Diploma FAQ

Prices for all of our exams are listed on our website. Please visit our homepage and click on ‘Exam booking’ followed by ‘Exam dates and fees’

Candidates must complete an application form and submit it electronically during the published booking period. We are no longer accepting paper entries. Please visit www.abrsm.org/diploma-exams/ for instructions on how to submit your entry.

Unlike Graded Music exams, there are no applicant numbers required for entering a Diploma exam. Candidates each have their own unique number, and this should be included on the entry form. Candidates entering for the first time will be given a new candidate number when their entry is processed and should leave this section of the entry form blank.

The booking period for all of our exams are listed on our website. Please visit our homepage and click on, ‘Exam booking’ followed by, ‘Exam dates and fees’.

There are currently 17 public venues in the UK and Ireland: Aberdeen, Ashburton, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Tonbridge, Winchester, York.

Please indicate your preferred venue on your entry form and we do all we can to accommodate this request, however it is possible that not all public venues will open every session.

Alternatively, groups of candidates can apply for an examiner to visit a private centre provided by them (please see below for details of Exam Visits).

You will need to have passed Grade 8 in the instrument you wish to take any Diploma in. Additionally, if you are taking an Instrumental/Vocal Teaching exam you will also need to have passed Grade 6 in Music Theory.

If you do not have these qualifications, it is often possible to substitute these prerequisites. Authorised prerequisite substitutions can be found in the relevant Diploma syllabus for your level and exam type: https://www.abrsm.org/enour-exams/Diplomas.

If you wish to substitute the prerequisites with qualifications or experience not listed in the syllabus, please email [email protected] All substitutions will need to be agreed before your entry is made.

For exams in the UK and Ireland, if you cannot make a certain date, you may email [email protected] to let us know. Whilst we endeavour to accommodate date requests, no guarantee can be made and no refund will be offered should you be unable to attend on your allocated date. Your entry will be accepted on the understanding that your exam appointment may be on any day of the published session.

Outside of the UK and Ireland, Diploma exams are scheduled by our local representatives. You should contact them if you have any date requests, although it may not be possible for date requests to be accommodated.

Exams can be held at premises (a school, teaching studio, home, etc.) provided by the candidate and visited by the examiner.

Visits are offered to all Organ, Harpsichord and Percussion (Performance and Teaching Diplomas) candidates during the exam session. These exams are allocated at any date within the session, wherever possible taking into consideration any preferences.

In the UK and Ireland, Visits can also take place outside of the published exam dates. These can be requested by anyone with at least 3 hours of examining and dates can be requested.

Please be aware that Visits for Diploma exams are only available to candidates in UK and Ireland. All applications for Visits (including complete entries with supporting materials) must be received 6 weeks prior to the proposed exam date. If we do not have the appropriate documentation prior to the 6 week deadline we will be unable to confirm your exam date. Candidates wishing to apply for a visit within the exam session should make their entry during the published booking period.

All public venue candidates will receive confirmation of their entry approximately 1 week after the end of the published booking period. We will not be able to confirm receipt of entries before this. All visit entries will be acknowledged on receipt.

We aim to release appointment details 4 weeks before the first date of the exam session.

Yes, all Diploma candidates will have 45 minutes in a warm up room before their exam. We recommend all candidates arrive an hour before the start of their exam to allow for this.

If you are unable to make your Diploma exam date in the UK or Ireland please email [email protected] and include ‘Change of Appointment Request’ in the subject of your message. Unfortunately due to the length of these exams and the complexity of the scheduling it is very difficult to change Diploma exams, so please be aware that we may not be able to change this exam. If you do not hear from us before your exam, please assume that on this occasion, it has not been possible for us to reschedule your appointment.

If your exam is taking place outside of the UK and Ireland, please contact your local representative.

If your exam is in the UK or Ireland, please email [email protected] and add ‘Withdrawal Request’ in the subject of your message. If your exam is outside of the UK and Ireland, please email your local representative. Please state your candidate number, exam date and reason for withdrawal. Our Withdrawal, refunds and non-attendance policy can be found here; https://gb.abrsm.orgen/policies/withdrawals-non-attendance-and-fee-refund-policy/

We aim to release mark forms within 8 -12 weeks from the date of your exam. A portion of Diploma exams are sent to an external moderator for a more thorough review and therefore take longer to process than graded exam results. Certificates may follow at a later date.

If it has been more than 12 weeks and you have not received your results, please contact [email protected] and we will look into this for you.

Yes, candidates can carry forward marks that they have been awarded for certain sections of the exam, and only retake the sections they have failed. Please note that the exam must be completed within 3 years of the first exam in order for candidates to carry through marks from previous attempts.

As we are redeveloping our diplomas, there are new deadlines for retaking sections of a diploma. To check deadlines, see our withdrawal information here.