
All Students preparing for Grade exams are recommended to use the Hofnotes on-line training pages to practise for the aural tests. 
At higher grades you must be able to discuss with the examiner musical features such as texture, form, style, and period of a piece of music. My own web pages to help with these parts of the test at Grade 5+ and at GCSE are available here! 
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Grade V"To identify certain features of a piece played by the examiner...confined to...general perception of texture, rhythm, form, style and period" - ABRSM syllabusYou will be told before hearing the extract which features you are going to be asked about, and different textures will be quite clearly defined:arpeggiosmelody with accompanimentharmoniccontrapuntal or imitative
Link to the BBC's revision set for musical appreciation.

Grade VI"To answer questions on the features of a piece played by the examiner, including the general perception of texture, form (including phrase structure), style and period" - ABRSM syllabusThis sounds very similar to the previous grade, so you will be expected to go into more detail, and the piece may be longer. So you will need to:remember for longernotice more variety or complexity in texturesrelate texture to other facets such as period and stylerelate texture to the instrument for which it was written
Link to the BBC's revision set for musical appreciation

Grade VII"To answer questions on the features of a piece played by the examiner, including the general perception of texture, form (including phrase structure), style and period" - ABRSM syllabusAt this grade you will be expected to compare and contrast textures within the piecedemonstrate a good range of listening experiencetalk fluently about texturerelate texture to style, period and instrument
Link to the BBC's revision set for musical appreciation

Grade VIII"To discuss matters relating to any of the musical features of a piece played by the examiner" - ABRSM syllabusThe word discussion is the clue here: one word answers won't do at this grade! Link to the BBC's revision set for musical appreciation
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