Cambridge English: Movers
- General and for schools
Cambridge English: Movers, also known as Young Learners English (YLE): Movers, is the second of three tests specifically designed for schoolchildren aged between 7 and 12. Cambridge English: Movers shows a child is beginning to deal with everyday written and spoken English at a very basic level.
Exam overview
| Paper | Content | Marks (% of total) |
|---|---|---|
| Listening (about 25 minutes) |
5 parts/25 questions | a maximum of five shields |
| Reading & Writing (30 minutes) |
6 parts/40 questions | a maximum of five shields |
| Speaking (5–7 minutes) |
4 parts | a maximum of five shields |
To book an exam
- 1. Choose exam
- 2. Choose exam centre
- 3. Contact exam centre
How much does the exam cost?
Contact your local centre to find out how much the exam costs, available exam dates and how to register.
Cambridge English: Movers – Information for Candidates
A handy guide to the exam, with an overview of what’s involved and examples of papers.
Give your child a head start in English
Cambridge English: Movers is the second level of the three Cambridge English: Young Learners tests. This motivating test will develop your child’s confidence so they will want to learn more and use English to a more challenging level.
Real-life language skills
When children learn English, it is important that they learn English which is practical and useful. It is important that they learn to speak good English and that they work towards international standards that will prepare them for study abroad or the international world of work.
Cambridge English: Movers is set at Level A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). At this level, you can expect your child to:
- understand basic instructions or take part in a basic factual conversation on a predictable topic
- understand basic notices, instructions or information
- complete basic forms, and write notes including times, dates and places.
Preparing for Cambridge English: Movers will give your child these kinds of practical language skills.
Relevant for your child
The Cambridge English: Young Learners tests are specially tailored to suit the interests of schoolchildren, so they increase their motivation to learn English. Because the tests are based on familiar topics and situations, they give your child the confidence to use their English and inspire them to do well.
Fun and stimulating
At Cambridge ESOL, we believe that learning should not be stressful for children. By enjoying their studies, reading, listening and speaking in English come naturally. As their confidence develops, they will want to learn more and use English to a more challenging level.
Fair
Cambridge English exams cover all major varieties of English and are designed to be fair to users of all nationalities and linguistic backgrounds.
Support
A wealth of materials is available to help you and your child prepare for the tests.
A Cambridge English certificate
For children to take full advantage of the opportunities that tomorrow's world of work will offer, knowledge of English is an important asset. It is, therefore, best for your child to work towards certificates that are accepted by thousands of educational organisations and employers throughout the world.
Exam format
-
Listening
Available as a paper-based test
Download a free pack of sample papers (zip file)
What’s in the Listening paper?
The Cambridge English: Movers Listening test has four parts. Each part begins with one or two examples. Your child will hear each recording twice.
Summary
Time allowed:
about 25 minutes
Number of parts:
5
Number of questions:
25
Marks:
a maximum of five shields
Parts 1–5
Part 1
What's in Part 1?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.
What should my child practise?
Listening for names and descriptions.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 1
Now look at Part 1 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Listening paper.
Part 2
What's in Part 2?A short conversation between two people. There is a form or a page of a notebook with some missing words (gaps). Candidates have to listen to the recording and write a missing word or number in each gap.
What should my child practise?
Listening for names, spellings and other information.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 2
Now look at Part 2 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Listening paper.Part 3
What's in Part 3?A conversation between an adult and a child. The child is talking about what they did on different days during one week. Candidates have to listen carefully and draw a line from the day of the week to the picture which shows what the child did on that day.
What should my child practise?
Listening for specific information (past tense).
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 3
Now look at Part 3 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Listening paper.Part 4
What's in Part 4?Five short conversations. There is a question and three pictures for each conversation. Candidates have to decide which picture gives the right answer to the question and put a tick under it.
What should my child practise?
Listening for specific information.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 4
Now look at Part 4 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Listening paper.
Part 5
What's in Part 5?A big picture. Candidates have to listen carefully to a conversation between an adult and a child. The adult asks the child to colour different objects in the picture and to write a simple word or draw an object. Candidates have to follow the instructions.
What should my child practise?
Listening for words, colours and specific information.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 5
Now look at Part 5 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Listening paper.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What does my child need to take to the Listening test?
