FAQs

A: Email us at paa@rslawards.com with your proposed date, and we will look into availability and get back to you as soon as possible.

A: Once you have booked a date via email you need to complete on online application form which will be sent to you.

A: We allow any changes to the schedule (late entries, omissions, grade changes) up to 7 days before.

A: We can start the exam day at your chosen time and can adapt to your timings accordingly.

A: Yes, as long as this is done no later than seven days before the exam day. No entries can be added on the day.

A: Please visit our policies and regulations page for regulatory information, and to download a Reasonable Adjustments or Special Considerations form.

A: Yes, but you will need to email paa@rslawards.com as soon as possible after the exam day.

A: For UK face-to-face exams the examiner will telephone the principal or the school’s representative 2-3 days before the scheduled exam, to introduce themselves and confirm details relevant to the exam (eg the schedule, arrival time etc).

A: Candidates being assessed must wear a number on their front and back. Numbers must be provided by the school/venue and are not provided by RSL.

A: Examiners will arrive 30 minutes before the first scheduled exam. Principals / venue representatives are required to meet with the examiner and go through an ‘arrival check-list’ with them. This is to ensure the smooth running of the exam day.

A: All RSL examiners are DBS checked (or international equivalent where the examiner is resident outside the UK). RSL takes the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults extremely seriously and has put in place as many preventative measures as possible within its assessment structure and processes. An outline of these is provided on the website here...

A: Yes. When the examiner contacts the principal / venue representative prior to the exam (see question 8 above) they will give an emergency contact number which can be used at the weekend if necessary.

A: Schools/venues must provide examiners with an adequate table, chair, lighting and refreshments. Examiners must not sit in close proximity to the audience at any time.

A: A member of staff must be present for the Group Performance, and any component of the exam that requires the operation of music equipment (or a starting note/clapped rhythm). A member of staff must be on hand to support the organisation of candidates and to chaperone candidates when waiting outside of the room for the Technical Skills/Understanding & reflection components.

A: We can defer the exam or issue a refund with written medical evidence.

A: The candidate can choose not to take the exam and we can issue a refund with written medical evidence. If the candidate chooses to complete other components of the exam (eg. they decide to do the acting and singing but not the dancing) the examiner will not be able to assess the element they have missed and this would be reflected in their mark. Note that the school/venue may apply for Special Considerations as per the RSL policy, which can be found here...

For live video exams (UK and International), this contact will be by email approximately 7 days before the exam.

The examiner will not contact the school/venue prior to Recorded Video Exams, unless there are Acting candidates at Level 2 when an unseen element of the technical work needs to be provided.

A: Usually, exam results will be sent by email within seven days and the certificates will follow no later than six weeks after the exam date.

A: Yes. Please email us at paa@rslawards.com giving full details and we can arrange a replacement for you. Replacement certificates cost £10.

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Q: It says in the syllabus that the examiner can assess a maximum of 8 candidates at any one time. It’s likely that I'll have somewhere between 16-24 pupils take part so would this mean that we'll have to perform 2 or 3 times?

A: The syllabus guideline of 8 candidates is to indicate how many candidates can be examined at once within the timeframe specified in the syllabus for that grade. If you have larger groups, we will likely send more than one examiner so more than 8 candidates can be assessed at once within that time. Note that examiners may ask for sections of the performance to be repeated.

Q: Who operates the music in the exam?

A: Schools/venues provide the music operator, who should operate the music in the exam and provide all of the music tracks. However, for the Street Dance freestyle and the Jazz Dance improvisation (Levels 2/3), the examiner will provide the music track because it must be unknown to the candidates. The compulsory music for the Musical Theatre Debut technical demonstration is available free of charge here...

Q: For which parts of the exam is an audience allowed?

A: An audience is permitted for the Group Performance only. Audiences are not permitted for the Technical Skills Demonstration or Understanding & Reflection components.

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Q: Can I combine grades within the same performance?

A: This is not advised. The Performance component should adhere to the minimum requirements in terms of duration and complexity of steps for the specific grade taken. If candidates of different grades perform the same routine(s) together, it would need to be choreographed at the level of the highest grade in the group, so candidates taking lower grades would be disadvantaged.

Q: Can individual candidates take a Dance exam?

A: Solo Street Dance exams are possible at grades Premiere to 5; however, at grades 6-8 a minimum of two candidates is required. This is because the freestyle component is in the form of a ‘battle’, which requires at least two dancers.
Solo Jazz Dance exams are possible at all grades.
It’s important to note that there is a minimum half-day fee for face-to-face and live video exams, so lower candidate numbers may be expensive for schools to facilitate, and are accordingly not advised. There is no minimum fee for recorded video exams.

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Q: What is the minimum/ maximum number of candidates in Musical Theatre exams?

A: A minimum of two candidates is required for Musical Theatre. There are two exam formats – Group Exam and Show Exam.
A Group Exam is typically a class of students at a similar grade level. Examiners can assess up to eight candidates at any one time; if there are more than eight the performance must be repeated.
Therefore, usually there are no more than 16 in a group. If the Group Exam consists of candidates at different grades, the performance must meet the minimum duration for the highest grade in the group.
A Show Exam is typically a large group/whole school of more than 25 candidates. Two or more examiners may attend. Candidates must perform for the minimum duration required at the grade for which they are entered.
For both exam formats, examiners may ask candidates to repeat sections of the performance if clarification is needed.

Please refer to page 18 of the syllabus.

Q: Can individual candidates take a Musical Theatre exam?

