We are proud to have always been associated with the Imperial Society for the Teachers of Dancing, following their syllabus in each genre of Ballet, Modern Theatre & Tap. Myself and Ffion have been undertaking the rigorous training to become full members of the I.S.T.D since 2019. We are happy to say that we are now fully qualified meaning we can enter children into examinations across all genres.
The exams give the children a goal and something to work towards which helps maintain focus and the feeling of progressing - something we find important when they are working so hard at something on a weekly basis. The results of their exams will also give them, and you as parents, the validation and acknowledgment that they are doing really well.
When are they ready?
The children have been following the ISTD syllabus since the beginning of their journey with us. We slot some exercises into our Hwyl a Sbri classes, and all classes from Primary upwards will learn the syllabus content alongside our own syllabus and show work.
As a studio we assess when each child is ready to participate in an exam. This is through discussion with the class teacher and assessment of the class by myself (Eleri). Although the children enter in small groups, they have to be ready to enter the examination room without the supervision of a teacher and perform exercises individually. This can be overwhelming if the child is under prepared so is not a decision we take lightly.
Although we are keen to encourage our students to take their exams, we understand exams are not for everyone so would never let a child be left behind purely because they chose not to, or were unable to take their exam.
How much learning time is needed to prepare for an exam?
We are given guidelines to follow by the ISTD which recommends a minimum number of hours training the children should have before being entered into an exam.
For Primary and Grade 1 the ISTD recommend a qualification time of 70 hours. That's 2 lessons shy of 2 years of training with the 45 minutes that we use to work on Modern and then Tap during an hour and a half class. The learning time increases at Grade 3, then again at Grade 6 and Vocational levels.
What happens during the exam?
For Primary;
We, as the class teacher are allowed to enter the exam with the children. We are able to guide the children from our seated position at the front so that they are guided through the content of the exam but we are not allowed to give any corrections. We are however allowed to give lots of praise and encouragement and are able to revisit an exercise if things go wrong.
The children are marked on the following components;
The children are assessed on their ability to show:
Technical accuracy with correct placement to the best of their physical facility.
A sense of line and well coordinated movements.
An assured performance showing the different qualities of movement required by each section of the examination structure.
Musicality and rhythmic awareness.
Each child will receive an individual report and result which will reflect their own achievement gained.
For Grade 1;
From Grade 1, the class teachers are not allowed to enter the exam with the children. A music operator will be in the exam room with the children and examiner, but the music operator must be someone other than the class teacher. The music operator’s only job is to play and stop the music at the request of the examiner.
The children will have to introduce themselves to the examiner and the examiner will guide them through their exam, asking to see exercises as a group and individually. There is no unset work in Grade 1 so the children will only need to show the examiner what they have learnt in class.
The children are marked on the following components;
Candidates are assessed on their ability to show
technical accuracy with correct placement to the best of their physical facility
appropriate use of limbs showing an understanding of the purpose or significance of each movement or sequence of movements
a sense of line and well co-ordinated movements
an assured performance showing the different qualities of movement required by each section of the examination structure
musicality and rhythmic awareness
Each child will receive an individual report and result which will reflect their own achievement gained.
Cost
There will be a cost to take the exam for each child. These are made up of the exam entry fee set by the ISTD and a small supplement to cover studio expenses, staff, admin and uniform/shoes.
Grades and marking
Once they have completed their exam, they will receive a graded mark sheet and certificate a few weeks later which specifies what grade they have achieved (detailed down below).
Examiners at the ISTD go through regular and rigorous training to try and make sure their marking is as consistent as possible. However, as with any performing art, personal preference comes into play which can mean that marks do not always come out the same from one examiner to the next. This does not take the value out of participating but is important to understand beforehand.
A candidate who achieves a ‘Distinction’ classification (80-100 marks) is one who demonstrates the following attributes in performance:
flair, vitality, and skill
fully appropriate style
incisively focussed dancing
precision in the technique of the genre
consistent, highly developed musicality
confident and accurate responses to questions asked and/or tasks set
A candidate who achieves a ‘Merit’ classification (60-79 marks) is one who demonstrates the following attributes in performance:
skill and proficiency
largely appropriate style
focussed dancing
competence in the technique of the genre
evidence of developing musicality
relevant and appropriate responses to questions asked and/or tasks set
A candidate who achieves a 'Pass' classification (40-59 marks) is one who demonstrates the following attributes in performance:
competence
basic ability to carry out the required movements
periodic moments of convincing focus
basic competence in most aspects of the technique of the genre basic musicality
broadly relevant and appropriate response to questions asked and/or tasks set, but some prompting may be required
What is the value of taking exams?
Following the graded syllabus of the ISTD offers a clearly defined structure that allows learning to take place in the context of safe dance practice. The Graded Examinations build up progressively, ensuring that steps and skills learned at lower levels prepare for more complex movements as the candidate progresses. Taking the exams provide students with an important and achievable goal to work towards aside from our dance shows. Studying for a dance exam also promotes discipline and commitment within the studio environment; a skill benefiting more than just the dance world!
Following on from the Graded Examinations, candidates may wish to progress to the Vocational Graded Examinations as preparation for employment as a professional dancer or as preparation for dance teaching qualifications.
It is worth noting these exams do not only hold value as a way of tracking progress in each individual child or for those who want a future in dance, but once they are old enough to take our Vocational level exams the exams earn the children UCAS points. Universities, colleges and job placements after the children leave school look favourably at extra curricular achievements such as gaining high level ISTD certificates.