FAQs – Digital 

Popular Music Theory 
 
1. What is Popular Music Theory? 
These are graded exams which run from Debut – Grade 8 and test each learner’s
knowledge and understanding of the conventions used when writing in a pop music
style. The topics cover notation, harmony, band knowledge and band analysis 
2. Who is it for? 
The popular music theory grades are an excellent graded qualification for anyone
learning a musical instrument or learning music in school. Classroom teachers will
find that the materials and the exam are an excellent way of supporting students to
develop their understanding of music theory in general as well as the specifics of pop
music writing. This means that it supports curriculum learning at primary and
secondary school and helps learners develop the knowledge and understanding that
are found in our Vocational Qualifications, GCSE, IGCSE, A-Level and IB courses 
3. What styles and genres are covered? 
The Popular Music Theory exams are designed to support learners with the core
theoretical skills which will help any student playing in, working with, or learning
about band-based music styles. For styles built around music technology, learners
should look at the Music Production graded exam syllabus. 
4. How does the RSL Pop Music Theory compare to other Music Theory
Qualifications? 
The RSL Popular Music Theory exams are benchmarked to ensure learners build up
their knowledge of notation, harmony, band knowledge and analysis as they
progress through the grades. In addition to knowledge of notation, scales, keys,
chords and performance directions, learners also learn about specific playing
techniques used by keys players, bassists, guitarists and drummers. There is also a
focus on pop terminology and less focus on Italian terms often associated with the
Western Classical tradition. For more information, visit our website here.  
5. How do I teach Popular Music Theory? 
The qualification can be delivered to individual students through 1:1 teaching or it
can be taught in small groups or whole classes as part of a small group or whole
class curricular or extra-curricular programme. The qualification is flexible enough to
enable students to be working on different grades within the same class.  
6. What resources are there to support learners and teachers? 
We publish a two-volume Teacher Guide covering all the grades and individual
workbooks at each grade for students. These are available in hard copy from
musicroom.com or sheetmusicplus.com; we also publish model answers and sample
questions on our store here.   
7. How are learners assessed? 
Candidates are assessed through a computer-based exam which covers four topics:
Notation, Harmony, Band Knowledge and Band Analysis. The exam is taken online
and learners access the questions through a secure portal. The questions are a
combination of short answers in a textbox, multiple choice and adding notation to a
score using a straightforward notation editor. For more information about the
assessment criteria and grade boundaries, please visit our website here. 
8. Where can candidates take the exam? 
There are two ways to take the exam: 
  Remote Invigilation – candidates can take their exam independently
from the comfort of their own home.  
 Private Exam session – a centre runs an invigilated exam session for
the candidates to sit the computer-based exam. You can have different
grades examined at the same time. 
9. How does Remote Invigilation work? 
Candidates enter online here and are then given a set time to log-on to a video call
from their computer in order to take their exam. At the set time, an RSL invigilator
will go through some brief technical and security checks with the candidate and they
will then take the exam. The invigilator will monitor the learner remotely via webcam
and screen sharing. Further details can be found here (PDF, 116KB). 
10. How does a Private Exam Session work? 
The teacher in charge contacts our exams team to arrange an appropriate date and
time for the exam session to run. The exam is then invigilated by the exam centre.
The centre is also responsible for ensuring all technical and security checks take place
before the exam begins.  
11. Do candidates all have to be doing the same grade in an exam session? 
No. Candidates can sit different grades in one session. The length of the exam varies
according to the grade so the invigilator simply needs to ensure each candidate uses
the appropriate amount of time. Further details can be found here. 
12. Do candidates need to have passed an earlier grade in order to take the next exam
in the series? 
No. Each grade builds on the learning of the previous grade so it is recommended
that they are familiar with the content but they do not need to have completed any
previous exam in order to make an entry. 
13. When do exams run? 
Exams can run at any time throughout the year and are organised into Spring,
Summer and Winter sessions. Details of entry deadlines for remote-invigilated exams
can be found here. 
14. How much do the exams cost? 
Full information about our exam fees can be found here.  
15. How long do candidates need to wait between taking the exam and receiving their
certificate? 
Candidates will first receive a marksheet after their exam and a certificate will follow
a few weeks later.  
16. Do the exams carry UCAS points? 
Yes. The Popular Music Theory grades are regulated by Ofqual and carry up to
10 UCAS points from Grades 6 – 8. More information can be found here. 
17. Where can I find out more information? 
Please view our Syllabus Guide and further information here. For further information
and to discuss your requirements in more detail, contact business@rslawards.com