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Trinity · Grade 6

Trinity Grade 6 aural test: questions, tips and practice

From Grade 6, Trinity candidates take sight reading plus either aural or improvisation, so aural is still a choice. The piece is eight bars, harmonised and always in a major key, and the questions move from short answers to comments: on the dynamics, the articulation and two other features. There's also a modulation question and two changes to find.

Aural test

Name the time signature; comment on the dynamics and articulation and on two other characteristics; name the key the music modulates to; locate and describe two changes.

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The tests at Grade 6

Aural test

Name the time signature; comment on the dynamics and articulation and on two other characteristics; name the key the music modulates to; locate and describe two changes.

Time and touch: after two playings, name the time signature and comment on the dynamics and articulation. Characteristics: after two more, pick out two other features of the piece and say something about each. Modulation: the first four bars are played again; say whether the music moves to the subdominant, the dominant or the relative minor — naming the key also works. Changes: following a copy, you hear the piece twice with two alterations in the tune; locate each and say whether it's pitch or rhythm. Our trainer asks about character and texture by name rather than leaving the choice to you.

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Tips for Grade 6

  • In comments, say what happens and where: 'it begins forte, gets quieter towards the end, and the quavers in bar 3 are staccato'.
  • Prepare a few features you can always talk about: texture, character, tempo, phrase lengths, and style or period.
  • Modulation: compare the end of bar 4 with the opening key — brighter suggests the dominant, more relaxed the subdominant, darker the relative minor. Our modulation guide explains more.
  • Read the copy before the first playing: note the bar numbers and the shape of the tune.
  • Answer in short, complete sentences; prompt, confident answers are part of how the test is marked.

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A full Grade 6 mock, marked

The examiner runs every test in order, plays as many times as the board does and gives an estimated mark out of 10, with where you lose marks.

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Questions people ask

What other characteristics can I talk about?

Trinity doesn't publish a list. Sensible choices include texture, character or mood, tempo, phrase structure and style. Our trainer asks about character and texture by name, because a free choice of feature is hard to mark fairly; in the exam, pick the features you can describe most confidently.

Is the Grade 6 piece always in a major key?

Yes. At Grade 6 the piece is major, so the modulation is to the subdominant, the dominant or the relative minor. From Grade 7 the piece can also be minor, which adds the relative major as a possible destination.

Do I have to name the new key?

No — describing the relationship (subdominant, dominant or relative minor) is enough, and naming the key itself, such as G major for a piece in C, is also accepted. Our trainer asks for the relationship, which works the same way in any key.

How are my comments marked in the trainer?

Your spoken or typed answer is matched against the piece's answer key — what the dynamics and articulation actually do — in plain English or Italian terms. Unusually worded answers are checked by an AI examiner against the same key, and you see what you missed alongside a model answer.

Independent practice. We are not affiliated with Trinity College London; 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.