Exam Boards

ABRSM & Trinity

 

Comparing the Exam Boards 

1. ABRSM and Trinity grades are accredited at the same level.

The UK qualifications regulator, OFQUAL monitors the standards of all exam bodies in the country. Each exam is given an RQF (regulated qualifications framework) level, so that exams may be compared across different boards, and even across different disciplines.

The RQF levels for music theory grades are the same for ABRSM and Trinity. At each RQF level, a number of points are awarded. Grades 1-3 are all level 1 for example, but a the points awarded at level 1 increase in line with the grades.

TQT stands for “total qualification time” and is the estimated number of hours (including both with a teacher and independent work) needed to pass the exam.

Grade	Board	RQF	TQT	Equivalent to
1	ABRSM	1	20	GCSE F/G or 1
1	Trinity	1	20	GCSE F/G or 1
2	ABRSM	1	30	GCSE E/F or 2
2	Trinity	11	30	GCSE E/F or 2
3	ABRSM	1	50	GCSE D/E or 3
3	Trinity	1	50	GCSE D/E or 3
4	ABRSM	2	58	GCSE B/C or 4-6
4	Trinity	2	70	GCSE B/C or 4-6
5	ABRSM	2	90	GCSE A*-B or 7-9
5	Trinity	2	90	GCSE A*-B or 7-9
6	ABRSM	3	130	A level
6	Trinity	3	130	A level
7	ABRSM	3	170	A level
7	Trinity	3	170	A level
8	ABRSM	3	210	A level
8	Trinity	3	210	A level
AmusTCL	Trinity	4	900	1st year BA
LmusTCL	Trinity	6	1800	3rd year BA

2. The Pass/Fail marks are slightly lower for Trinity than for ABRSM.

Grades 1-8

Board	Pass	Merit	Distinction
ABRSM	66.6%	80%	86.6%*
Trinity	60%	75%	87%

 Diplomas

	Pass	Distinction
Trinity	60%	80%

3. Some ABRSM grades are shorter exams.

Board	Grades 1-3	Grade 4	Grade 5	Grades 6-8	Diplomas
ABRSM	1.5 hours	2 hours	2 hours	3 hours	N/A
Trinity	2 hours	2 hours	3 hours	3 hours	3 hours

4. The ABRSM exam centres are more numerous than Trinity centres across the UK and worldwide.

5. In the UK, the ABRSM offers three exam dates per year for grades 6-8 (March, June and November) and Trinity offers two for grades 1-8 (May and November). ABRSM grades 1-5 are available on demand (online).

6. The Trinity music theory exam fees are slightly less expensive than ABRSM

(Fees correct as of June 2023).

When I first wrote this page in 2019, the ABRSM grade 1 theory exam was £29 and Trinity was £31. Both boards have increased their prices, but ABRSM’s exams have increased by a larger amount, which is surprising, since their exams have become shorter and are no longer marked by humans (grades 1-5).

Grade	ABRSM	Trinity
1	£37	£35
2	£40	£37
3	£44	£41
4	£48	£44
5	£51	£47
6	£54	£52
7	£57	£57
8	£60	£62
AmusTCL	N/A	£120
LmusTCL	N/A	£165

7. The ABRSM syllabus is more traditional than Trinity. 

The early grades for both boards focuses on broadly the same areas: notation, scales, keys, time, performance directions, intervals and triads.

At grades 6-8 the boards diverge considerably. The ABRSM board follows the traditional curriculum of figured bass and Classical harmony (Baroque to late Romantic). Trinity only includes very basic figured bass (grade 6), and unlike ABRSM it does include non-diatonic key systems/scales, such as modes, pentatonic and whole tone. 

8. The ABRSM syllabus is narrow and focused, the Trinity syllabus is broad and comprehensive.

Trinity covers non-diatonic harmony even in the early grades. In addition, composition skills are tested at all grades (ABRSM dropped composition from grades 1-5 in 2018). Trinity covers a wider range of practical techniques (including ostinato, sequences and imitation) and requires a knowledge of form and basic orchestration. The question types will vary from paper to paper.

ABRSM at grades 6-8 requires a detailed knowledge of style, in particular Baroque (trio sonatas at grade 8), SATB (grades 6-7) and piano-style writing. The same types of question will appear in each paper.

