Grade 8 aural test D: how to describe the music
At Grade 8 nobody tells you what to listen for. After the piece you describe what is notable about it in your own words, and the examiner only steps in with questions if you need help. The best answers are organised, specific and accurate — they sound like a musician talking about music.
Which features to cover
All eight features are fair game: texture, structure, character, style and period, plus dynamics, articulation, tempo and tonality. You choose what to talk about, so lead with whatever is most striking in this piece — a dramatic change of texture, a clear form, an unmistakable period style.
How the examiner prompts
You will be invited to talk about the piece in an open way, with no list of features. If you dry up or leave out something important, the examiner may ask a follow-up such as 'What about the structure?' Prompts are there to help, but a description that needs none sounds more assured.
A running order that works
- Big picture — style and period with two reasons, and the overall character.
- Structure — the sections, what returns and what contrasts.
- Texture — how the parts are layered, and where that changes.
- Detail — dynamics, articulation, tempo changes and any changes of key, each with where it happens.
What makes an answer complete
Cover three or four features, each with evidence and a place in the piece. Use technical terms where you are confident — homophonic, ternary, rubato, modulation to the dominant — and plain English where you are not. Accuracy comes first: a confident but wrong claim weakens an otherwise good description.
Example answers: a whole description
Imagine a Romantic character piece: a song-like melody over flowing broken chords, a stormier minor middle section, and the opening returning quietly at the end. The full answer covers period, structure, texture and detail, each with evidence. The partly right answer is accurate but thin and gives no places. The last is too short to show what was heard.
Full answer
“I think it's Romantic: the tune was long and singing, the harmony rich, and there was a lot of rubato. It was in ternary form — a gentle opening, a stormier middle section in a minor key that got much louder, then the opening returned, quieter, to finish. The texture was mostly melody and accompaniment, with flowing broken chords in the left hand, thickening into full chords at the climax.”
Partly right
“It was Romantic and quite emotional. There was melody and accompaniment, and it got louder at some point.”
Not enough
“It was a nice, expressive piece.”
Example answers: style and period
Period is often the best place to start. For a piece with running semiquavers, imitation between the hands and trills at cadences, the full answer gives the period and its evidence, the second is right but unsupported, and the third gives a reason with no period.
Full answer
“It sounds Baroque: the semiquavers keep running, the left hand imitates the right, and there are trills at the cadences.”
Partly right
“Baroque.”
Not enough
“It had a lot of ornaments.”
Example answers: texture
For a piece that begins with a bare single line, adds an accompaniment and ends in thick, hymn-like chords, the full answer traces each stage. The second answer fits only the middle of the piece, and the third is an impression rather than a description.
Full answer
“It began with a single line, then a broken-chord accompaniment joined in, and by the end it was in thick, chordal, hymn-like writing.”
Partly right
“Melody and accompaniment.”
Not enough
“It sounded full.”
Practise out loud
Describe one piece a day aloud for about a minute, then check yourself against the running order above. Recordings of pieces you are learning are ideal. For the other Grade 8 tests see the Grade 8 aural guide and the modulation guide.
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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 8 test DQuestions people ask
How long should my Grade 8 description be?
There is no set length. Aim for around a minute of clear, specific talk covering three or four features, each with evidence and a place in the piece. Stop when you have said what matters — padding does not help.
Will the examiner ask me questions?
Only if it becomes necessary. You are expected to lead the description yourself; if you stall or miss something important, the examiner may prompt you about a particular feature. Practise speaking without prompts so you rarely need them.
Must I mention style and period at Grade 8?
It is not compulsory, but it is usually one of the most telling features and a natural place to start. Give the period and two reasons you heard. If you genuinely cannot tell, focus on features you can describe accurately.
Which technical terms are worth knowing?
Texture: homophonic, contrapuntal, imitation. Structure: binary, ternary, rondo, variations, coda. Tempo and dynamics: rubato, ritardando, accelerando, crescendo, subito piano. Harmony: modulation, relative minor, chromatic. Use them only when you are sure.
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.