65 replies to this topic

[jenny]

Congratulations all.

 

My grade 5 theory student got 97% - I'm so proud of her

 

That's brilliant! Huge congratulations to her - and to you!

 

I've had such lovely messages back from all three of mine this evening and feel very moved by my Grade 3 pupil (an adult doing his first theory exam) who said how much it meant to him ('after a tough couple of years') and that it feels like 'a real achievement'.  

[fionamck]

A grade 1 and a grade 2 today, both first timers so quite nervous. Not helped by ABRSM messing up big time with the schedule. I received a message on Tuesday to ring them, spent 45 mins on hold (not easy in a teaching day) to be told that they had to move my candidates appointments by 3 hours. Reorganised my teaching again so that I could be there to support them for the later slots only to be told when I arrived that the times had changed once more and my pupils were both an hour later. Hadn’t received any further notification from AB nor had my online appointments changed from the original times. Had to make last minute cancellations of teaching that I now wasn’t going to be back in time for and console two nervous pupils that had a long wait. Parents seriously unimpressed as they’d had to make arrangements with their work commitments twice to bring the candidates. I felt embarrassed, as did the local rep running the session who assumed I knew. These exams are very expensive and this sort of confusion and disorganisation does not create a good impression. I’ve lost nearly two hours of teaching and just hope the delay doesn’t affect the results as both students were quite wound up by it all. There’s a strong email on the way.... sorry for length of post, really cross about all of this!

[Latin pianist]

That's horrendous. If an accompanist had been needed, the exams might have become impossible and even without, it could still have been unworkable.I had an unnotified venue change once which became extremely stressful for my student and her mum. Not good enough!

[Ligneo Fistula]

Congratulations all.

 

My grade 5 theory student got 97% - I'm so proud of her

Congratulations to you and your pupil!

[fionamck]

Sorry not sure how to quote a post to reply to it but yes Latin Pianist, apparently there were accompanists to exams early in today's session who’d been massively inconvenienced by the last minute alterations. Do ABRSM have any idea of the knock on effect of making these sort of changes to an examining schedule I wonder? We instrumental teachers are mostly self employed and having to cancel lessons at the last minute results in a fair amount of lost income. Someone somewhere in the ivory towers of headquarters in London must be answerable for this totally avoidable mess. Grrr.

[Doodle]

Thanks jenny and Ligneo Fistula.  She's the youngest of a large family (I've taught all but one of them) and she's such a joy to teach.  She took grade 5 piano on Wednesday so hoping for a lovely result for that too.

 

Fionamck - I'm so sorry to hear how badly all that was managed by ABRSM.  I hope they respond to your letter with an apology, although it will do little to help with what actually happened. x 

[Hedgehog]

G2 Trinity came out with a distinction so we were both very pleased. Still waiting for G1 AB, and have added G7 Trinity to that - fingers crossed - this time last week he was in China on work experience.   It was only by searching carefully that I found an exam place and time he could do - he's off with school choir next week!

Just 2 more to take their exams on Sunday and then it will be just a matter of waiting for results.

G1 AB managed a really good merit, so he was happy, and I've had the Sunday Trinity results (G6 distinction   and G3 merit).  Suspect the examiner was a little generous to G6 which is not helpful moving forward but hey ho.  Good results nevertheless.

The Friday Trinity exam (an online centre - my first experience) results haven't come through yet. For anyone with experience of online Trinity - is this usual? Just a bit concerned as our post isn't 100% accurate and sometimes ends up in the letterbox of a house with the same name as us, but in a different road on the same postal round. 

Congratulations to everyone whose exam results have come through - some really good ones! And commiserations to Fionamck - that sounds a very bad situation and really shouldn't have happened.  Absolutely warrants a strong email.

[Hildegard]

Someone somewhere in the ivory towers of headquarters in London must be answerable for this totally avoidable mess. Grrr.

 

Was there no explanation, such as examiner falling ill and having to be replaced at the last minute?

[maggiemay]

Very sorry indeed to hear of the muddle you and your students had to put up with, fionamck. Really is very poor.

I’m off the bench - my results are in, with two middle merits - 125 for my grade 2, and 126 for the grade one.

Very satisfactory, with nice consistent marks - except that both scored uncharacteristically badly on the aural - with just a bare pass in each case. I can’t remember the last time I had a 12 for aural !

Kudos to my grade 2 boy who scored 20 for his sight-reading.

[HelenVJ]

2 of my Trinity results came last Saturday, in less than a week. My 11-year-old Grade 4 boy scored the highest mark of my year so far (93%) with full marks in 4 out of the 6 sections - Technical Work, Aural, and 2 of his pieces. If only he'd recognised a semiquaver rest, and named the bass clef note correctly! - could have been 97. His younger sister, aged 8, scored a very creditable 88 for her Grade 1. So - one happy family .

[fionamck]

Thank you all for your supportive comments. To elaborate, the muddle was entirely avoidable and all of ABRSM’s making. They were apparently told twice that an afternoon booking off the venue couldn’t start until 1pm yet still scheduled exams starting at noon. My two candidates were originally at 12.00 and 12.12 then they were moved to 4.00 and 4.12. When I arrived to meet my candidates at 3.45 I discovered they’d been moved again to 4.44 and 4.56. Examiner apparently also cross as she’d been messed about with the change of timings at such late notice. Will update when I receive a response to my email. Can I expect a partial refund of both exam fees, compensation for my lost earnings and an abject apology do you think?!

[jenny]

Just got the certificate and report for my Grade 2 pupil. The remarks are all very positive and the family will be delighted, but - yet again - the examiner's handwriting is extremely hard to read. I'm planning to print out the comments for the family, but I'm having to guess quite a few of the words. I hear that changes are going to be made about comment sheets. I can't wait!

[Ligneo Fistula]

Just got the certificate and report for my Grade 2 pupil. The remarks are all very positive and the family will be delighted, but - yet again - the examiner's handwriting is extremely hard to read. I'm planning to print out the comments for the family, but I'm having to guess quite a few of the words. I hear that changes are going to be made about comment sheets. I can't wait!

Do you know what the planned changes are?

[jenny]

There has been talk about printed reports in the future. Not sure if this is going to happen, or when. Does anyone else know?

[Hedgehog]

There has been talk about printed reports in the future. Not sure if this is going to happen, or when. Does anyone else know?

Let's hope they've all got superlative typing skills then!