Cambridge English: Starters
- General and for schools
Cambridge English: Starters, also known as Young Learners English (YLE): Starters, is the first of three Cambridge English: Young Learners tests specifically designed for school children aged between 7 and 12. Cambridge English: Starters sets your child off on their language learning adventure, introducing them to everyday written and spoken English in a fun and motivating way.
Exam overview
| Paper | Content | Marks (% of total) |
|---|---|---|
| Listening (about 20 minutes) |
4 parts/20 questions | a maximum of five shields |
| Reading & Writing (20 minutes) |
5 parts/25 questions | a maximum of five shields |
| Speaking (3–5 minutes) |
5 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: Starters – 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: Starters is the first of the three Cambridge English: Young Learners tests. The test is designed to be fun and motivating to give your child the confidence to show what they can do in English. It leads naturally to the next level of the test, Cambridge English: Movers, encouraging your child to make progress and develop their learning.
Real-life language skills
When children learn English, it is important that they learn English which is practical and useful. They also need to work towards international standards that will prepare them for study abroad or the international world of work.
The Cambridge English: Starters test is set just below Level A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). It lays the foundation for language learning, teaching practical language skills and offering a reliable and consistent measure of how well children are doing in the skills of listening, speaking and reading and writing.
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: Starters Listening test has four parts. Each part begins with one or two examples. Your child will hear each recording twice.
Summary
Time allowed:
about 20 minutes
Number of parts:
4
Number of questions:
20
Marks:
a maximum of five shields
Parts 1–4
Part 1
What's in Part 1?A big picture, seven small pictures of objects and five short conversations between a man and a woman. Your child needs to listen carefully and draw a line from each object to the place where it is on the big picture.
What should my child practise?
Listening for words and prepositions.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 1
Now look at Part 1 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters Listening paper.
Part 2
What's in Part 2?A short conversation between a child and an adult and some questions. Your child will listen to the recording and write the correct answer (a name or a number) after each question.
What should my child practise?
Listening for numbers and spelling.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 2
Now look at Part 2 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters Listening paper.
Part 3
What's in Part 3?Five short conversations between different pairs of people. For each conversation there is a question and three pictures. Your child needs to listen carefully to each conversation and choose the right answer (A, B or C).
What should my child practise?
Listening for specific information.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 3
Now look at Part 3 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters Listening paper.
Part 4
What's in Part 4?A big picture which has seven examples of the same object (for example seven balls or seven books). Your child needs to listen carefully to a conversation between an adult and a child and colour each object using the colour they say in the conversation.
What should my child practise?
Listening for words, colours and prepositions.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 4
Now look at Part 4 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters 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 Cambridge English: Starters 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: Starters Reading & Writing test has five parts. Each part begins with one or two examples. For all the parts of the Reading & Writing test, your child must spell their answers correctly.
Summary
Time allowed:
About 20 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?Five pictures of objects. Under each picture there is a sentence which begins 'This is a …'. If the sentence is correct, your child should put a tick next to the picture. If the sentence is not true, your child should put a cross.
What should my child practise?
Reading short sentences and recognising words.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 1
Now look at Part 1 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters Reading & Writing paper.
Part 2
What's in Part 2?A big picture and some sentences about it. If the sentence is correct, your child should write 'yes'; if the sentence is not true, your child should write 'no'.
What should my child practise?
Reading sentences about a picture. Writing one-word answers.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 2
Now look at Part 2 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters Reading & Writing paper.
Part 3
What's in Part 3?Five pictures of objects. Your child has 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. Your child has to put the jumbled letters in the right order to make the word.
What should my child practise?
Spelling single words.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 3
Now look at Part 3 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters Reading & Writing paper.
Part 4
What's in Part 4?A text which has some missing words (gaps). Below the text there is a box with some pictures and words. Your child has to choose the right word from the box and copy it into each gap.
What should my child practise?
Reading a text and writing missing words (nouns).
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 4
Now look at Part 4 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters Reading & Writing paper.
Part 5
What's in Part 5?Three pictures which tell a story. Each picture has one or two questions. Your child has to look at the pictures and write the answer to each question. Your child only has to write one word for each answer.
What should my child practise?
Reading questions about a picture story. Writing one-word answers.
How many questions are there?
5
Look at Part 5
Now look at Part 5 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters 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: Starters Speaking test has five parts. Your child takes 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:
3–5 minutes
Number of parts:
5
Marks:
a maximum of five shields
Parts 1–5
Part 1
What's in Part 1?The examiner will greet your child and ask their name. Then the examiner asks your child to point to some things in a big picture.
What should my child practise?
Understanding and following spoken instructions.
Look at Part 1
Now look at Part 1 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters Speaking paper.
Part 2
What's in Part 2? The examiner shows some small pictures of objects. The examiner names three objects and asks your child to point to them. The examiner then asks your child to put each object card somewhere on the big picture from Part 1 (for example 'Put the shell under the tree').
What should my child practise?
Understanding and following spoken instructions.
Look at Part 2
Now look at Part 2 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters Speaking paper.
Part 3
What's in Part 3?The examiner asks your child some questions about the big picture from Part 1 (for example 'What is this?', 'What colour is it?').
What should my child practise?
Understanding and answering spoken questions.
Look at Part 3
Now look at Part 3 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters Speaking paper.
Part 4
What's in Part 4?The examiner asks your child some questions about the small pictures of objects from Part 2 (for example 'What is this?', 'Have you got a …?').
What should my child practise?
Understanding and answering spoken questions.
Look at Part 4
Now look at Part 4 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters Speaking paper.
Part 5
What's in Part 5?The examiner asks your child some questions about themselves (for example, age, family, friends).
What should my child practise?
Understanding and responding to personal questions.
Look at Part 5
Now look at Part 5 from the sample Cambridge English: Starters 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: Starters
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: Starters.
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: Starters
Download Listening sample paper
Download Reading &: Writing sample paper
Cambridge English: Starters – 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.
