New Initial Grade

Initial Grade

Initial Grade, for Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass, is designed to help beginners measure their progress and celebrate their achievements.

Our Initial Grade is a pre-Grade 1 assessment available as a digital Performance Grade exam or a face-to-face Practical Grade exam. Initial Grade exams follow the same structure, content and marking criteria as our other graded music exams:

• Performance Initial Grade - four pieces, with the assessment made from a video recording
• Practical Initial Grade - three pieces, scales, sight-reading and aural tests

Initial Grade Exam Packs are available for Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass. Each book contains a selection of 9 pieces from the syllabus, including a new commission for all four instruments to play together and many new arrangements.

Scales and example sight-reading tests are also included in the exam packs, and audio recordings are available for all pieces from the books. A Specimen Aural Tests book for Initial Grade is available separately.