Rockschool (RSL Awards) Acoustic Guitar
Rockschool Acoustic guitar grades
RSL launched a brand new Acoustic Guitar syllabus for 2026 and I have the whole thing ready to go, Debut through to Grade 8. The technical requirements are unchanged — it is the repertoire that has been refreshed, with nine tracks per grade (six hit tunes plus three exclusive Rockschool Originals) spanning country, folk, gospel, Latin, pop, reggae and rock. It is built for steel-string acoustic players: strumming, fingerstyle, capo work, travis picking, harmonics and body percussion. As with the electric syllabus, the Performance Certificate comes first for most students, with the full Graded exam as the next step up.
Performance Certificate
Start hereAll playing, no supporting tests — the route I recommend first
Five acoustic pieces performed straight through to backing tracks, with no scales, ear tests or questions. Ideal for students who love playing songs and want a qualification without exam-room extras.
Graded exam
The full acoustic syllabus — performance plus technical work
Three pieces plus technical exercises, a supporting test and ear tests. The route that builds strumming, fingerstyle and reading fastest, with UCAS points at Grades 6 to 8.
Run as digital exams by default, recorded in the lesson and submitted to RSL, with in-person exams available on request.
Rockschool AcousticDebut
First strums and simple songs — open chords and a steady strumming hand.
Set pieces(9)
- 7 Years— Lukas Graham
- Boulevard of Broken Dreams— Green Day
- Down in the River to Pray— Traditional
- Hey Brother— Avicii
- One Call Away— Charlie Puth
- Pocket Change— Rockschool Original
- Route 66— Rockschool Original
- Runaway Road— Rockschool Original
- You've Got the Love— Florence + The Machine
Rockschool AcousticGrade 1
Smoother chord changes, first fingerpicking and songs you actually know.
Set pieces(9)
- Call Across the Mountain— Rockschool Original
- Deep River— Traditional
- Ignite— Rockschool Original
- Issues (Acoustic)— Julia Michaels
- Million Reasons— Lady Gaga
- The Scientist— Coldplay
- The Tracks of My Tears— Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
- Toledo Sun— Rockschool Original
- Zombie— The Cranberries
Rockschool AcousticGrade 2
Sus and add9 colours, first barres and more expressive strumming.
Set pieces(9)
- All the Way from America— Joan Armatrading
- Ascension— Rockschool Original
- Beautiful Things— Benson Boone
- City of Stars— from La La Land
- I Remember Everything— Zach Bryan ft. Kacey Musgraves
- Killing Me Softly— Roberta Flack
- New Rules— Dua Lipa
- Surfer Ticket— Rockschool Original
- Willow Tree— Rockschool Original
Rockschool AcousticGrade 3
Capo work, full barre chords and proper acoustic arrangements.
Set pieces(9)
- Back to You— Selena Gomez
- Best Part— Daniel Caesar (feat. H.E.R.)
- December— Rockschool Original
- Restless— Rockschool Original
- Talk Tonight— Oasis
- Tears— Tyla
- Two of Us— The Beatles
- Wade in the Water— Spiritual
- Walking Home Blues— Rockschool Original
Rockschool AcousticGrade 4
Fingerstyle independence and a wider harmonic vocabulary.
Set pieces(9)
- All in Good Time— Rockschool Original
- Bad Moon Rising— Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Billie Bossa Nova— Billie Eilish
- I Walk the Line— Johnny Cash & The Tennessee Two
- Love Is a Losing Game— Amy Winehouse
- Parallel Lines— Rockschool Original
- Promise— Rockschool Original
- Running Boy— Mon Rovîa
- The Perfect Pair— Beabadoobee
Rockschool AcousticGrade 5
A milestone grade — real acoustic arrangements played end to end.
Set pieces(9)
- Deeper Well— Kacey Musgraves
- Listen to the Music— The Doobie Brothers
- Low Bias— Rockschool Original
- Many of Horror (MTV Unplugged Live)— Biffy Clyro
- Please, Please, Please— Sabrina Carpenter
- Runaway— AURORA
- Rusty Swing— Rockschool Original
- S P E Y S I D E— Bon Iver
- The Way Home— Rockschool Original
Rockschool AcousticGrade 6
Performance-level fingerstyle with genuine interpretive freedom.
Set pieces(9)
- All I Want— Joni Mitchell
- Cat's in the Cradle— Ugly Kid Joe
- Haverstock Hill— Rockschool Original
- If I Ain't Got You— Alicia Keys
- Operator (Live on the Midnight Special)— Jim Croce
- Paranoid Android— Radiohead
- Patience— Guns N' Roses
- Still Waters— Rockschool Original
- Vinyl Room— Rockschool Original
Rockschool AcousticGrade 7
Demanding arrangements requiring stamina, tone and musical maturity.
Set pieces(9)
- Barn Door Breakdown— Rockschool Original
- Byte-Size— Rockschool Original
- Echoes of Spain— Django Reinhardt
- From the Start— Laufey
- Guitar Blues— Eddie Lang & Lonnie Johnson
- La Puerta Abierta— Rockschool Original
- Little Martha— The Allman Brothers Band
- Me and My Chauffeur Blues— Memphis Minnie
- Never Going Back Again— Fleetwood Mac
Rockschool AcousticGrade 8
The top grade — professional acoustic technique, tone and stagecraft.
Set pieces(9)
- Listen Closely— Rockschool Original
- Lost Kingdom— Rockschool Original
- May You Never— John Martyn
- Night and Day— Cole Porter
- Southern Rag— Blind Blake
- Spain— Chick Corea
- Tamacun— Rodrigo y Gabriela
- Trying to Speak Pt. 1— Kaki King
- Where We Begin— Rockschool Original