9. The ABRSM syllabus is quite different between grades 1-5 and 6-8. The Trinity syllabus is graded gradually to build on skills throughout grades 1-8 in a similar way.

ABRSM grades 1-5 are knowledge based. The candidate is required to understand basic music literacy and is not tested on any practical skills. Broadly speaking, the same skills are tested at each grade, with some minor extensions of facts as the grades increase. Each grade increases in complexity in terms of key signatures and time signatures.

At grades 6-8 there is a seismic shift, to a paper where 50% is now skills based (writing harmony, creating bass lines, writing a composition, filling out the gaps in half-written piece of music etc.) Most students find the gap between grades 5 and 6 enormous. 

Trinity is quite different in that the emphasis is on learning plenty of new knowledge with each grade, rather than focusing more on key/time signature complexities. Harmony is introduced much earlier than with the ABRSM, and builds up the candidate’s abilities much more gradually. There is no enormous gap between any two grades. The balance between practical skills and theoretical knowledge remains mostly the same, as the grades increase.

10. Pre-requisites.

The ABRSM requires a pass at grade 5 theory as a pre-requisite to taking grades 6-8 (and diplomas) in a practical subject (other alternatives are also available). They will accept Trinity Grade 5 Theory instead of ABRSM. 

The ABRSM requires grade 6 music theory for candidates for the DipABRSM Teaching diploma. Trinity grade 6 is also accepted.

There are no pre-requisites to taking any grade of music theory exam with either board.

11. Content by Grade

	ABRSM	Trinity
Clefs	Grade 1: Treble, bass, Grade 4: alto, Grade 5: tenor	Grade 1: Treble, bass, Grade 4: alto, Grade 5: tenor
Composition	From grade 6 only, instrumental only	All grades, for instruments and setting words to text
Form	The phrase & cadence, chorale, piano pieces, trio sonata	Sections, strophic, binary, verse & refrain, suite, chorale, sonata form, concerto, etude, Lied, mazurka, nocturne
Harmony	Grade 1: Chord I Grade 4: IV and V Grade 5: II, inversions, cadences Grade 6: all triads, SATB style, modulation, V7 Grade 7: all 7th chords, Neapolitan 6th, suspensions Grade 8: Augmented 6ths, borrowed chords	Grade 1: Chord I, chord symbols Grade 2: 1st inversion, circle of 5ths Grade 3: Chord V, 2nd inversion, perfect cadences & progressions, SATB style Grade 4: Chords IV and V7, modulation, Plagal cadences Grade 5: Chord II, imperfect cadences Grade 6: all triads, diminished 7ths, basic figured bass Grade 7: all 7th chords, suspensions Grade 8: Serialism, chromatic chords
Instruments	Grade 4: standard orchestral instruments Grades 5-8: extended symphony orchestra	Grade 3: violin, cello, flute, bassoon Grade 4: viola, double bass, guitar, descant recorder, oboe, horn Grade 5: Bb clarinet, Eb alto saxophone Grade 6: treble recorder, A clarinet, Bb soprano sax, Bb tenor sax, Eb baritone sax, Bb trumpet Grade 7: Eb tenor horn, tenor trombone, bass trombone, timpani Grade 8: cor Anglais, Bb cornet, tuba
Key Signatures	Grade 1: up to 2 sharps/flats, Grade 2 = 3, Grade 3=4, Grade 4=5, Grade 5=6	Grades 1&2: 1 #/b, Grade 3=2, Grade 4=3, Grade 5=5
Orchestration	N/A	String quartet, orchestral scores, close/open scores
Scales	Grade 1: Major, Grade 2: minor harmonic, Grade 3: minor melodic, Grade 4: chromatic	Grade 1: Major, Grade 2: minor harmonic and natural, Grade 3: minor melodic, Grade 4: chromatic, Grade 6+: pentatonic, Aeolian, Dorian & Mixolydian modes, whole tone
Style	Recognising and writing: Baroque, Classical, Romantic Recognising: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th C	Recognising and writing: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th C, Rock/Blues
Time sigs	Grade 1: simple, Grade 3: compound, Grade 5: irregular	Grade 1: simple, Grade 3: compound, Grade 4: irregular
Transposition	At octave/treble to bass by Grade 3, Grade 4:alto clef, Grade 5: tenor clef and for transposing intruments.	At octave/treble to bass by Grade 3, Grade 4: by 4th/5th and for transposing instruments, Grade 5: at any interval