How our exams work.
Once you have completed your course of learning using the course materials and syllabus you can now attempt your exam. This can be done anytime, any day. The exam is taken by yourself on our online recording portal website. You will see yourself and record yourself performing the course material in accordance with our guidelines. The examiner will not be present. There are normally several pages to the exam so there will be several online videos you will need to record. Once you have submitted your recordings our examiners will mark them and send you an email with your accredited certificate.
We have also reduced the number of exams needed for you to go from a beginner in your instrument to an advanced level ( grade 8 in the UK) by creating 3 levels. Beginner ( 0 – grade 2) Intermediate ( Grade 3 – 5) Advanced ( Grade 6-8) This will save money and time. We also don’t provide any paper materials, all course materials are provided online and can be printed if the user wishes to do so.
About the Exam:
In this Online exam you will record your performances and take your final theory test. If you pass the exam you will receive an international qualification recognised by the UK qualifications standard. You can use this qualification to further your music career, if you pass the advanced course you can use the points to help your entry into Universities and Further educational establishments across the UK and abroad. To take this exam you will have had to learn the ‘Learning outcomes of the beginner course’ or have taken the Orange online beginner guitar course, please download the syllabus below for info.
How it compares to the other qualifications out there.
The learning outcomes from the beginner course is the same as all other major music exam boards based in the UK. Each exam board has their own way of getting you to your goal and their content differs very slightly. Our course is no different to this aspect except content wise it is currently seen as harder by students who have attempted it.
On passing this course you will receive 27 UCV points to go towards your education.
Camera Angles:
What you will need:
A good internet connection, we recommend direct connections via an ethernet cable.
A standard USB camera or phone camera
An internet device such as a computer, laptop, tablet, phone
A valid form of identification
Your tuned and ready to go instrument. So if you are doing electric guitar you will need your guitar, lead and amp plugged in and switched on.
What we want to see:
Your I.D up close and in focus to the camera for approx 5 seconds when you do your first recording
We will need to see the whole of your instrument in camera shot without any mirrors
We will need to see your hands and face at all times so we can see that it is you that is playing and that your face matches your I.D
We will need to see any amplifiers/amplification from your instrument in shot at all times
What we don’t want to see that may disqualify you from your recording and cause you to lose your fees:
More than one other person in the room with you. This person can be your parent/guardian/carer or teacher. They must not talk of or show you information that we feel has influenced you. Our decision is final so please be careful.
Anyone not fully clothed.
You moving out of camera view at any time
Any offensive behaviour spoken or implied
Any performance not related directly to the exam material
Any items that may obscure your face so that we are unable to identify you. If we are unable to identify you then we may ask for further identification
What we want to hear:
We want to hear you tell us what you are about to play before you play it. Speak audibly to the camera. If you are not sure what to say, look at the online exam page that you are on and it will tell you.
We want to hear a clear non-distorted sound and be able to distinguish between your playing and any backing tracks
Our examiners want to give you the best marks they can and the easier you make this for them, the easier it will be for them to help you.
What you will need to do to start your exam:
Once you have understood all of the above and you are ready, you can then go to the exam portal and fill in your details which will include the exam fee page.
Your exam is split across several pages. These pages are split into disciplines, for example one page might be scales, another might be pieces. Click on the discipline you wish to attempt first.
Read the instructions and when you are ready to play, press the record button.
When you have finished press the stop button and press SUBMIT.
Your recording has now gone to an examiner to start marking your work. You can now choose whether you want to carry on to the next discipline or stop and have a break and try the next one another time.
Please be aware that we will not give you your results until you have completed all disciplines and the exam is complete.
How you will get your results:
Once the examiners have finished marking your exam you will receive an email with your accredited certificate and a supporting advice document on how well you have done and how you can improve, if you need to improve!