Trinity

About US - Trinity College London

ACCREDITATION

Trinity College London is an awarding body recognised by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) in England and Northern Ireland, and by Qualifications Wales. Trinity’s qualifications are regulated by these authorities within the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). Various arrangements are in place with government educational authorities worldwide. In the UK, Trinity’s Grade 6-8 exams can contribute towards higher education through the allocation of UCAS points.

MUSIC

Whatever your musical tastes, Trinity College London has the music qualifications for you.

Every year Trinity College London supports the music education of thousands of students with assessments across a wide spectrum including popular, jazz, contemporary and classical music. Trinity College London graded examinations and diplomas span performing, teaching, theory of music and composing, all of which are fully accredited by the relevant UK regulatory bodies.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

The candidate is at the heart of our focus. That’s why we offer insightful assessments for everyone, from beginners right up to diplomas for the most advanced candidates. All Trinity College London examiners are professional musicians, and they take special care to make candidates feel relaxed in the examination room, creating a positive environment for you to demonstrate your talents to your full potential.

MUSIC GRADE EXAMS

Trinity’s graded Music exams offer the choice and flexibility to allow candidates to play to their strengths

The Music you want to play

Learners progress in their own musical style by choosing from lists of pieces or songs carefully selected by experts

The Performer you want to be

Our performance-grounded technical work and supporting tests are specifically designed to develop learners’ skills through the music they play.

The Recognition you deserve

Candidates are assessed through an externally regulated and internationally recognised exam system, with a 140-year heritage that you can trust. They can gain UCAS points for Grades 6-8.

Our music exams:

  • Recognise that a flexible approach is best, prioritising candidates’ individual needs
  • Offer freedom of choice within assessments, enabling candidates to demonstrate their musicianship in the way that suits them best
  • Assess real-life skills that translate naturally from real music-making to the assessment
  • Assess skills that are specific to each discipline – the opposite of a one-size-fits-all assessment
  • Allow candidates to express their whole musical personalities through options to demonstrate creativity in different ways
  • Use diagnostic mark schemes where appropriate, offering precise and specific feedback to inform continued learning

EXAM STRUCTURE

Performance is at the heart of Trinity’s graded music assessments as we believe that musicianship is most effectively demonstrated through practical performance.

  • Assessments are strongly performance based
  • Grade exams assess practical performance across repertoire, technical work and supporting tests
  • No theory prerequisites are required for any of Trinity’s performance-based assessments
Trinity College London practical graded exams are numbered from 1 to 8 in increasing order of difficulty. In many subjects, an Initial exam acts as an introduction to the exam system. Candidates perform three (or sometimes four) pieces, and technical work featuring scales and arpeggios, exercises or orchestral extracts. They also choose two supporting tests from a selection including sight reading, aural, musical knowledge and improvising.

MARK SCHEME AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

See the syllabus for more information on the breakdown of marks for each section of our exams. Syllabus is available in the official website of Trinity College, London

UCAS POINTS

The United Kingdom Universities’ and Colleges’ Admissions Service (UCAS) has confirmed the inclusion of Trinity College London grade music examinations (Grades 6-8) within the UCAS tariff system, which is open to any student applying for a course of study at a UK university or other higher education institution. Please see the official website for more information about UCAS points for music performance and theory.