When will my child be ready for the grade 1 piano exam? This is the most common question that I get from parents. Here is a detailed description of the skills that one needs to attain before attempting the grade 1 exam. Hope that it clears all your doubts.
| Early Beginner (2-9 months) | |
| Pieces | Able to play a single-line melody using both hands alternatively |
| Technique | Able to play with legato (smoothly), staccato (detached) and two-note slurs |
| Sight-reading | Able to read notes from C to G in treble clef and C to F in the bass clef in middle C position Able to read simple intervals (steps and skips) |
| Rhythm | able to clap and play(after hearing or reading) simple rhythms including crotchets, minims and semibreves |
| Aural (pitch) | able to differentiate between high and low sounds, loud and soft, going up and going down |
| Mid-Late Beginner (3 months – 1.5 years) | |
| Pieces | Able to play both hands with a RH melody with a 2 or 3-note block chord in the LH |
| Able to play both hands with a non-chord harmony in the LH | |
| Able to play in at least 2 different fixed positions C, F, G position | |
| Technique | Able to do simple finger turns, finger stretches and finger substitutions in exercises |
| Able to play a melody with RH legato and chord changes in the LH | |
| Scales | Able to play at least 2 scales in one octave, separate hands Learn to play scales |
| Sight-reading | Able to read notes from one octave below middle C to one octave above middle C or able to sight-read in C and G positions Able to read intervals of up to a 5th |
| Rhythm | Able to clap and play rhythms including quavers and dotted rhythms |
| Aural (pitch) | Able to differentiate between steps and skips in soundAble to remember a simple melody of 3-4 notes after hearing onceAble to differentiate between simple rhythms consisting of crotchets and quavers |
| Grade 1 (before registering for exams) (5 months – 1.5 years) | |
| Pieces | Able to play a melody both hands with a broken chord accompaniment in a fixed position (at least 2 different types of broken chords) |
| Able to play a piece with the melody both in the LH and RH | |
| Able to play a melody both hands with a combination of at least 2 different positions using finger turns, stretches and finger substitutions | |
| Technique | Able to play a simple passage using both hands with one hand legato (usually RH) and one hand staccato (usually LH) |
| Scales | Able to play at least 2 scales in two octaves, separate hands. Knows most of the other grade 1 scales in one octave. Learn to play Grade 1 Scales |
| Sight-reading | Able to read notes in all lines and spaces of the treble and bass clef and find their position on the keys. |
| Able to sight-read intervals of up to a 5th and play with the correct finger (must be able to tell interval at first sight, not count) | |
| Rhythm | Able to clap and play simple syncopated rhythms |
| Aural (pitch) | Able to differentiate between the first 3 tones of each major scale (Do, Re, Mi). Able to remember a simple melody of 5-7 notes after hearing onceAble to differentiate between different rhythms including dotted rhythms. |
*LH = left hand, RH = right hand, BH = both hands, SH = separate hands
*For grade 1, it is not necessary to have all the skills listed as some will be taught while learning the exam pieces, but student should have at least most of the skills. For each level, students should at least finish 1 book and be able to play at least 3 pieces from that level fluently (performance standard) – that means accurate notes and rhythm, even speed and tone, and confident playing.
*Note that the requirements stated above are only requirements for a secure pass in the Grade 1 exam, not a distinction.
You would have noticed that the amount of time stated to complete each level varies greatly. This is not only due to how fast each child learns and how much he/she practices, but also how much parental involvement the child receives from the parent, especially for young beginners. I personally have six year olds who took less than a year to be ready for grade 1 exam and older children who took years to be ready for the exam. ABRSM suggests 1.5 years to be ready for the exam, but this is only for an average child starting at around primary school age who has sufficient practice and parental involvement. However, if you child practices regularly (at least 15-20 mins every day on average) and if you made sure that your child learns and becomes natural in every skill that is taught (including sight reading) without much delay, he/she will not take too long to be ready for the grade 1 exam, and may even be faster than average.
If you think that this is worth it, buy me a coffee
You might also like to read
Common Misconceptions about Learning Piano
What you need to know about ABRSM Exams
How to get a distinction for ABRSM Performance Grade Exams
ABRSM Marking Criteria
Click here to see my student’s achievements for past-year ABRSM exams.
Here is a video of what to expect on the exam day for ABRSM exams
https://youtu.be/kcYpWvG0NZ8
Here is a video of my student playing a piece at ABRSM grade 1 level
My Piano Teacher 
Really find this page useful ,my two younger boys both are both preparing for ther Grade 1 piano exam,found the information very useful in support of what they need to be focusing on