Our teachers prepare students for Trinity College London guitar exams, and one of our students passed Grade 5 at eleven. This article is for parents and students in Lebanon who are wondering what the exams involve and whether to take one.
Which guitar exams Trinity offers
Trinity has graded exams in classical guitar and in acoustic guitar. It also runs separate Rock & Pop exams, which include guitar and bass. The classical guitar and Rock & Pop exams both go from Initial, an introduction for new players, up to Grade 8.
The classical guitar syllabus has been in use since 2020, and Trinity has said it will no longer have an end date. Exams can be taken face to face or in Trinity’s digital format, which has its own requirements.
What happens in a classical guitar exam
A face-to-face exam has three parts, marked out of 100.
Pieces (66 marks). The student plays three pieces chosen from Trinity’s lists, which run from Renaissance music to pieces written today. Up to Grade 5, up to two of them can be duets, and a piece the student composed can replace one listed piece.
Technical work (14 marks). It starts with a short technical exercise based on scale, arpeggio or chord patterns. Up to Grade 7, the student then plays either scales and arpeggios or studies, which are short pieces written to practise particular techniques; at Grade 8 the choice is scales and arpeggios or concerto extracts.
Supporting tests (20 marks). There are four kinds: aural, sight reading, improvisation and musical knowledge, and the student takes two. Sight reading becomes compulsory from Grade 6, and musical knowledge is only available up to Grade 5.
How lessons prepare for an exam
The exam tests the same skills regular lessons already cover: technique and scales, ear training, reading music and improvisation. Preparing for a grade adds a date to work towards and a fixed set of pieces, which the student chooses with the teacher from Trinity’s list. The rest of the work is the same weekly lesson, at home in Beirut or online. Our article on music education to an international standard explains how exams fit into that.
He always celebrates my small wins, which keeps me motivated.
Amani J. · Google review
Is an exam right for every student?
No. Exams suit students who like a clear target and a certificate at the end. Plenty of students learn for the music alone, and concerts give them a different goal: every June our students play for family and friends on a real stage, as they did at Echoes in 2026.
If you’re thinking about a grade, message us on WhatsApp with the student’s level and the exam you have in mind.
