Pre A1 Starters study guide
Pre A1 Starters · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Pre A1 Starters is the first of three Cambridge English Qualifications for young learners. It is designed for children taking their first steps in English, introducing them to everyday written and spoken English and helping them build language skills and confidence. The test is written around familiar topics and focuses on the skills needed to communicate effectively in English through listening, speaking, reading and writing. According to the official key facts, the CEFR level is Pre A1, the test format is paper-based with a face-to-face Speaking test, there are 3 papers, and the test length is approximately 45 minutes. Topics on this exam: Listening, Reading and Writing, and Speaking. The Pre A1 Starters study guide has 3 sections and about 1,342 words.
01Listening
The Listening paper checks whether a young learner can understand short, simple spoken English supported by pictures. It lasts about 20 minutes and has four parts with 20 marks. Each part is heard twice, and an example is done first. The language is everyday: toys, animals, food, family, home, school, clothes, transport, colours and numbers.
451 words, about 2 min02Reading and Writing
This paper checks reading of simple sentences and short texts, and writing at word level. It lasts about 20 minutes and has five parts with 25 questions. Pictures carry much of the meaning, so learners match words to what they see. Writing is limited: words, numbers and one-word answers, not full sentences.
466 words, about 2 min03Speaking
The Speaking test is a short face-to-face interview, about 3–5 minutes, with four parts. It checks whether a young learner can understand simple questions and respond with words, phrases or short sentences. The examiner uses a picture booklet and everyday topics: name, age, family, toys, animals, food, colours, numbers and positions. Reading and writing are not tested here.
425 words, about 2 min