Everything parents need to know about the Cambridge Pre-A1 Starters test — the format, shield scores and free games that make practice feel like play.
Pre-A1 Starters is the first Cambridge English exam for children, typically taken at ages 6–8. It has three short papers — Listening, Reading & Writing, and Speaking — and takes about 45 minutes in total. Nobody fails: every child earns shields on a certificate. Kids can practise every Starters skill free with the games on this page.
Starters has three short, child-friendly papers. Listening and Reading & Writing are done on paper with a group; Speaking is a short one-to-one chat with a friendly examiner.
| Paper | Parts | Questions | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 4 | 20 | ~20 |
| Reading & Writing | 5 | 25 | ~20 |
| Speaking | 4 | — | 3–5 |
There is no pass or fail at Starters. Each paper — Listening, Reading & Writing, and Speaking — earns one to five shields, so 15 is the maximum. The shields are printed on a Cambridge certificate that never expires. Around 10–11 shields overall is a strong result and a good sign your child is ready to work toward A1 Movers. Fewer shields simply show which skill to practise next — the experience stays positive either way.
Every Starters question draws on the official Cambridge wordlist — everyday topics like animals, food, toys, school and family. Reading & Writing Parts 1 and 2 test whether your child can match those words to pictures, and Listening Part 4 checks colours and everyday objects. Build the word bank first and every paper gets easier.
Climb topic by topic through the Starters words — every level shows the picture and plays the audio.
Unscramble letters to spell Starters words — exactly the skill Reading & Writing Part 3 tests.
The Reading & Writing paper takes about 20 minutes and has 5 parts with 25 questions. Parts 1 and 2 ask yes/no and tick/cross questions about pictures, and Part 5 asks questions about a three-picture story. Short, playful reading practice every day beats long study sessions at this age.
Read short picture stories and answer questions — the same idea as Reading & Writing Part 5.
Arrange words into simple English sentences so yes/no picture questions feel easy.
The Listening paper is about 20 minutes with 4 parts and 20 questions: matching names to people in a big picture, writing names and numbers, choosing the right picture, and colouring objects. Kids hear everything twice, so calm, regular ear training is what matters most.
Fast, fun ear training on the Starters names, numbers and colours kids hear in the exam.
Hear a word or sentence and pick the matching picture — mirrors Listening Parts 1 and 3.
At Starters, writing means spelling: children unscramble jumbled letters in Reading & Writing Part 3, copy words into gaps in Part 4, and give one-word answers in Part 5. Handwriting doesn't need to be perfect, but the spelling does — so make spelling practice a daily habit.
Timed letter unscrambles built from the Starters wordlist — direct Part 3 practice.
Build short sentences word by word so the gap-fill in Part 4 feels familiar.
Browse every official Pre-A1 Starters word with pictures, audio and games. The full official wordlist is organised by topic, so your child can learn animals one day and food the next.
Browse the Starters wordlistOr browse the wordlist by topic
Cambridge doesn't set an official age limit, but Starters is designed for children who have just begun learning English — typically ages 6–8 in most countries. If your child can recognise simple written English words and follow short spoken instructions, they are ready to start preparing at their own pace.
No. Starters has no pass or fail. Every child who takes the test receives a Cambridge certificate showing up to five shields for each of the three papers — Listening, Reading & Writing, and Speaking. The shields celebrate strengths rather than mark failure, so the first exam experience stays positive.
About 45 minutes in total, split into three short papers. Listening lasts around 20 minutes with 20 questions, Reading & Writing lasts around 20 minutes with 25 questions, and Speaking is a 3–5 minute face-to-face conversation with a trained, friendly examiner. Children usually sit the papers on the same day.
Cambridge publishes an official Starters wordlist covering everyday topics such as animals, food, toys, school and family, and every exam question draws from it. You can browse the full official wordlist on this site with pictures and audio, and every practice game here teaches exactly those words.
There are no marks or grades. Each of the three papers is scored from one to five shields, printed on the certificate, so 15 shields is the maximum. Around 10–11 shields overall suggests your child is ready to start preparing for A1 Movers. The certificate never expires.
Ten to fifteen minutes a day of playful practice works better at this age than long study sessions. The free games on this page cover Starters vocabulary, reading, listening and spelling, mirror the real exam task types, and track progress so you can see exactly which words your child has mastered.
Yes. Starters is aligned with Pre-A1 on the CEFR, the very first step on the Cambridge English ladder. It shows a child understands basic everyday English words and phrases. After Starters, children typically move up to A1 Movers and then A2 Flyers as their English grows.
No. Cambridge Young Learners certificates never expire — the shields your child earns are a permanent record of that exam day. Most families treat Starters as a motivating milestone rather than a formal qualification: it builds exam confidence early and leads naturally on to Movers and Flyers.
Last updated: 2026-07-01
Create a free account and your child can start playing Starters vocabulary, reading, listening and spelling games in under a minute — no card required.
Last updated: 2026-07-01