Opinion · The exam economy
The full cost of climbing the ladder
Add all eight ABRSM Practical Grade entry fees in the published 2026 Hong Kong table and you get HK$21,317. That is a hypothetical bill for entering every numbered grade once at those rates. A learner can skip grades, and actual prices across several years will differ.
The arithmetic leaves out lessons, the time getting across town and the slot on a weekend a student gives up to practise. A young musician could spend exactly the same amount of time and money learning something else. The opportunity cost is what happens in that parallel version of the year.
Make two budgets for the next twelve weeks. In one, count the fee and the lessons needed to get the pieces ready. In the other, use the same lesson time to learn a piece the student chose, arrange part of it, and record a take with someone else. Comparing each plan by its final artefact helps. One returns an external assessment. The other returns a recording, a collaborator and a piece the student may keep playing.
Families can choose one term of each. The default of annual entries deserves a fresh case each year. A grade last year is a poor reason to buy a grade this year.