CAMBRIDGE

Young Learners
Flyers Practice Tests

Introduction and Tips

Contents
Introduction 2
An overview of Flyers 2

Tips
Listening 4
Reading and Writing 7
Speaking 10
Revision tips 12
Practical tips for test day 12
Introduction
The Cambridge Young Learners English Tests are designed to test the English of primary
school learners between the ages of 7 and 12. There are three levels: Starters, Movers and
Flyers. The three tests are designed to take young learners of English as a foreign language
from beginner to Waystage. Flyers level is equivalent in level to the Cambridge KET test but is
designed for children rather than young adults.
There are no pass or fail grades for these tests. All students taking the tests receive a
certificate with between one and five shields in each component to show how they have
performed.

Flyers, the third level, is aimed at students aged between 10 and 12. The average age of
Flyers candidates is 11.

An overview of Flyers
Listening
about 25 minutes / 25 items
There are five parts. Each part begins with a clear example. All the texts are heard twice.

Expected response / Item Number

Main skill focus Input
type of items

Listening for lexical items Picture, names and Match names to people in a
1 5
and phrases dialogue picture by drawing a line

Listening for information Gapped text and

2 Write words or numbers 5
and numbers / spelling dialogue

Listening for detailed Match pictures with information

3 Picture sets and dialogue 5
information by writing letters in box

Listening for specific 3-option multiple-choice Select one of three pictures by

4 5
information pictures and dialogues ticking box

Listening for lexis and

5 Picture and dialogue Colour, draw and write 5
specific information

Cambridge Young Learners Flyers Practice Tests 2

Reading & Writing
40 minutes / 50 items
There are seven parts. Each part begins with a clear example.

Expected response / Item Number

Main skill focus Input
type of items

Reading and Lexical sets of nouns and Match words to definitions by

1 10
understanding definitions definitions copying the word

Reading and Write ‘yes’ or ‘no’ next to the

2 Picture and sentences sentences 7
understanding sentences

Reading and identifying Short dialogue with Select the best response by
3 5
appropriate utterances multiple responses writing the appropriate letter
Copy the missing words
Reading and completing Cloze text with missing
correctly, then select the best
4 a gapped text with one words (nouns, adjectives 6
title for the story from a choice
word or verbs) supplied
of three
Reading and
Read the story then complete
understanding a story
Short text with gapped the gapped sentences by
5 and completing 7
sentences writing 1, 2, 3 or 4 words into
sentences about the
each sentence
story
Reading and completing Cloze text with a 3- Copy the missing words
6 a gapped text with one option grammatical correctly, by selecting the best 10
word multiple choice word from a choice of three

Reading and completing

Open cloze (no missing Write one word in each gap (no
7 a gapped text with one 5
word supplied) text word supplied)
word

Speaking
7–9 minutes /4 parts
This takes the form of a one-to-one exchange. The language used by the examiner is
based on and controlled by a script (there are examples of this in the Key).

Input Expected response / Item type

Greeting and name check (unassessed);

two similar pictures and oral statements Identify six differences in candidate’s picture following
1
describing differences between the two statements made about examiner’s picture
pictures
One set of facts and one set of question Answer and ask questions about two people, objects or
2
prompts situations

3 Picture sequence which tells a story Describe each picture in turn in order to tell the story

Open-ended questions about the

4 Answer personal questions
candidate

Wordlist
You may notice that there are some words that appear in these tests that are not in the
Vocabulary List. These are words that are commonly used in coursebooks at this level and
that students will be familiar with. It is assumed that students are already familiar with all the
words in the YLE Starters and Movers vocabulary list.

Cambridge Young Learners Flyers Practice Tests 3

Tips
Listening
Each part is heard twice in the exam.

Part 1 Tips

Teaching tip
Students look at a picture with different Find pictures (which are appropriate to Flyers level) showing
people doing various activities. There people in different situations. Get students to work in pairs.
One student makes statements about the people in the pictures
are seven names around the edge (all
and the other decides whether this information is correct or
names feature in the YLE wordlists). incorrect. Alternatively, give students a photocopy of a basic
Students listen to a dialogue about the scene, e.g. a shopping street, the countryside, etc. and give
different people in the picture and draw them instructions about where to draw different people into the
a line from the names to the appropriate scene, describing the people, their clothes and their position in
people. There is one name they do not the picture. You should have the ‘correct’ version of the picture
need to use. which shows the people you have been describing. Then ask
students to compare their picture with yours.
Test focus: listening for lexical items
Tips for the test
and phrases
• Listen carefully for the clues telling you which person matches
which name, e.g. there may be two people doing the same
thing but only one, for example, is wearing a jacket.
• You must draw a line from the names while you listen to one
long conversation. Make sure that the line you draw is
straight and very clear to see.

Part 2 Tips

Teaching tip
Students complete a form, e.g. an Get pairs of students to write mini-dialogues using words from
invitation or a notebook, prompted by the wordlist. Check the dialogues and get the students to
words provided from the wordlists. record them. Ask the students to write out their dialogues
leaving gaps for nouns, names and numbers, if possible. Get
They listen and fill in missing words on students to swap dialogues and try to complete each other’s
the form. exercises.
You could also try writing a list of people’s names and different
Test focus: basic information e.g. places on the board. Make sure the words are similar and
lexical items, personal information, contain letters which can cause confusion for students, e.g. ‘y’
making arrangements and ‘i’. Spell some of the names and get students to write down
the words you’re spelling. Then do the exercise again without
the words on the board to help them.

