Pre A1 Starters common mistakes
Pre A1 Starters · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In Listening Part 1, the candidate writes a name or number the moment they hear it, then stops listening and misses the second piece of information in the same question (for example a name followed by a number).
Young learners process one word at a time and treat each heard word as the answer. Once they start writing, attention shifts to spelling and the rest of the dialogue passes unheard.
What to do instead
Practise a two-step routine: listen to the whole short dialogue first, point to the picture detail being described, then write during the pause. Do picture-pointing drills where the child must touch two features (colour plus object) before lifting a pencil.
In Listening Part 2, the candidate writes 'yes' or 'no' answers, or leaves the answer blank, instead of writing a name or a number as the question requires.
The child hears a question such as 'What is the girl's name?' but answers the question in their head rather than supplying the missing word on the line. They may also not realise the answer must be copied exactly as heard.
What to do instead
Before listening, have the child circle the question word (What/Who/How old) and say aloud what type of word is needed: a name, a number or a colour. After listening, check that every gap contains a name or number, never yes/no.
In Listening Part 3, the candidate chooses the picture that matches a word they heard rather than the picture that matches the whole meaning of the dialogue, and does not change an answer when the speaker corrects themselves.
Distractor options are designed to share vocabulary with the recording. Children lock onto the first familiar word and stop tracking the conversation, so a later correction ('no, not the apple, the orange') is missed.
What to do instead
Train the child to listen for the final decision, not the first mention. Use short scripts containing one self-correction and ask: 'What did they choose in the end?' Teach the phrase 'in the end' as a listening signal.
In Listening Part 4, the candidate loses their place in the sequence of five questions and writes an answer on the wrong line, so later answers are shifted by one.
The recording moves on quickly and there is no second chance. Children who pause to finish spelling a colour miss the start of the next item and then guess where they are.
What to do instead
Rehearse a recovery rule: if you miss one, leave it, put a light pencil mark on the next number and keep going. Practise with five-item picture sequences where one item is deliberately skipped, and check numbering afterwards.
In Reading and Writing Part 1, the candidate writes the name of the object instead of 'yes'/'no' when judging whether the picture and sentence match.
The task looks like a labelling exercise, and children default to naming what they see. They also judge the picture on its own rather than comparing it word by word with the sentence.
What to do instead
Model the comparison explicitly: read the sentence, underline the noun and the adjective or preposition, then check each against the picture. Insist that the only permitted answers are yes and no, and mark any other answer wrong in practice.
In Reading and Writing Part 2, the candidate writes an answer that fits the gap grammatically but is not in the picture or word bank, or copies a word with the wrong spelling from the story.
Children rely on general knowledge ('I have a cat at home') instead of the text in front of them, and they copy quickly without checking letter by letter.
What to do instead
Require the child to point to the exact word in the story or picture before writing it, and to say 'found it here' each time. Add a copying check: cover the source, write, then uncover and compare letters one by one.
In Reading and Writing Part 3, the candidate answers the questions with single words or fragments rather than a full short sentence, or copies a whole long sentence that does not answer the question.
The child understands the text but has not learned the expected answer format, and production feels harder than comprehension. Copying a long sentence feels safer than composing.
What to do instead
Practise a sentence frame for each question type: 'He is ...', 'There are ...', 'She likes ...'. Give five questions and have the child answer with a frame, then check that the answer contains the question's key word.
In Reading and Writing Part 5, the candidate leaves gaps blank or fills them with any word that sounds plausible, without checking that the sentence describes the picture.
This part requires reading a short text and using picture clues plus grammar. Children run out of time or confidence and guess, and they do not re-read the completed sentence to test it.
What to do instead
Teach a three-pass method: read the whole text once for meaning, fill the easiest gaps, then read each completed sentence aloud to check it matches the picture. Practise with one-word picture cloze where two options are grammatically possible but only one matches the scene.
In Speaking, the candidate gives one-word answers to the examiner's questions and does not respond to the picture prompt, leaving long silences.
Children may understand but lack the confidence or the phrase to extend an answer, and they may not know that the examiner expects them to describe and point, not just name.
What to do instead
Rehearse a fixed answer shape: a short sentence plus one detail ('It's a dog. It's brown.'). Practise picture description with prompts 'Who? What? Where? What colour?' so the child always has a second sentence ready.
In Speaking, the candidate mispronounces or confuses minimal-pair words and letter names (for example 'fifteen' and 'fifty', 'b' and 'v', 'g' and 'j') during the object-card and spelling tasks.
Starters-level phonics are still developing, and the child may not have had focused practice hearing and producing contrasts that do not exist in their first language.
What to do instead
Run short daily minimal-pair drills with pictures: show two cards and ask the child to point to the word the examiner says, then say both. Practise letter names in short spoken sequences and have the child spell familiar three-letter words aloud.