Cambridge YLE

Overview

Cambridge English Young Learners (YLE) is a suite of three English tests for children, run by Cambridge University Press & Assessment (Cambridge English): Pre A1 Starters, A1 Movers and A2 Flyers. The three levels follow the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and let a child progress from a first taste of English assessment (Starters) to building and linking full sentences (Flyers). The tests are built around familiar classroom activities — colouring, matching, finding differences — and every candidate receives a certificate recording what they can do; there is no pass or fail at any level.

Who can apply

Cambridge does not set a fixed minimum or maximum age. Starters, Movers and Flyers are designed for school-age children roughly between 6 and 12 years old, with each level matched to a different stage of that range as a child's English develops: Starters for the earliest learners, Movers for children who have had a bit more exposure to English, and Flyers for the most confident among this age group. A child (or their parent or school) can choose any level regardless of age, based on how much English the child already knows rather than their exact age.

Levels

Every level has the same three papers — Listening, Reading & Writing, and Speaking — but the content, timing and number of questions increase from Starters to Flyers. Pre A1 Starters and A1 Movers can be taken either on paper or on a computer (Pre A1 Starters Digital, A1 Movers Digital); A2 Flyers is available as a paper-based exam. In the digital versions, the Listening and Reading & Writing components are completed on screen and the Speaking component is still face-to-face with an examiner, exactly as in the paper-based exam.

Pre A1 Starters

Starters is the first level, aimed at the CEFR Pre-A1 level.

• Listening: about 20 minutes, 4 parts, 20 questions.

• Reading & Writing: about 20 minutes, 25 questions.

• Speaking: 3–5 minutes, 4 parts, taken one-to-one with an examiner.

A1 Movers

Movers is the middle level, aimed at CEFR A1.

• Listening: about 25 minutes, 5 parts, 25 questions.

• Reading & Writing: about 30 minutes, 6 parts, 35 questions.

• Speaking: 5–7 minutes, 4 parts, taken one-to-one with an examiner.

A2 Flyers

Flyers is the highest YLE level, aimed at CEFR A2, and the last point at which children are tested on linking full sentences rather than longer free writing.

• Listening: about 25 minutes, 5 parts, 25 questions.

• Reading & Writing: about 40 minutes, 7 parts, 44 questions; answers must be spelled correctly.

• Speaking: 7–9 minutes, 4 parts, taken one-to-one with an examiner. A trusted adult the child knows, such as their teacher, introduces them to the examiner and explains the tasks in the child's own language before the Speaking test begins.

Scoring and certificates

Cambridge YLE exams are not graded with marks or percentages, and there is no pass or fail. Each of the three papers (Listening, Reading & Writing, Speaking) is scored separately out of a maximum of five shields, so a child can earn up to 15 shields in total at each level. Every candidate receives a certificate showing the shields earned for each paper, so the certificate reflects what the child can already do in English rather than whether they "passed."

How to apply

Cambridge YLE exams are not booked directly with Cambridge English. A child registers through an authorised Cambridge English exam centre — Cambridge lists over 2,800 such centres across more than 130 countries, searchable from its find-a-centre tool. Each centre sets its own registration process (an entry form, a block entry from a school, or the centre's own online booking system) and its own exam dates, since YLE does not run on a single fixed international test date the way some other Cambridge exams do.

Fees

The exam fee is set by each authorised exam centre and varies by country and centre, so Cambridge does not publish one global price list. Parents and schools confirm the current fee, along with accepted payment methods, directly with the centre where the child will sit the exam.

Preparation tips

Cambridge publishes free preparation material for every YLE level: sample papers and word lists for Starters, Movers and Flyers, listening sample-test audio, and walkthrough videos for the digital versions. The Monkey Puzzle app and the Sing and Learn video series give younger children game-based and song-based practice with the vocabulary and functions each level expects. Because the Speaking test is a short one-to-one conversation with an examiner, practising simple spoken exchanges (answering questions about pictures, describing objects, comparing two pictures) is at least as useful as written practice, especially for Starters and Movers.