds as if the piece ended slowly. The last answer says something changed, but not what or where.
Full answer
“It slowed down in the middle and paused on a long note, then went back to the first speed — a tempo — until the end.”
Partly right
“It slowed down in the middle.”
Not enough
“It changed a bit.”
Example answers: dynamics
If the first question is about dynamics, the same rules apply. For a piece in which each loud phrase is answered by a quiet one, like an echo, the full answer catches the pattern and that the changes were sudden. The partly right answer hears both levels but not how they alternated. 'Lively' describes the mood, not the dynamics.
Full answer
“Each loud phrase was answered by a quiet one, like an echo, so the dynamics kept changing suddenly.”
Partly right
“It was loud and quiet.”
Not enough
“It was lively.”
Practise little and often
Listen for tempo in everything — songs, film music, your own pieces — and say aloud where the speed changes. A simple check while you listen: tap the beat lightly with a finger, and if your tapping has to slow down or hurry to keep up, the tempo has changed. For the whole exam see the Grade 2 aural guide; at Grade 3 the second question becomes major or minor (Grade 3 features answers).
Free daily practice · no sign-up
Answer out loud — get marked
Hear a piece, tell the examiner about it, and see what you got right and what the examiner hopes to hear.
Try Grade 2 test DQuestions people ask
What does 'tempo' mean in the Grade 2 aural?
Tempo is the speed of the music. At Grade 2 the question is mainly whether the speed changed — slowing down or speeding up — or stayed the same. Adding whether it was slow, moderate or fast is a useful extra detail.
Where does slowing down usually happen?
Most often at the end, as the music comes to rest, so listen closely to the last phrase. It can also happen in the middle, before the first speed returns. Wherever you hear it, say where it was.
Is 'it stayed the same' a good answer?
Yes, if it is true. Many pieces keep a steady speed throughout, and saying so clearly — 'it stayed at the same steady speed all the way through' — is a complete answer. Do not invent a change to sound more interesting.
Will the first question be dynamics or articulation?
Either. The examiner chooses one and tells you before the piece is played, together with tempo for the second question. Practise both, so you are ready for whichever comes up.
Independent practice. We are not affiliated with ABRSM; the tests here are generated by our engine from the published format, not taken from the board's books. Mock marks are estimates — the examiner's judgement is final.