Inspired by the Grade 5 post - thought I would copy! I am currently trying to decide whether to take this exam in the autumn and am thinking of doing the following pieces:
A1 Bach - have more or less polished this now but still sometimes make annoying mistakes
or
A2 Hook - can actually play this more consistently well but don't like it as much
B2 Grieg - I love this piece when others play it but despite a lot of practise my version is still a little lacking! Which is why I am now considering the Kullak instead - have only just managed to get hold of the music though. Not sure if it is too late to change.
C2 - Readdy. I have learnt this but it still needs polishing.

I still have some scales and arpeggios to learn though - do you always know these BEFORE entering the exam? I would love to hear from anyone else preparing for Grade 4 and any advice is always welcome! My teacher has never prepared anyone for an ABRSM exam before so he is unsure whether I am ready or not!

You can find the marking criteria in These Music Exams and this will give both you and your teacher an idea of what is needed to be succesful.
The requirements are set out quite clearly.

As for scales and arpeggios I always learned them (and teach them) before starting on exam pieces so that they are already just a part of the normal practice routine.
I always prefer everything to be almost ready at the time the exam entry goes in but some people manage quite well if they have things much less finished at that point.

The grade 5 thread is itself copied from the grade 8 thread! *grin*

I usually have all my scales learned (though not necessarily fluent) by the time the entry is made. Pieces vary. For my first flute exams I usually hadn't done much about pieces when we did the entry. But for the intermediate grades I'd learned at least a couple of them, though not polished them. For the higher grades, my teacher is expecting me to have the pieces well underway by the entry date. She's expecting the same for 5 piano, but that's partly as I've not done a piano exam with her before so she doesn't know how long it will take me to pull things together.

For organ 3, I'd learned the scales and the list C piece when the entry went in, then started on the A and B pieces. (That was partly by accident though - I'd started a list A piece a few days before the entry, but a few weeks later discovered I'd learned the wrong piece (there were two Kyries in the same book, by the same composer!), so had to learn the right one from scratch.)

It depends on how long it takes you to learn stuff and whether you get bored of it quickly. If you have a piece pretty much perfect by the entry date, it may get a bit 'stale' by the time you get to the exam. I'd guess you still have plenty of time to learn a new piece - you can delay the decision on which to use until closer to the exam, so you'll still have your current one as a backup option if you find you can't lrean the new one in time.

Make sure you get plenty of practice at the aural tests and sight-reading and learn your scales well. You don't want to find that you get really good marks for the pieces but come unstuck on the rest.

Good luck with it all,
T.

i'm going to do grade 4 this november.

A3 Zipoli - the only one that contrasts with my other choices, quite slow
B2 Grieg - haven't started yet but sounds nice
C [alternative] Haughton - 'baroque and roll' nice style

what grieg piece is on the list?

Hi,
I'm not going for grade 4 but maybe for 3 this autumn so sorry to 'intrude' in this post just wanted to say that I always know all the scales/arps/chords very well before the exam entry is filled in, infact I know these at least up to a grade higher (ie: might enter for grade 3 piano this autumn but I know them up to grade 4 and soon will start the grade 5 ones). I am the same on violin, I have taken grade 1 in june but knew scales/arps for grade 2 and was learning those for grade 3 (now accomplished).

Not sure if/when I'll be doing the exam, but am currently looking at the Zipoli (what a lovely piece, this is my favourite one yet!), Cattle Call and Alarm. I can't remember what they are in terms of grouping though, sorry...

Scales are coming on very well; I find those the easiest section by far. Sight-reading is not so good but I've got the hymn books out for that! LOL.

Thanks for all the replies! Am now unsure whether I am going to do the exam as I have to be at a conference over the exam period so it is looking a little unlikely as to whether I can attend It seems that you have to pay before you can know the exact date which seems a bit bonkers to me and am not sure whether I want to risk the money.

Anyway, on the plus side, I have learnt all the scales now and the new Kullak piece which I absolutely love.

Good luck to everyone!