Model Answers to ABRSM Theory Books
For Grades 6-8, the ABRSM books “Music Theory in Practice” and “Theory Workbook” series do not contain model answers for questions 1-3, which are all creative in nature.
(The Workbook series does contain answers for q.4 and q.5 which are based on scores).
Here are some tips for marking your own work, or for finding a teacher to mark your answers for you!
Self-Marking
If you are a student of music theory rather than a teacher, you might not feel confident in marking your own work. However, you will find that if you take a methodical approach to assessing your own answers, you will learn a lot about the types of mistakes you tend to make, and can then take steps to eliminate these while you are working (rather than after you have finished!)
Across the three higher grades there are some broad principles which are always assessed by the examiner, so it is worth having these points in mind when you are doing practice questions.
I would still recommend getting your work marked by a professional so that you can be sure you are on the right track, but self-marking is a really valuable skill which it will be advantageous to learn.
NB: it is also worth knowing that the Music Theory in Practice series is now a little out of date for grades 6-8. The more modern exam papers have a slightly different style of question, and in particular the chords required for grade 6 Q1 in the Music Theory in Practice book include added 7th chords, which are no longer required. The style of compositions at later grades is also less eclectic in the more modern exams. The ABRSM Theory Workbook series are more appropriate.
Even where model answers are available (as they are for the ABRSM’s published past papers (apart from a few years pre-2008), you will of course find that your answers are different from the published answers. Model answers are useful to study, as they will give you a good idea of what is expected of you, however they do not necessarily help you in assessing your own work!
Harmony
For ABRSM Grades 6-8, questions 1 and 2 require strong harmony skills. The examiner will always be looking for evidence that you understand:
- The key (including any modulations)
- Cadences
- Progressions
- Correct interpretation of figured bass (where appropriate)
For top marks the examiner will also usually like to see that:
- You have used some initiative
- You have used an appropriate and consistent style
- The parts you have written are interesting musically
- You have included some sequences or imitation
There are some common errors which will cause you to lose points. These are things which are relatively easy to check for and which you should be vigilant about as you write your answers:
- Missing bars or missing parts
- Bars which contain rhythmic or other notation errors
- Consecutive 5ths or octaves
- Unprepared or unresolved dissonances
- Impractical writing such as notes which are out of range for the instrument/voice or both hands on the same piano keys
- Forgotten accidentals
Composition
In real life, composition has no rules. If you want to compose some music, you are at complete liberty to write whatever you please, just as you may paint a picture which follows no specific guidelines or boundaries. However, composition as part of a music theory exam is quite different! You are required to follow the conventions of music which include structure, cadences and voice-leading, and, most importantly, you need to take the given opening and reuse its most salient features in the rest of the piece.
Generally speaking, all compositions are marked roughly the same way by the ABRSM. The examiner wants to see:
- “A melody with a good shape, sense of direction and style”. This means that the melody feels a little bit like a story – it makes sense as a whole because it uses consistent ideas, and feels like it is travelling forwards. This achieved through careful consideration of phrase length and cadence points, and by thinking about how to increase and decrease tension within the music and pushing towards a climax point. One way to achieve this is to make your composition in two halves. The two halves should match each other in terms of the rhythm used and the shape of the melody (i.e. the pattern of leaps/steps and the direction of movement), without being overly repetitive. Push the music to a climax point by making it get higher in pitch, louder in dynamic, and more exciting rhythmically. The climax point usually works best around 2/3 of the way through.
- “The style/character of the opening has been well-maintained”. This means that you have observed the implied harmony, the melodic shape and the use of any other interesting features such as particular types of melodic decoration or interesting rhythmic ideas, and used these to continue the piece.
- “The melody implies a plausible harmonic foundation”. The implied harmony of the piece (i.e. which chords would fit the melody) should conform to the standard progressions used in Classical or Romantic styles. This includes cadence points.
- Rhythm must be notated accurately. This includes observing any anacrusis (up beat), and then making sure the final bar length takes this into account. Ideally each phrase will start with a similar type of anacrusis. All bars must add up correctly, but you must also ensure that the types of rhythms you have used are suitable for the time signature, and are grouped correctly.
- The performance directions (dynamics, articulation and tempo) must be suitable, playable, consistent and balanced. Make sure that you have roughly the same amount of markings across the whole piece, but never add markings thoughtlessly. Dynamics must line up with notes (not rests, or bar lines!)
- The melody must be suitable for the instrument you have written for.
The best way to start marking a composition you have written is to play it. You can use your instrument, or you might like to type it into a program such as Musescore. The advantage of doing this is that the music will be played back with 100% accuracy, but also the program might auto-correct some of your notation errors! Listen to your composition and think about whether it makes sense as a whole, and sounds tuneful. Or is it rather rambling and incoherent in places, or a bit dull and repetitive? If so, look carefully at the underlying implied harmony, check your use of accidentals, and try to find a reason why it’s not working as anticipated. Does the music sound the same way you imagined it would?
Getting Your Work Marked by a Teacher

After having a go at marking your exercises yourself, the next step should always be to ask a music theory teacher to look at your work and give you a grade.
If you don’t have a teacher, you may be interested in my Marking Services, which are available over email. I am happy to mark your exercises from Music Theory in Practice, The ABRSM Theory Workbooks, past papers, or any other source.
Your teacher will pinpoint any errors, explain what you have done wrong and advise you on how to improve. They can also tell you what mark you would probably have got in an exam situation. Use your teacher’s feedback to improve on each practice question you attempt.