A: No. Musical Theatre exams must have a minimum of two candidates. Note that there is a minimum half-day fee for face-to-face and live video exams so lower candidate numbers may be expensive for schools to facilitate and are accordingly not advised. There is no minimum fee for recorded video exams.

Q: How do I select appropriate Musical Theatre repertoire for my candidates?

A: Firstly, take a look at the ‘Suggested Repertoire’ resource on the webpage. This provides repertoire suggestions and will also enable you to select alternative repertoire more confidently. RSL does not provide compulsory repertoire lists because we want teachers to select repertoire suitable for their particular students depending on their strengths and what they love to perform!

Q: Do Musical Theatre candidates present a full production with costume and lighting etc?

A: It’s not necessary to stage a high-tech production unless you want to or you are already planning to do this. Show Exams (where the whole school performs together) and Group Exams (where smaller groups, usually of similar age or grade, perform together) can be presented in school uniform or plain clothing in a rehearsal room/studio. Exam material can be short sections from published works, a mixture of songs/numbers from various different works or original work written specifically for your students. It’s up to you.

Q: Can I combine grades within the Musical Theatre Group Performance?

A: Yes, this is no problem. If you are doing group exams, the length of performance must be at the minimum requirement for the highest grade in the group

Q: At the moment we only have one student taking grade 2; should this stay the case, can we have another (non-examined) student come into the Technical Skills Demonstration to be their pair?

A: Yes, this is no problem. The candidate will wear a number on their front and back but the non- examined student will not wear any numbers.

Q: Who chooses the Technical Skills discipline for the exam?

A: For Grades 1-5 the teacher must choose the technical discipline for each grade, as candidates in the same grade group must demonstrate the same technical skill. Candidates taking Grades 6–8 can choose themselves which discipline they would like to demonstrate.

Q: Can I pre-arrange the twos/threes for the Acting Technical Skills Demonstration?

A: No. For grades 1-5, if Acting is chosen for a grade group to demonstrate, the examiner will put the candidates within that group into twos/threes for their scenarios on the day. Therefore, candidates should be prepared to work with any other candidate within their grade group.

Q: Will candidates all do their technical skills demonstrations in the same room?

A: Candidate should perform their technical skills demonstration in their grade groups (as chosen by the teacher), and will be asked to enter the exam room in grade order. Note that for Show Exams, where there is a large number of candidates with more than one examiner, each examiner will need a separate room to be made available for the Technical Skills Demonstration/ Understanding & Reflection to take place.

Q: What kind of questions will the examiner ask in the ‘Understanding & Reflection’ component of the exam?

A: Candidates will be asked to share ideas on the given topic. Topics are based on the performance seen in the examination, and are listed in the syllabus specifications at each grade. Below is a selection of topics (listed in the order they first appear in the syllabus), with examples. These examples are intended as an indication of what may be asked, and are not exhaustive:

• Character appearance – for example, what the character looks like and/or what they may be wearing
• Character relationships – for example, the relationship between one character and another within the piece
• Challenges of performance - for example, the parts of the performance or disciplines the candidate found most challenging and why
• Mood of the chosen pieces – for example, the mood of the scene, or that of a song or dance
• The character’s feelings – for example how the character was feeling during the scene, or during a song or dance and if there are any changes of mood
• The context of the performance – for example what is happening in the scene, where does it take place, what the scene is about etc.
• Processes used in the rehearsal to help to learn and remember the piece – for example processes used in and outside the rehearsal room to help the candidate learn the lines/lyrics/choreography
• Historical context of piece – for example when and where the piece was set, and/or how the setting/time period may have influenced the performance
• Background to playwright/composer – for example who wrote the music/lyrics/play and what the candidate knows about the author/composer
• Similarities and differences between characters in the piece – for example ways in which two characters within the piece are similar/different, and why
• Character objective in the piece – for example the goal that the character wants to achieve and why
• Rehearsal processes used to prepare vocally and physically for performance – for example warm-up techniques/processes used to prepare specifically for acting, singing, or dancing, and/or the performance as a whole
• Rehearsal processes used to develop character – for example processes used to help develop an overall understanding of the character, or specific characteristics (voice/movement etc.)
• The style of the piece and how that style was achieved – for example the style of the whole piece, or that of one specific song/dance, and/or techniques used in rehearsal to achieve the style
• Analysis of techniques used in the rehearsal process – for example any techniques used in rehearsal to develop the character involving voice/movement/staging etc.
• Critique of own performance – for example something that went well in the performance and/or something that the candidate feels could be improved upon, or may consider doing differently in future
• Warm-up techniques – for example to prepare for acting, singing or dancing
• Analysis of techniques or processes used in rehearsal to achieve the style and historical period – for example showing an awareness of the elements used to achieve the overall style/historical period, or that of one particular song/dance/scene
• Techniques and terminology relevant to musical theatre – for example breath support, diaphragm, dynamics, rhythm, modulation, objective, subtext. Candidates should be able to describe what is meant by all of these terms, in preparation for the exam
• Stylistic features of the performance – for example stylistic features of the whole piece, or within an individual song/dance
• Limitations of the delivery/performance pieces – for example limitations experienced in performance, or in terms of resources for staging etc, and/or any ideas for how the performance could be staged if resources were unlimited
• Challenges of the rehearsal process – for example techniques/processes used in rehearsals (for acting, singing or dancing), or a specific rehearsal, the candidate found most challenging and why
• Influence of theatre practitioners on the rehearsal process and/or performance piece – for example how a particular theatre practitioner (in acting, singing or dancing) influenced rehearsals, technique or performance