Cambridge Starters, Movers and Flyers: A Guide for Parents
Pre A1 Starters, A1 Movers and A2 Flyers are the Cambridge English exams for young learners. What each level means, what children can do, and how to prepare without stress.
What are Starters, Movers and Flyers?
Cambridge English Qualifications for young learners (often called YLE) are three exams for children of primary school age: Pre A1 Starters, A1 Movers and A2 Flyers. Each one matches a level of the CEFR, the international scale for language levels. They are made to be a positive first experience of an English exam: there is no pass or fail, and every child gets a certificate.
Each exam has three parts: Listening, Reading and Writing, and Speaking. Children receive shields (from one to five) for each part, so they can see what they did well.
Pre A1 Starters
Starters is usually for children of about 6 to 8. Children understand and use simple words and sentences about everyday things: colours, numbers, animals, family, school, food and toys. In the speaking test, a child points to things in a picture, answers simple questions and talks a little about themselves. The whole exam takes about 45 minutes, and the speaking part only 3 to 5 minutes.
A1 Movers
Movers is the next step, usually for children of about 8 to 11. Children talk about their day, the past ("Yesterday I went to the park"), compare things ("bigger", "the best") and tell a short story from pictures. The speaking test includes finding differences between two pictures and telling a picture story.
A2 Flyers
Flyers is the highest of the three, usually for children of about 9 to 12. Children take part in simple conversations, ask for and give information, and tell a longer story from five pictures. A2 is the same level as A2 Key, the next Cambridge exam, so Flyers is a natural bridge to it.
Do children need to take the exams?
No. The word lists and the kind of tasks are a very good map for learning English step by step, with or without the exam. Many families use the levels to see progress and take an exam when the child is ready and keen.
How Little Fluent uses the Cambridge levels
Our lessons follow the official Cambridge English word lists for each level, with five levels in all:
- Tiny Talkers (ages 4–5): 60 lessons and 71 first words, through songs, pictures and copying.
- Starters (ages 5–7): 115 lessons, 207 words and 18 picture stories.
- Movers (ages 7–8): 96 lessons, 171 words and 30 picture stories.
- Flyers (ages 8–9): 96 lessons, 176 words and 30 picture stories.
- A2 Key (ages 9–12): 111 lessons, 178 words and 30 stories, with the task types of A2 Key for Schools.
In the lessons, children practise the same kinds of tasks as in the speaking tests: finding things in a picture, answering questions, spotting differences, putting things in the right place and telling a story from pictures. Every few units there is a review lesson, and each level ends with a friendly speaking check.
Little Fluent is an independent school. We are not part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and our lessons are not official Cambridge exam preparation courses. They follow the published Cambridge word lists, which makes them good preparation for the exams.