I regularly enter many of my piano students for graded examinations with the major examining boards such as ABRSM, Rockschool, Trinity College etc and advanced students continue to take their diplomas. These exams are accredited by Ofqual and students passing grades 6 to 8 benefit from UCAS points. Traditionally all the major music examining boards offered graded exams in the same format. Students would play three set pieces from the current syllabus, scales and arpeggios and have aural and sight reading tests. Shortly after the beginning of the lockdown all the major examining boards introduced online video exams and students have to play more pieces but for the ABRSM exams do not have to play scales and arpeggios or take the sight reading and aural tests. These exams carry exactly the same status as the conventional ones and candidates are assessed on their performance as a whole. While the lockdown precipitated the introduction of these performance based exams they will continue to be offered alongside the traditional exams. The ABRSM and Trinity College both offer traditional piano exams which cover music from periods including Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th/ 21st Centuries and they also offer jazz piano exams. The Rockschool exams draw on the contemporary rock, blues, pop etc repertoire.