Rockschool music qualifications are tailor-made for the contemporary musician.
Electric Guitar
Grade 1
The Grade 1 Guitar exam is for candidates who have been learning between six months – one year and have mastered the key basic skills. There are two types of exams available at Grade 1, Grade Exam or Performance Certificate.
Estimated Examination Time:
- Grade Exam: 20 minutes (approx.)
- Performance Certificate: 15 minutes (approx.)
Purchase Your Book & Exam Entry
The Guitar Grade 1 book contains everything you need to sit your Grade 1 exam – in one essential book. It’s packed with essential techniques and theory for beginners picking up the fundamentals of guitar.
Electric Guitar Grade 1
The Guitar Grade 1 book contains everything you need to sit your Grade 1 exam - in one essential ...
Graded Music Exam: Grade 1
All Instruments - General guidance: Graded Music Exams Overview - How to book an exam UK / Republ...
Performance Pieces
At Grade 1 the performance pieces last up to a maximum of 1 minute 15 seconds. This is so the candidate can remain focused and concentrate on the basic requirements of notation, values, sound, control and sync. The pieces contain simple position work and work across strings is simple and paced.
Featured Repertoire:
Rockschool Guitar Hit Tunes 2024 Syllabus
- Pixies – Where Is My Mind?
- Nirvana – Come As You Are
- Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – The Tracks Of My Tears
- Albert King – Born Under A Bad Sign
- P!nk – Who Knew
- Boston – More Than a Feeling
Rockschool Originals 2024 Syllabus
- Ignite
- Downtown Detroit
- As Night Falls
Rockschool Guitar Hit Tunes 2018
- Adele – Rolling In The Deep
- The Script – The Man Who Can’t Be Moved
- The Temptations – My Girl
- Booker T & the M.G.’s – Green Onions
- Green Day – Basket Case
- Stereophonics – Dakota
Rockschool Originals 2018 / 2012 Syllabus
- Get Off
- Umbra Bella
- Just Don’t Know
- Krauss Country
- ICAUFO
- Fab Stomp
Technical Exercises
At Grade 1 there are three groups of technical work. The examiner will ask for a selection from each group, and before starting this section candidates will be asked whether they would like to play the exercises along with the click or hear a single bar of click before commencing the test.
GROUP A – Scales
Tempo: 70 bpm
- Major: C
- Natural minor: A
- Minor pentatonic: A, E
- Major pentatonic: G
GROUP B – Chords
- Powerchords: two-note chords to be played in a continuous sequence.
- Major: A, D, E, C, G: individual chords will be strummed once as directed by the examiner.
- Minor: A, D, E individual chords will be strummed once as directed by the examiner.
GROUP C – Riff
Tempo: 70 bpm
In the exam candidates will be asked to play the riff from the Grade 1 book to a backing track. The riff shown in bar 1 should be played in the same shape in bars 2–4. The root note of the pattern to be played is shown in the music in each of the subsequent three bars
Supporting Tests
At Grade 1, candidates will be offered the choice between Sight Reading or Improvisation & Interpretation. This is a previously unseen test. An example is shown in the Grade 1 book.
Sight Reading
Key: A minor
Tempo: 70 bpm
At Grade 1 the sight reading test is in the form of a melody consisting of half and quarter notes in 4/4. The test is four bars long. The examiner will allow 90 seconds preparation and practice time and will offer the option of practising with or without a metronome. Candidates will then perform the test for the examination.
Improvisation & Interpretation
Key: C major or A minor
Tempo: 70–80 bpm
At Grade 1, candidates have the choice of playing a lead line or rhythm (chord) line. The test is four bars long and candidates will have 30 seconds preparation time. The examiner will offer the metronome as a guide throughout this time. Candidates will then have a complete practice run through with the backing track, and then on the repeat the test will be examined.
Ear Tests
There are two tests: Melodic Recall and Rhythmic Recall.
Melodic Recall
Tempo: 85 bpm
The examiner will play three notes in sequence. Candidates will tell the examiner whether the second note is higher or lower in pitch than the first note and whether the third note is higher or lower than the second. The test will be played twice. Each time the test is played it is preceded by a one-bar vocal count-in. Answers can be ‘higher then lower’ or ‘up then down’ (as appropriate).
Rhythmic Recall
Key: Low E string
Tempo: 90 bpm
The examiner will play a two-bar rhythm played to a drum backing on the lowest-sounding E string. Candidates will hear the test twice and will then be asked to play the rhythm back. Candidates will then be asked to identify the rhythm from two examples shown to them by the examiner. The test is made up of quarter and eighth notes and quarter-note rests. Each time the test is played it is preceded by a one-bar count-in. There will be a short gap to practise. Next, candidates will hear a vocal count-in and will then play the rhythm to the drum backing, before identifying the rhythm from the examples shown.
General Musicianship Questions
In this part of the exam candidates will be asked five questions. Four of these questions will be about general music knowledge and the fifth question will be asked about their instrument. For this section of the exam candidates choose the piece about which the five questions will be asked. The examiner will ask four music knowledge questions and one instrument knowledge question.
Music Knowledge
In Grade 1, candidates will be asked to identify:
- The treble clef
- The time signature
- Whole, half, quarter and eighth note values
- The difference between a major and minor chord
Instrument Knowledge
In Grade 1, candidates will be asked to identify:
- One of the following parts of their guitar: neck, fretboard, body, tuning-pegs, nut pickups or bridge
- One main guitar brand other than the brand they are playing
- Names of the open strings
Exam Structure
There are two types of exam available, a Grade Exam or Performance Certificate.
