A1 Movers Grammar List: 11 New Structures with Examples

A1 Movers Grammar: 11 New Structures

YLE grammar builds up level by level. A1 Movers adds the 11 structures below to everything from Starters: 22 key structures in all. The new ones are explained in full; the Starters ones are listed at the end, with links.

Based on the “Grammar and structures list” in the official Cambridge English YLE Handbook for Teachers: YLE Handbook for Teachers (PDF)

New at A1 Movers: 11 structures

Past simple

Talks about finished actions in the past with was/were, went, had and other common past forms.

Yesterday we went to the park.
She was happy at the party.

Comparatives and superlatives

Compares people and things — bigger, smaller, the best — a favourite in picture-comparison tasks.

An elephant is bigger than a horse.
Lily is the youngest in her class.

Adverbs of frequency

Words like always, usually, sometimes and never that say how often something happens.

I always brush my teeth before bed.
We sometimes play badminton after school.

Have to — obligation

Says that something is necessary — rules at school, jobs at home.

We have to do our homework before dinner.
You have to wear a coat when it's cold.

Prepositions of time — in, on, at

In, on and at used with days, months and clock times.

My swimming lesson is on Monday.
We have breakfast at seven o'clock.

Present continuous for future arrangements

Uses the -ing form to talk about plans that are already arranged.

We are going to the cinema on Saturday.
Grandpa is coming to our house tomorrow.

Must — obligation

A strong way to say something is a rule or is necessary.

You must be quiet in the library.
You must wash your hands before lunch.

Would like

The polite way to say what you want or to offer something.

I'd like some noodles, please.
Would you like an ice cream?

Object pronouns

Me, him, her, us and them — the words that receive the action.

That's my little brother — I love him!
Our teacher is kind. We like her.

Possessive pronouns

Mine, yours, his and hers — saying who owns something without repeating the noun.

That kite is mine, and this one is yours.
The red scarf is hers.

Why…? Because…

Asking for a reason with why and answering with because — a key Movers speaking skill.

Why is he laughing? Because the clown is funny.

Frequently asked questions

Does my child need to know grammar terms like "present perfect"?

No. The Cambridge YLE exams never ask children to name a tense or explain a rule — they test whether a child can understand and use these structures in real sentences, pictures and stories. The terms on this page are for you, the parent; your child just needs plenty of practice hearing and building sentences.

Which parts of the A1 Movers exam test grammar?

Grammar is tested indirectly everywhere, but it is most visible in the Reading & Writing paper — the gap-fill and sentence-copying parts require children to choose or copy grammatically correct words. In Listening and Speaking, children mainly need to understand the structures when they hear them. There is no separate grammar paper and no pass or fail: children earn up to five shields per skill.

How should a child aged 6–12 practice these structures?

Not with drills or worksheets. At this age grammar sticks through use: reading simple stories, listening, and building sentences in games. Ten minutes a day of playful sentence-building beats an hour of exercises — that is exactly what FlyersEnglish games like Sentence Builder are designed for.

This page is a parent-friendly summary of the “Grammar and structures list” in the official Cambridge English YLE Handbook for Teachers. FlyersEnglish is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge; the official handbook is available from Cambridge English at cambridgeenglish.org.