For the Listening test, your child must remember to take coloured pencils or pens (red, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, black, brown and grey) and an ordinary pen or pencil.
Do you use British or American English in the Listening test?
The spelling and vocabulary on the printed test papers is British English. However, your child will also hear American accents in the Listening tests and also some American English vocabulary. We accept British or American spelling for the written answers.
How do you mark the Cambridge English: Young Learners Listening tests?
The centre where your child takes the test sends the completed Listening tests to Cambridge ESOL. Then a team of trained markers marks the papers very carefully. To make sure that your child gets the fairest possible result, we mark all papers twice. In most parts of the test, spelling has to be 100% correct. In Part 2 of the Listening test, if we want to test the spelling of a word (for example a name), we spell it in the recording.
What does my child receive after doing the test?
Your child will receive an award. This will show how many shields your child received. The maximum score is five shields for each part of the test. A result of one shield means your child can improve a lot in that skill; five shields mean that your child did very well in that skill and answered most questions correctly. With a total of 10 or 11 shields and above, your child should be ready to start preparing for the next Cambridge English exam.
-
Reading & Writing
Available as a paper-based test
Download a free pack of sample papers (zip file)
What’s in the Reading & Writing paper?
The Cambridge English: Movers Reading & Writing test has six parts. Each part begins with one or two examples. For all the parts of the Reading & Writing test, candidates must spell their answers correctly.
Summary
Time allowed:
30 minutes
Number of parts:
6
Number of questions:
40
Marks:
a maximum of five shields
Parts 1–6
Part 1
What's in Part 1?On the left, there are eight pictures of things with the English word under them. On the right, there are six definitions (sentences that describe or explain six of the eight things on the left). Candidates need to choose which picture matches each definition and copy the correct word under it.
What should my child practise?
Reading short definitions and matching to words. Writing words.
How many questions are there?
6
Look at Part 1
Now look at Part 1 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Reading & Writing paper.
Part 2
What's in Part 2?A big picture and six sentences about the picture. Some of the sentences describe the picture correctly and some do not. If the sentence is true, candidates have to write ‘yes’ after it. If the sentence is not true, candidates have to write ‘no’.
What should my child practise?
Reading sentences about a picture. Writing one-word answers.
How many questions are there?
6
Look at Part 2
Now look at Part 2 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Reading & Writing paper.
Part 3
What's in Part 3?A short conversation between two people. Candidates have to decide what the second speaker says each time (A, B or C).
What should my child practise?
Reading a conversation. Choosing the correct responses.
How many questions are there?
6
Look at Part 3
Now look at Part 3 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Reading & Writing paper.
Part 4
What's in Part 4?A text with some missing words (gaps) in it. Next to the text there are some small pictures and words. Candidates have to decide which word goes in each gap and copy it. For the last question, candidates have to choose the best title for the text from a choice of three possible titles.
What should my child practise?
Reading for specific information and gist (the main idea of a text). Copying words.
How many questions are there?
7
Look at Part 4
Now look at Part 4 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Reading & Writing paper.
Part 5
What's in Part 5?A story in three parts. Each part of the story has a picture. After each part of the story, candidates have to complete sentences about the story using one, two or three words.
What should my child practise?
Reading a story. Completing sentences.
How many questions are there?
10
Look at Part 5
Now look at Part 5 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Reading & Writing paper.
Part 6
What's in Part 6?A text with some missing words (gaps). Next to the line where each word is missing, there is a choice of three possible answers. Candidates have to decide which answer is correct and copy the word into the gap.
What should my child practise?
Reading and understanding a factual text. Simple grammar. Copying words.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 6
Now look at Part 6 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Reading & Writing paper.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What does my child need to take to the test?
For the Reading & Writing test, your child only needs a pen or pencil.
Do you use British or American English in the test?
The spelling and vocabulary on the printed test papers is British English. However, we accept British or American English for the written answers.
How do you mark the tests?
The centre where your child takes the test sends the completed Reading & Writing tests to Cambridge ESOL. Then a team of trained markers marks the papers very carefully. To make sure that your child gets the fairest possible result, we mark all papers twice
What does my child receive after doing the test?
Your child will receive an award. This will show how many shields your child received. The maximum score is five shields for each part of the test. A result of one shield means your child can improve a lot in that skill; five shields mean that your child did very well in that skill and answered most questions correctly. With a total of 10 or 11 shields and above, your child should be ready to start preparing for the next Cambridge English exam.