Grade Exam
| 3 Performance Pieces (two of which may be Free Choice Pieces) | Candidates choose to play either Performance Pieces or Technical Exercises first | These account for 60% of the exam mark |
| Technical Exercises (Section A, B, C and D for Level 3 qualifications) | Candidates choose to play either Performance Pieces or Technical Exercises first | These account for 15% of the exam mark |
| Sight Reading or Improvisation & Interpretation (Debut to Grade 5); Quick Study Pieces (Grade 6 to Grade 8) | Candidates are given an unseen test to prepare and perform | This accounts for 10% of the exam marks |
| 2 Ear Tests | Candidates respond to 2 aural tests. | These account for 10% of the exam marks |
| 5 General Musicianship Questions | Candidates answer 5 questions based on one of the pieces performed | These account for 5% of the exam marks |
Performance Certificate
| 5 Performance Pieces only (three of these can be Free Choice Pieces) | These account for 20% of the exam mark each. |
Assessment Criteria
Performance Pieces
| Attainment Band | Distinction | Merit | Pass | Below Pass | Below Pass 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Range | 18-20 | 15-17 | 12-14 | 6-11 | 0-5 |
| Command of Instrument | Consistently clear production of sound and even tone quality throughout | Mostly clear production of sound and even tone quality overall | Some clear production of sound and generally even tone quality | Sound produced is unclear with uneven quality of tone produced | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
| Sync or Pulse | Performance consistently synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance mostly synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance sometimes synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance not synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse not maintained | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
| Accuracy & Understanding | all of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills demonstrated throughout. Understanding of musical structure shown all of the time. | Most of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills demonstrated overall. Understanding of musical structure shown most of the time. | Some of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills generally demonstrated. Understanding of musical structure shown some of the time. | Written music not accurately performed or equivalent skills not demonstrated. Understanding of musical structure not evidenced. | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
| Style & Expression | Consistently convincing projection of the music. | Mostly convincing projection of the music. | Some convincing projection of the music. | Music not convincingly projected. | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
Technical Exercises
| Attainment Band | Distinction | Merit | Pass | Below Pass | Below Pass 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Range | 13–15 | 11–12 | 9–10 | 4–8 | 0–3 |
| Command of Instrument | Consistently clear production of sound and even tone quality throughout | Mostly clear production of sound and even tone quality overall | Some clear production of sound and generally even tone quality | Sound produced is unclear with uneven quality of tone produced | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
| Sync or Pulse | Performance consistently synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance mostly synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance sometimes synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance not synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse not maintained | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
| Accuracy & Understanding | all of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills demonstrated throughout. Understanding of musical structure shown all of the time. | Most of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills demonstrated overall. Understanding of musical structure shown most of the time. | Some of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills generally demonstrated. Understanding of musical structure shown some of the time. | Written music not accurately performed or equivalent skills not demonstrated. Understanding of musical structure not evidenced. | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
Ear Tests
| Attainment Band | Distinction | Merit | Pass | Below Pass | Below Pass 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Range | 9-10 | 7-8 | 6 | 3-5 | 0-2 |
| Accuracy & Understanding | All of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills demonstrated throughout. Understanding of musical structure shown all of the time. | Most of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills demonstrated overall. Understanding of musical structure shown most of the time. | Some of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills generally demonstrated. Understanding of musical structure shown some of the time. | Written music not accurately performed or equivalent skills not demonstrated. Understanding of musical structure not evidenced. | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
Supporting Tests
| Attainment Band | Distinction | Merit | Pass | Below Pass | Below Pass 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Range | 9-10 | 7-8 | 6 | 3-5 | 0-2 |
| Command of Instrument | Consistently clear production of sound and even tone quality throughout | Mostly clear production of sound and even tone quality overall | Some clear production of sound and generally even tone quality | Sound produced is unclear with uneven quality of tone produced | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
| Sync or Pulse | Performance consistently synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance mostly synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance sometimes synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance not synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse not maintained | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
| Accuracy & Understanding | All of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills demonstrated throughout. Understanding of musical structure shown all of the time. | Most of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills demonstrated overall. Understanding of musical structure shown most of the time. | Some of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills generally demonstrated. Understanding of musical structure shown some of the time. | Written music not accurately performed or equivalent skills not demonstrated. Understanding of musical structure not evidenced. | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
General Musicianship Questions
| Attainment Band | Distinction | Merit | Pass | Below Pass | Below Pass 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Range | 5 correct responses | 4 correct responses | 3 correct responses | 2 correct responses | 0-1 correct responses |
Performance Certificate
| Attainment Band | Distinction | Merit | Pass | Below Pass | Below Pass 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Range | 18-20 | 15-17 | 12-14 | 6-11 | 0-5 |
| Command of Instrument | Consistently clear production of sound and even tone quality throughout | Mostly clear production of sound and even tone quality overall | Some clear production of sound and generally even tone quality | Sound produced is unclear with uneven quality of tone produced | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
| Sync or Pulse | Performance consistently synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance mostly synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance sometimes synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse maintained | Performance not synchronised to the music, or an internal pulse not maintained | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
| Accuracy & Understanding | All of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills demonstrated throughout. Understanding of musical structure shown all of the time. | Most of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills demonstrated overall. Understanding of musical structure shown most of the time. | Some of the written music accurately performed or equivalent skills generally demonstrated. Understanding of musical structure shown some of the time. | Written music not accurately performed or equivalent skills not demonstrated. Understanding of musical structure not evidenced. | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
| Style & Expression | Consistently convincing projection of the music. | Mostly convincing projection of the music. | Some convincing projection of the music. | Music not convincingly projected. | No attempt and/or incomplete performance |
