The three boards side by side
The table sets the published rules of three boards next to each other: ABRSM Performance Grades; Trinity College London digital music exams; LCME (London College of Music Examinations) digital recorded exams. Each cell paraphrases the board's own page, read on the date given under Sources. Where a board is silent and Reelpass has chosen a sensible default, the cell says so.
| Rule | ABRSM | Trinity | LCME |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size limit | 2GB | 3GB | 1GB |
| Formats | MP4, MOV, MPG | MP4, MOV | MP4, MOV (MP4 preferred) |
| File name | Letters, numbers, underscores and dashes only, and the name must not be blank. | Forename and surname run together, then an underscore, the style and instrument run together, an underscore, and the grade: for example SamSmith_ClassicalPiano_Initial or JennyJohnson_JazzFlute_Grade5. | Letters, numbers, underscores and dashes only (a Reelpass suggestion; the guide gives no file name rule). |
| Editing | One continuous recording. A small edit to the introduction is allowed only to add missing information; no edit of any kind to the performance, and no editing after the exam. | One continuous recording. Editing, pausing or stopping the recording invalidates the submission. | Since 1 March 2025 every exam component is recorded in one continuous take, with no cuts or edits between sections. |
| Introduction | Before the performance: announce your name, the subject and grade, and each piece's title, composer and list number in performance order; show the opening of your own-choice piece to the camera. | No spoken introduction. Show your music to the camera, then begin the performance. | The guide does not describe a spoken introduction. Have your scores organised in performance order. |
| Photo ID | Grades 6 to 8 show photo ID on camera; grades 1 to 5 do not. | The recording guidance does not ask for ID on camera. Trinity has a separate ID and verification article, which Reelpass has not read; check it. | The quick guide lists an ID document to upload with the submission, not to show on camera. |
| Upload window | 28 days from when the upload opens. You can upload the recording only once, so choose the right file. | No window is given on the page we read. Do not submit the same video more than once unless Trinity asks you to. | No window is given on the page we read. |
| Recording advice | The page advises 720p at 30 frames per second. Higher resolutions make files that may be too large to upload. | The article says to turn off HD or choose the lowest HD setting, because high definition video makes very large files. | The guide advises 720p at 30 frames per second, a static camera on a tripod, and HDR turned off. |
What the boards agree on
The details differ, but the shape of the task is the same everywhere. The examiner must be able to trust that what they watch is what happened in the room, so every board asks for one continuous take with no cutting between pieces, no joining of the best attempts and no processing of the sound. Every board also sets an upload limit, and a modern phone can go over it easily: a long recording at 1080p or 4K can be several times the size of a 720p one.
Two practical habits follow. Record at 720p and 30 frames per second, which two of the boards advise outright and the third points towards by asking for the lowest HD setting. And before you upload, check the file itself: its size in bytes, its container, its video and sound codecs, and its name.
Where the boards differ
- Size. The limits are 2GB for ABRSM, 3GB for Trinity, 1GB for LCME. The smallest, 1GB, is the one most likely to need compression. The board writes the limit in GB. Reelpass reads 1 GB as 1,000,000,000 bytes, the smaller reading, so a file under it is under either reading.
- File name. One board fixes a pattern made of the candidate's name, style, instrument and grade. Another lists the characters allowed. The third gives no rule, so Reelpass suggests the same safe characters.
- Introduction and ID. One board asks for a spoken introduction and, at the higher grades, photo ID held to the camera. Another asks for no spoken introduction at all. The third asks for an ID document uploaded with the submission rather than shown on camera.
- Editing. One board allows a small edit to the introduction to add missing information. The others allow no edit of any kind.
How to use these guides
Start with the guide for your board, then read the guides on file names and on recording a continuous take before exam day. If the file is already recorded and too large, the guide on shrinking a video explains what compression may change and what it must leave alone. When you are ready, check your exam video against your board's rules in the browser; nothing is uploaded.
Every guide
- Performance Grade video requirements: the 2GB limit, MP4, MOV or MPG, the file name characters, the introduction, photo ID at grades 6 to 8, and the 28 day upload window.
- Digital grade exam video rules: the 3GB limit, MP4 or MOV, the fixed file name pattern, no spoken introduction and no edits, pauses or stops.
- Recorded music exam video rules: the 1GB limit, mp4 preferred and mov accepted, 720p at 30 fps, and one continuous take for every component.
- How to shrink an exam video under 2GB: the bitrate arithmetic, a worked example from the Reelpass planner, what compression may and may not change, and the iPhone HEVC problem.
- Exam video file names: which characters each board accepts, the fixed pattern one board uses, worked renames, and how to name a whole class's files.
- Recording a continuous take: what one continuous take means, what may be edited (almost nothing), the introduction and ID hold, and a setup checklist.
Sources
Checked on 27 September 2026. Every rule here is paraphrased from the page named, read on the date shown. Boards change their guidance; the board's own page is the authority, so check it before you upload.
- Performance Grades Guidance. ABRSM Performance Grades, read 27 September 2026. No date is shown on the page. https://www.abrsm.org/en-gb/performance-grades/guidance
- Digital Recording Guidance (support article). Trinity College London digital music exams, read 27 September 2026. Modified on Thu, 5 Feb (no year shown; 5 February fell on a Thursday in 2026). https://support.trinitycollege.com/support/solutions/articles/202000101849-digital-recording-guidance-for-bookings-made-from-5th-november
- Submit (digital grades and diplomas). Trinity College London digital music exams, read 27 September 2026. No date is shown on the page. https://www.trinitycollege.com/qualifications/digital/digital-grades-diplomas/submit
- Quick guide to filming your LCME Digital Recorded exam (PDF). LCME (London College of Music Examinations) digital recorded exams, read 27 September 2026. Version 1.1, February 2025. https://lcme.uwl.ac.uk/media/rfmnbrbt/quick-guide-to-lcme-digital-recorded-exams.pdf