A1 Movers: the next step after Starters

Movers is typically taken between ages 8 and 11, usually a year or two after Starters. There's no official age limit — what matters is that your child can read and write simple English sentences and follow short conversations. Many schools schedule Movers in the middle years of primary school.

It depends on the starting point. A child already comfortable at Starters level usually needs around three to six months of regular practice — 15 minutes of games a day plus a weekly practice test works well. Children starting from little English should plan for a longer, gentler runway.

None — there is no pass mark, and no child fails. Each of the three papers earns up to five shields, 15 in total. Around 10–11 shields is generally seen as a strong result and a good sign your child is ready to begin preparing for A2 Flyers.

About an hour of testing in total: Listening is around 25 minutes with 25 questions, Reading & Writing is 30 minutes with 35 questions, and Speaking is a 5–7 minute one-to-one conversation with an examiner. The papers are short on purpose, to suit children's attention spans.

Yes. The three Cambridge Young Learners tests are independent, so no previous certificate is required. If your child already reads and writes simple English sentences comfortably, starting at Movers is common. If they're still matching words to pictures, beginning with Starters builds confidence first.

Yes. Movers is aligned with CEFR level A1, meaning a child can understand and use everyday expressions and very basic phrases. It sits between Pre-A1 Starters and A2 Flyers on the Cambridge ladder, and a strong Movers result is the natural springboard to Flyers preparation.

Movers is a real step up: more parts and questions per paper, longer texts, and genuine writing — children complete sentences using one to three words rather than just spelling single words. The wordlist grows too, adding topics like school, health, weather and travel to the Starters base.

The games on this page cover Movers vocabulary, reading, listening, grammar and writing, and they're free to start. Short daily sessions beat weekend cramming: try one listening game and one word game a day, then check the progress dashboard to see which topics need another pass.