-
Speaking
Face-to-face Speaking test
Download a free pack of sample papers (zip file)
What’s in the Speaking paper?
The Cambridge English: Movers Speaking test has four parts. Candidates take the test alone with the examiner, but someone who speaks your child's language (maybe someone your child knows, like your child's teacher) will introduce your child to the examiner and explain what to do in your child's own language.
Summary
Time allowed:
5–7 minutes
Number of parts:
4
Marks:
a maximum of five shields
Parts 1–4
Part 1
What's in Part 1?The examiner will greet the candidate and ask their name. Then the candidate looks at two pictures. The pictures are similar but they have some differences. The examiner asks the candidate to describe four differences in the pictures.
What should my child practise?
Describing differences between pictures. Talking about colour, size, number, position, how people/things look, what people are doing, etc.
Look at Part 1
Now look at Part 1 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Speaking paper.
Part 2
What's in Part 2?The examiner shows four pictures which tell a story and tells the candidate about the first picture. The candidate has to continue the story and describe the other three pictures.
What should my child practise?
Understanding the beginning of a story and then continuing it. Describing pictures.
Look at Part 2
Now look at Part 2 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Speaking paper.
Part 3
What's in Part 3?The examiner shows the candidate four sets of four pictures. In each set of pictures, one picture is different from the others. The candidate has to say which picture is different and explain why.
What should my child practise?
Suggesting a picture which is different and explaining why.
Look at Part 3
Now look at Part 3 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Speaking paper.
Part 4
What's in Part 4?The examiner asks the candidate some questions about themselves (for example school, weekends, friends and hobbies).
What should my child practise?
Understanding and responding to personal questions.
Look at Part 4
Now look at Part 4 from the sample Cambridge English: Movers Speaking paper.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What does my child need to take to the test?
Your child doesn’t need to take anything to the Speaking test exam.
Should my child use British or American English in the Speaking test?
The spelling and vocabulary on the printed test papers is British English. In the Speaking tests, however, we accept British or American pronunciation and vocabulary.
How do you mark the Speaking test?
The Speaking Examiner marks the Speaking test, and sends the marks to Cambridge ESOL with the completed Listening and Reading & Writing papers.
What does my child receive after doing the test?
Your child will receive an award. This will show how many shields your child received. The maximum score is five shields for each part of the test. A result of one shield means your child can improve a lot in that skill; five shields mean that your child did very well in that skill and answered most questions correctly. With a total of 10 or 11 shields and above, your child should be ready to start preparing for the next Cambridge English exam.
Help prepare your child for Cambridge English: Movers
Cambridge ESOL offers a comprehensive range of printed and online exam preparation and support products and services for teachers and learners for all Cambridge English exams.
More official preparation materials
A huge range of official Cambridge English preparation materials are also available from the Cambridge University Press website. Materials include printed and digital resources to support teachers and help learners prepare for their exam.
Visit Cambridge University PressMaterials to buy
-
Books for study -
Books for study
A huge range of coursebooks, practice tests and learning resources are produced by independent publishers in the UK and overseas to help you prepare for Cambridge English: Movers.
Find books for study
Free materials
To help you get started, Cambridge ESOL has some free materials which you can download:
Sample papers
Download sample papers for Cambridge English: Movers
Download Listening sample paper
Download Reading & Writing sample paper
Cambridge English: Movers – Information for Candidates
A handy guide to the exam, with an overview of what’s involved and examples of papers.
Exam dates for 2011, 2012 and 2013
Dates are set by centres, taking into account local needs and conditions. Please contact your centre to find out what dates they offer.
All test papers must be completed within a period of five days. The Listening paper is always taken before the Reading & Writing paper.
Results
Your child will receive an award. This will show how many shields your child received. The maximum score is five shields for each part of the test. A result of one shield means your child can improve a lot in that skill; five shields mean that your child did very well in that skill and answered most questions correctly.
With a total of 10 or 11 shields and above, your child should be ready to start preparing for the next Cambridge English exam.
-
Special circumstances
There is a range of modified materials that can be provided for candidates with special requirements.
-
Who recognises Cambridge English
Search for over 12,500 education institutions, employers, government agencies and other organisations worldwide that will accept your Cambridge English certificate.
