Notes, rests and dots
The Grade 2 exam
Grade 2 theory is an online exam in seven sections, marked out of 75, like Grade 1. This course takes the sections in order, one unit each, and ends with a full mock paper:
- 1½ hours
- at most, online
- 75
- marks
- 7
- sections
- 15Section 1: Rhythm
- 15Section 2: Pitch
- 15Section 3: Keys and scales
- 10Section 4: Intervals
- 10Section 5: Tonic triads
- 5Section 6: Terms and signs
- 5Section 7: Music in context
Checked against the ABRSM syllabus and exam pages, 9 October 2026. Source: ABRSM Music Theory qualification specification.
Everything from Grade 1 can come up again, so each unit starts with a quick recap before the new work.
Recap: five note values
Count in crotchets: each value is half the one before, and every note has a rest of the same length (a semibreve rest, a minim rest, and so on):
| Note | Crotchet beats | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| semibreve | 4 | hangs below a line |
| minim | 2 | sits on a line |
| crotchet | 1 | a zigzag |
| quaver | half a beat | one hook |
| semiquaver | a quarter of a beat | two hooks |
Dots, including two new ones
A dot makes a note half as long again. Grade 2 adds the dotted semibreve, and dotted rests, which work the same way.
| Value | Plain | Dotted |
|---|---|---|
| semibreve | 4 | 6 (new at Grade 2) |
| minim | 2 | 3 |
| crotchet | 1 | 1 and a half |
| quaver | half a beat | three quarters of a beat |
A dotted crotchet rest lasts 1 and a half beats and a dotted quaver rest three quarters of a beat.
Tip: to add up a group of notes, count in crotchets and add the numbers. Work out a dot by halving the note and adding the half back on: a semibreve is 4, half of 4 is 2, so a dotted semibreve is 6.
This question is in Brainlag Plus