Cambridge Young Learners (YLE)

Official exams > Cambridge Young Learners

Cambridge English Young Learners (YLE) are a series of motivating and fun exams for primary-school children.

Thousands of parents from worldwide choose the YLE exams to guide their children's learning and be able to check their progress in English following some standards recognised internationally.

At Cambridge School, we offer the Pre A1 Starters and A1 Movers exams, both based on activities that allow children to improve their English following a clear process.

Why take the exam?

The Young Learners exams are good for children who have been studying English for a few years because they:

Motivate learning by setting objectives and showing progress
Build confidence in an exam situation
Develop written and spoken English skills

Furthermore, in the Young Learners exams, there is no pass or fail. Students are assessed on three skills that are graded by shields, and all children receive a certificate:

Who are the exams for?

Cambridge English Young Learners (YLE) exams are for primary-school children between 7 and 12. Children of between 8 and 9 usually do the Starters exams, while children between 10 and 11 do Movers.

What's in the exam?

Pre A1 Starters:

Listening: 4 sections – 20 questions – about 20 minutes
Reading and writing: 5 sections – 25 questions – about 20 minutes
Speaking: 5 sections – 3-5 minutes

A1 Movers:

Listening: 5 sections – 25 questions – about 25 minutes
Reading and writing: 6 sections – 40 questions – about 30 minutes
Speaking: 4 sections – 5-7 minutes

Preparing for the exams

The Young Learners Starters and Movers exams correspond to Cambridge School levels N4 and N6, respectively. These courses already incorporate preparation for these exams. In February, students do a mock exam in class to see if they're ready to do the exam. If they are, students enrolled in April do another mock exam.

For more information for parents of Starters and Movers students, see the “Guide to Cambridge Young Learners English Tests for Families and Candidates ”.