Exams
We offer multi-genre exams recognised by Ofqual and Qualification Wales. bbodance exams are possible for all students. Whether they train regularly, attend classes once a week, compete at festivals, or have returned to dance as an adult, there are opportunities to formally recognise everyone’s achievements.
Types of Exams
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Pre-Graded, Graded and Vocational Graded Exams follow a traditional system of dance training. Students complete an entire work of syllabus, in the chosen genre and level.
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Graded Assessments involve students performing a select number of exercises from a Grade, not the entire syllabus.
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Dance Awards (UK) and Dance Theatre Awards (Australasia) offer the opportunity for students to perform dance routines in an exam setting.
The Value of Dance Exams
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Exam results indicate the standard achieved by students within a nationally recognised and bbodance framework.
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Exams are structured in a progressive way which helps teachers to monitor the development of individual students, including measures of achievement of technical, musical and performance skills from beginner to professional level.
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Exams are a fantastic way for students to develop confidence, artistry, musicality and to realise their potential.
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Taking Exams of any level shows potential employers that students are creative, goal-oriented, willing to learn and are committed to achieving difficult tasks.
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Higher level Exams carry UCAS Tariff points, which can be used when applying for college or university.
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Students love to be challenged and take great pride in Exam success.
About bbodance Exams
Our Pre-Graded, Graded and Vocational Graded Exams are regulated by Ofqual and Qualification Wales. This means you can be confident in the quality, fairness, and trustworthiness of our qualifications.
Choosing an Ofqual-recognised awarding organisation means you benefit from a robust framework specifically designed to protect learners, including independent oversight of our qualification development, assessment, and awarding processes.
This ensures fairness, consistency, and validity every step of the way. Furthermore, our qualifications are listed on a public register, providing transparent assurance of their quality and standards, and there's a clear complaints process should you ever need it.
This comprehensive framework provides learners with unwavering confidence that their qualification has met stringent requirements for quality and integrity.
Graded Assessments and Dance Awards are regulated internally by the bbodance Awarding Board. While these awards offer a more flexible and performance-led route to the exam experience, they are underpinned by the same rigorous quality assurance benchmarks as our regulated qualifications, ensuring a formal and high-quality marker of achievement.
Exam Fees
Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations
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We have a comprehensive Reasonable Adjustment (RA) and Special Consideration (SC) process to ensure that all students can take an exam without sacrificing the quality of their achievement or experience.
RAs and SCs may be put in place for a number of reasons, including but not limited to: long-term physical or mental health conditions, last-minute injuries, personal circumstances (eg. bereavement), learning difficulties.
No RA or SC is too small to consider. Our Exams Department work on a personal basis with teachers and examiners to ensure students requiring a RA or SC have the appropriate measures in place. All parties will know how the exam will run prior to the day.
We are seeing an increase in RA and SC applications, showing that more and more dancers are accessing our exams to celebrate their hard work and love of dance.
Specifications
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Our Specifications support bbodance Registered Teachers in their understanding of the content, requirements and assessment modes for each exam. They are designed to be used for the planning of qualification delivery and preparation for exams.
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Each Specification provides the aims, objectives, and assessment criteria for all bbodance regulated qualifications, along with the benefits for learners, recommended Total Qualification Time (TQT), and Guided Learning Hours (GLH).
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Qualifications regulated by Ofqual and Qualification Wales:
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Level 3 Specification (Grade 6, 7, 8, Intermediate)
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Level 4 Specification (Advanced 1 and Advanced 2)
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Qualifications regulated by bbodance:​
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UCAS Tariff Points
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All bbodance Level 3 Graded and Vocational Graded Examinations carry UCAS points, which can be crucial in UK college and university applications.
If you took a Grade 6, 7 or 8 Graded Examination and/or Intermediate Vocational Graded Examinations from 1st September 2010 (when the qualification was transferred to the Qualifications and Credit Framework), your achievement carries the following UCAS Points. The number of points you can get depends on how well you did in your Examination (i.e. Distinction, Merit or Pass).
Category | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Intermediate |
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Pass | 8 | 12 | 16 | 8 |
Merit | 10 | 14 | 18 | 14 |
Distinction/Distinction* | 12 | 16 | 20 | 20 |
Exam Uniform
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Since 1975, Dansez has been designing and making beautiful clothing for dancers and companies across the world. We are delighted to be part of the Dansez story by having our very own uniform range with them.
All items are handmade in the UK, using fabrics made from abandoned ocean waste and fishing nets. Our uniform range is not compulsory but highly recommended and encouraged. The items are fit for purpose, ensuring safety, comfort and suitability across our entire syllabus.​
