Pre-A1 Starters: your child's first Cambridge exam

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.