What's in the exam?
Find out about our Performance Grades and alternative route to a graded music exam.
- Three accompanied songs
- Unaccompanied traditional song (folk song)
- Sight-singing
- Aural tests
Prerequisite
Candidates for Grade 6, 7 or 8 exams must already have passed ABRSM Grade 5 (or above) in Music Theory, Practical Musicianship or a solo Jazz instrument. For full details including a list of accepted alternatives, see Regulation 1d.
Syllabus
Singing Grade 8
Key exam information
Publications & audio
A Selection of Italian Arias Volume 1 (High Voice)
A well-known collection of 21 arias.
A Selection of Italian Arias Volume 1 (Low Voice)
A well-known collection of 21 arias.
A Selection of Italian Arias Volume 2 (High Voice)
A well-known collection of 21 arias.
A Selection of Italian Arias Volume 2 (Low Voice)
A well-known collection of 21 arias.
Specimen Aural Tests
Practice examples of the aural tests for Grade 8.
Specimen Sight-Singing Tests
Practice material for students preparing for Singing exams.
Aural training in Practice
New editions offering support to teachers preparing students for Practical exams.
Supporting applications
Unaccompanied song
Read our guide to the unaccompanied song.
What the examiner looks for
- Excellent communication
- Totally secure memory
- Overall pitch sustained with assurance
- Accurately controlled intervals and intonation
- A well-chosen, comfortable key for the candidate’s voice – ideally a singer will know this instinctively and not need a starting note from the piano
- Effective tempo choice and inherent sense of rhythm
- Instinct and ability for story-telling
- Facial involvement – a singer’s eyes are so important
- Expressive use of colour and dynamics
- Use of rubato where appropriate