Official English certificate YLE Exam Pre-A1 Cambridge Starters
The Young Learners English (YLE) exams are assessments designed for children and preteens, ages seven to twelve, with the aim of motivating and recognizing achievements in learning English in a fun way . They are designed to strengthen the skills of children who have been studying this language for a few years so that they can continue to do so motivated, that they gain greater self-confidence when facing the exam, and to develop their oral and written expression skills. It has three levels, the Pre A1 Starters, the A1 Movers, and the A2 Flyers.
YLE Pre A1 Starters consists of the following parts
The YLE exams are structured in three levels of knowledge and experience, as we have already seen: Starters, Movers, and Flyers. Likewise, each one of the three language skills or abilities are evaluated.
Starters: your exam consists of 20 minutes for the reading-writing section, another 20 minutes for listening comprehension, and 3-5 minutes for oral expression.
Movers: This level will contain 40 minutes of reading and writing, 25 minutes of listening comprehension, and 5-7 minutes of speaking.
Flyers: The most advanced exam will contain 40 minutes of reading and writing exercises, 25 of listening comprehension and 7-9 minutes of oral expression.
These are very complete assessments while covering the four skills ( Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking ) that the teaching-learning process must comprehend. They are prepared by professionals who are specialists in the English language of Cambridge English.
The design is very attractive to awaken the interest of younger ones and that the presentation of the exam is a positive and fun experience, thereby strengthening self-confidence.
Scoring consists of obtaining the highest number of shields (for example, each skill consists of five shields) in the exam, which will be seen in your YLE certificate, since in these exams there are no children who passed or failed, but they receive their diploma as a reward for their efforts and achievements. With an overall result of 10 or 11 shields, they will be able to pass the next YLE exam. With the exception of the Flyers, since in this case, the next exam will be the KET for Schools.
Likewise, there is the possibility of taking the exam in authorized schools. It is only necessary to select the correct level, as well as cover the fee and be aware of the date of the exam.
According to the level of the YLE, the tasks and activities will be the responsibility of the student to respond. Both the Starters and the Movers and the Flyers contain different parts, tasks, and activities. For example, the Starters contains :
a) Listening comprehension: the first part corresponds to a task of relating names to people and an activity of drawing lines, writing names and numbers, or marking boxes.
b) Reading-writing: at the beginning, it must be decided if the drawings correspond with the words that accompany them, and for this, the respective activity will be to mark as correct or incorrect.
c) Oral expression: objects must be found in a drawing, and the activity will consist of pointing to those objects.
And so on with each level, so that these parts, tasks, and activities correspond and increase the degree of difficulty, without losing the positive and fun experience that characterizes this test designed for children.
How to prepare for the Young Learners (YLE)
The presentation of any exam always implies a certain nervousness, or at least the expectation of a moment for which we have invested time, effort, and dedication. For this reason, some tips for the day of the exam never hurt, regardless of the level at which the student is going to take:
- One of the first aspects to study is the vocabulary, as well as the correct writing of the words that make up a glossary.
- Use grammar correctly. For example, if it is the verbs, « to go », conjugate the present simple and continuous tenses: « I go », « I am going », and so on.
- Distinguish the kinds of words, for example, if they are prepositions, know which one to use to connect people and objects in the graphs or drawings of the exam.
- Another very good tip is to take mock exams. For example, it is possible to watch videos of the speaking test, as well as read the examiner's comments on this test and even download the picture book for each level.
Young Learners (YLE), a test preferred by parents
Thousands of parents choose this test for their children, as it is a highly recommended assessment both for its international recognition and for the way it is designed. It is very suitable to motivate children's learning of the English language.
So now you know, if you want to motivate your children to certify their level of English with the Young Learners (YLE), then you can check the dates and places available to do it here