The tests Cambridge English: Young Learners, also known as Young Learners English (YLE), measure how well 7–12 year–olds perform in the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Tests are designed to make learning fun and encourage children to work towards certificates and earning ‘shields’ that record their progress.
Pre A1 Starters exam also known as YLE Starters, is the first of three Cambridge English: Young Learners tests specifically designed for school children aged 7 to 12. The test is designed to be fun and motivating to give candidates the confidence to show what they can do in English. It leads naturally to the next level of the test, A1 Movers, encouraging young learners to make progress and develop their learning.
PAPER 1: Listening
Duration: about 20 minutes
Number of parts: 4 parts
Number of questions: 20 questions in total
Marks: a maximum of five shields
Part 1 (5 questions)
A big picture which shows people doing different things. Above and below the picture are some names. Candidates have to listen carefully to a conversation between an adult and a child and draw a line from each name to the correct person on the big picture
Part 2 (5 questions)
A short conversation between a child and an adult and some questions. Candidates will listen to the recording and write the correct answer (a name or a number) after each question.
Part 3 (5 questions)
Five short conversations between different pairs of people. For each conversation there is a question and three pictures. Candidates need to listen carefully to each conversation and choose the right answer (A, B or C).
Part 4 (5 questions)
A big picture which has seven examples of the same object (for example seven balls or seven books). Candidates need to listen carefully to a conversation between an adult and a child and colour (black, blue, brown, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red, yellow) each object using the colour they say in the conversation.
PAPER 2: READING & WRITING
Duration: 20 minutes
Number of parts: 5 parts
Number of questions: 25 questions in total
Marks: a maximum of five shields
Part 1 (5 questions)
Five pictures of objects. Under each picture there is a sentence which begins ‘This is a…’ or ‘These are…’. If the sentence is correct, candidates should put a tick next to the picture. If the sentence is not true, candidates should put a cross.
Part 2 (5 questions)
A big picture and some sentences about it. If the sentence is correct, candidates should write 'yes'; if the sentence is not true, candidates should write 'no'.
Part 3 (5 questions)
Five pictures of objects. Candidates have to find the right word in English for the object. After each picture there are some dashes (- - -) to show how many letters are in the word, and some jumbled letters. Candidates have to put the jumbled letters in the right order to make the word.
Part 4 (5 questions)
A semi-factual text which has some missing words (gaps). Below the text there is a box with some pictures and words. Candidates have to choose the right words from the box and copy it into each gap.
Part 5 (5 questions)
Three pictures which tell a story. Each picture has one or two questions. Candidates have to look at the pictures and write the answer to each question. Candidates only have to write one word for each answer.
PAPER 3: SPEAKING
Duration: 3-5 minutes
Number of parts: 4 parts
Marks: a maximum of five shields
Part 1
After asking the candidate ‘What’s your name?’, the examiner familiarises the candidate with the picture first and then asks the candidate to point out certain items on the scene picture, e.g. ‘Where’s the door?’ The examiner then asks the candidate to put two object cards in various locations on the scene picture, e.g. ‘Put the robot on the red chair.’.
Part 2
The examiner asks questions about two of the people or things in the scene picture, e.g. ‘What’s this?’ (Answer: banana) or ‘What colour is it?’ (Answer: yellow). The examiner also asks the candidate to describe an object from the scene, e.g. ‘Tell me about this box.’
Part 3
The examiner asks questions about four object cards, e.g. ‘What’s this?’ (Answer: (juice/orange juice)) and ‘What do you drink for lunch?
Part 4
The examiner asks questions about the candidate, e.g. ‘Which sport do you like?’ .
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The Pre A1 Starters certificate celebrates children’s achievement, builds their confidence and rewards their ability in the use of the English language.
There is no pass or fail score in the results of Pre A1 Starters. All children receive a certificate which shows how well they performed in each part of the test by the number of shields they have received, out of a maximum of five.
A result of one shield means a child can improve in that skill while five shields mean that most of the questions were answered correctly. Candidates who receive 4 or 5 shields in each skill are ready to start preparing for the next Cambridge English exam, A1 Movers.
The back of the the certificate shows how results align to the CEFR. The following factsheet can be used as a guide to help teachers and candidates understand how Cambridge English scale works. This information is better applied when using official Cambridge English practice tests.
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