Trinity College London
Trinity College London
Please read all the information on this page before entering for your exam.
If you have any queries regarding exams at NMPAT, please contact the NMPAT office: 01604 637117 / office@nmpat.co.uk
Exams are held at the Kettering Road Music and Arts Centre in Northampton. The dates below apply to candidates entered by NMPAT teachers only and will differ from the publicised dates on the Trinity website, for public centres. These are exam periods – exams will not necessarily be available every day, depending on demand.
Autumn term 2025
- Week commencing 1st December 2025
Music exams are held between 9.00am and 4.00pm on weekdays. Appointment slips will be distributed to pupils by their teachers. Please note that it is very unlikely that we will be able to manage requests for changes of time.
Your child’s teacher will give you a letter when your child is ready to take their exam. Please refer to this when completing the exam entry form; you will need the information contained within the letter.
Payment for all exams is due is due on submission of the entry form. Once you have pressed ‘submit’, a confirmation message will appear including the link to ParentPay Shop to make the exam payment.
Closing date for exam entries: Friday 26th September.
For exams entered through an NMPAT teacher, NMPAT are able to provide an accompanist for your exam, where needed. All piano accompaniment books and music must be brought to the examination room by the candidate – these are not provided by NMPAT.
Grades 1 to 5 – £15.00
For accompaniment in the examination and a short warm up / run through immediately before the exam
Grades 6 to 8 – £30.00
For accompaniment in the examination, a 20 min pre rehearsal and a short warm up / run through immediately before the exam. Please note that additional rehearsals for higher grade examinations will often be arranged at short notice and it may not be possible to rearrange these.
Payment for your accompanist should be made at the point of entry – please make sure you choose the correct option on the ParentPay Shop.
Where elements of an exam are to be accompanied by CD or MP3, particularly for Jazz exams, the candidate must bring an original copy of the CD to the examination.
You will be met at the exam room by a steward who is responsible for the smooth running of the day. Please aim to arrive at least 20 mins before your appointment. There will be an opportunity for you to warm up before the exam, once the previous candidate has gone to the exam room. This will be your opportunity to meet your accompanist, if applicable.
The steward will take you to the exam room and introduce you to the examiner. Each examiner will have a slightly different approach with their intention being to help you perform to the best of your ability.
Please allow plenty of time to arrive for your exam, this helps you to keep as calm as possible. If you encounter unexpected delays, please do not panic – ring the NMPAT Office on 01604 637117 to let us know – we can liaise with the steward and the examiner, and adjust the timings wherever possible.
To avoid additional stress on the day, please be sure to bring everything you need. This will probably include:
- Your appointment slip
- Your instrument (including keyboards)
- All music including piano accompaniments
- Copies of music for each piece of music you are playing, for the examiner. Copies are only needed if the music is not in a Trinity College London publication, and will be destroyed after the exam.
- Any original CD or MP3 backing tracks where required
- Guitar footstool / keyboard stand
- Essential maintenance equipment (valve oil, spare strings, etc.)
Results will be distributed via your teacher and may take up to several weeks. The NMPAT Office will not have a copy of your result.
Certificates will be emailed to you, by Trinity College London, after the production of results.
If illness or injury prevents you from taking the exam, please contact the NMPAT office as soon as possible: 01604 637117 / office@nmpat.co.uk
Trinity College London will consider issuing a re-entry voucher to the value of 50% of the exam fee, against re-entry for either the same, or next grade, upon production of a medical note within 30 days of the original exam date.
Is Trinity the correct board for you?
If you’re not sure which exam board to enter with, please refer to the letter from your NMPAT teacher or ask them in your next lesson.
