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ABRSM · Initial Grade

ABRSM Initial Grade aural tests: what happens and how to practise

The Initial Grade aural is a gentle first taste of the exam: four short tests in which you clap along to a piece, clap back two rhythms, sing back two tiny phrases and answer one question about the music. Everything is done by ear — there is no notation to read. The section is worth 18 of the 150 marks and is marked as a whole, so a wobble in one test can be balanced by the others.

A — Clap the pulse

Clap the beat of a short piece, joining in as soon as you can.

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The tests at Initial Grade

A — Clap the pulse

Clap the beat of a short piece, joining in as soon as you can.

The examiner starts playing a short piece and you join in, clapping the beat as soon as you can feel it. At this grade there is no question afterwards about two or three time: the whole task is to find the pulse and keep it. The examiner listens for claps that sit with the music and stay steady to the end, without rushing ahead of the piano. Tip: nod or tap a foot for the first few beats, then start clapping softly once the beat feels certain.

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B — Clap back rhythms

Clap back two short rhythms as echoes, in time.

After a two-bar count-in, the examiner plays two short rhythms one at a time, each two bars long, in three or four time. Straight after each one you clap it back as an echo, with no gap, so the beat carries on. The examiner is listening for the pattern of long and short notes and for steady timing, not for loud claps. Tip: play echo games at home — an adult claps a pattern and you answer immediately, keeping the same speed.

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C — Sing echoes

Sing back two one-bar phrases as echoes.

The examiner plays the key-chord and the starting note, which is the key note, counts in two bars and then plays two one-bar phrases in four time, in a major key. You sing each one straight back as an echo, keeping in time. The phrases use only the first three notes of the scale (doh, re and me), so the steps are small. The examiner listens for the right notes and rhythm, not for a polished voice: humming or singing on 'la' is fine, in any comfortable octave. Tip: hum the starting note silently during the count-in so your first note is ready.

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D — Musical features

Answer a question about the dynamics or the articulation of a piece.

Before playing a short piece, the examiner tells you which feature the question will be about: either the dynamics (was it loud or quiet?) or the articulation (were the notes smooth or detached?). A clear, true answer is what counts, and saying where something happened — 'quiet at the start, louder at the end' — shows careful listening. Everyday words are perfectly good. Tip: because you know the topic in advance, listen for that one thing only. There are example answers on the Initial Grade musical features page.

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Test D answers explained: what to say about the musical features at Initial Grade.

Tips for Initial Grade

  • Little and often works best: five minutes of clapping and echo singing on most days does more than a long session the week before the exam.
  • Clap along to music in everyday life — songs in the car, theme tunes, a sibling's practice — and see who can find the beat first.
  • Play 'loud or quiet?' and 'smooth or detached?' with any piece you hear; it builds exactly the words test D needs.
  • For echo singing, start each game on a note that sits comfortably in the voice and keep the patterns to three neighbouring notes.
  • Now and then, run all four tests in exam order so that moving from clapping to singing to talking feels normal on the day.

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A full Initial Grade mock, marked

The examiner runs every test in order, plays as many times as the board does and gives an estimated mark out of 18, with where you lose marks.

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Questions people ask

Which instruments can take the ABRSM Initial Grade aural?

Initial Grade is offered as a face-to-face Practical Grade for piano and for bowed strings (violin, viola, cello and double bass), and the aural tests are identical for each. ABRSM's Performance Grades, which are recorded exams of pieces only, have no aural tests at all, so this section applies only to Practical Grade exams.

How is the Initial Grade aural marked?

The section is worth 18 of the exam's 150 marks. The examiner gives one mark for the overall response rather than scoring each test, so a single shaky answer is not a disaster. As a guide, 12 out of 18 is pass level for the section, 15 merit and 17 distinction — and you do not have to pass every section to pass the exam.

Does my child need Italian words like forte or staccato?

No. Plain words such as loud, quiet, smooth and detached are perfectly acceptable at Initial Grade. If your child already uses Italian terms in lessons they are welcome, but a correct everyday description is better than a term that is used wrongly.

What if my child finds singing in tune hard?

Only one test, the echo singing, uses the voice, and the examiner listens for the notes rather than the quality of the voice. Humming, singing on 'la' and singing an octave higher or lower are all allowed. Short daily echo games, each starting on a comfortable note, usually bring quick progress.

Can my child practise the Initial Grade aural online?

Yes. Free daily practice covers all four tests without signing up: clapping and singing are checked through the device's microphone, and spoken or typed answers about the music are marked against the piece. A free mini-mock gives an estimated mark out of 18; full mocks in exam order are part of the paid plans.

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.