It's not about time spent on practising, it's about quality playing. The current ABRSM grade 8 syllabus is a joke. It's too easy. In my old days, u got to play all the moments. Everything has been commercialised. In fact playing grade 8 or diploma pieces doesn't get you anywhere. Playing classical is just about performing others work,there's a lack of creativity. For those who really like music , I encourage them to learn improvisation and composing or jazz music