Tips for the test

• Look carefully at the missing information before you listen, so
that you know what information you have to listen for. Be
careful – sometimes the people talking on the recording will
change or correct the information, so listen to everything to
say. Make sure you write the correct information.
• Make sure you know your alphabet and numbers well. You
often have to write a name which will be spelt out for you.
You may also have to write the numbers (digits, not words)
for a telephone number.

Cambridge Young Learners Flyers Practice Tests 4

 Part 3 Tips

Teaching tip
Students listen to a conversation which Prepare picture cards in lexical sets, e.g. girls and boys with
is led by one speaker. They match a list their names, days of week, animals, places, jobs, classroom
of illustrated words or names with a set items, etc. Try to have about eight cards in each set. Give
students two sets of cards which they have to match up in
of pictures. some way. For example, you might give a set of different
people and a set of places. Ask the students to tell each other,
Test focus: listening to a dialogue for for example, where each person went last weekend. This task
basic information and responding to it can be repeated with different sets of cards – a set of activities,
by matching pictures, e.g. people with presents, etc – which students can ‘match’ to a person.
the places they visited Students can take it in turns to make sentences which link one
card from each set and another student tries to pick up the
right cards. If one student gets it wrong, another student can
try and the student with the most pairs of cards wins.

Tips for the test

• Look at all the pictures carefully and tell yourself the
names of the things you can see in the pictures. Also, if
appropriate, tell yourself what the people are doing in
each picture. Thinking about this will familiarize yourself
with phrases you may hear.
• If you think two pictures look similar, find the differences
between them. This will help you not to choose the wrong
picture when you listen. Then make sure you write the
correct letter in the box.

Part 4 Tips

Teaching tip
Students listen to a dialogue and answer Give students sets of three pictures. These can be very simple
five questions which are both printed on and hand-drawn. Make the content of each picture slightly
different from the other two. Students describe the differences
the test paper and heard on the
between the pictures, e.g. this girl is going upstairs, this girl is
recording. For each question, students going downstairs, this girl is sitting on the stairs, etc. This could
look at a set of three pictures as they also be done as a revision exercise, when students are learning
listen and then tick the correct box, A, B new lexical sets.
or C.
Tips for the test
Test focus: listening for detailed • Before you listen, read the questions carefully and think about
what differences you can see in each picture. Sometimes it
information
will just be different things, e.g. burger, pizza, pasta. At other
times it will be people doing different things, e.g. swimming,
walking, cycling.
• Make sure that your tick is very clear and use the second time
you hear the recording to check you have the right answer.

Cambridge Young Learners Flyers Practice Tests 5

 Part 5 Tips

Teaching tip
Students work in pairs. Give each pair the same black and
Students look at a black and white
white picture, e.g. from a child’s colouring book or something
picture and listen to instructions in the you’ve drawn yourself. Make sure you use lexis from the
form of a conversation between an adult wordlists in these pictures. Get the students to sit in pairs, back
and a child. Students have to find and to back. One student colours something in the picture and tells
colour three things in the picture. They the other, e.g. the man on the left has a red hat. When they’ve
also have to write one word in the finished, they can compare pictures to see how well they’ve
picture and draw one simple object in it. done. Students can then do the same activity, telling each
other to draw simple pictures and write something on the
picture.
Test focus: listening for lexis and
position of lexis
Tips for the test
• Look at the picture carefully. Sometimes you will find there
are two similar things in the picture. Think about what is
different about them, e.g. if there are two horses, is one
bigger than the other? Listen for this difference on the
recording to help you carry out the instruction given.
• The colour you are asked to use may be different from the
colour you expect, e.g. the cake might be purple. The word
you are asked to write will be from the wordlist and you must
write it clearly. The object you have to draw is simple and the
object is often already somewhere in the picture, so you can
easily copy it.

Cambridge Young Learners Flyers Practice Tests 6

 Reading & Writing

Part 1 Tips

Teaching tip
In pairs, ask students to write their own definitions to lexical
Students look at ten definitions of
sets of nouns from the wordlists. These could be words that
different words. They match the have recently been taught in class. Then get students to form
definitions with words which come new pairs and take it in turns to read definitions to their new
from several different lexical areas. partner who has to draw pictures of the definitions or write a
There are five extra words the students simple phrase. The students can then check the pictures and
do not need to use. definitions together to see how many they have got right.

Tips for the test

Test focus: understanding definitions of • Look at the fifteen individual words and think about what they
words from the wordlists mean. Some of them will have similar meanings, e.g. flour
and sugar are both used to make cakes but only one is sweet.
Then read the definitions, underline the important words in
the definition before you choose the word it describes.
• Always start with the words you are confident about first.
Then put a line through these words so you can see which
words you still have to match with a definition. Make sure you
copy the word carefully and spell it correctly.

Part 2 Tips

Teaching tip
Students look at a picture, read seven Get students to draw pictures of different scenes using Flyers
sentences and indicate whether the vocabulary. For example, ask them to draw a scene with a
castle and a river. Then give them ten different people to put
information is correct or not (by writing
into the picture, such as a very young boy, a photographer, a
‘yes’ or ‘no’) according to what they see queen, etc. Give them six verbs, e.g. running, climbing, etc.
in the picture. and tell them that some of the people have to be doing these
things. Ask them to write ten sentences about their picture, five
Test focus: understanding information right and five wrong. Students then give their pictures and
at sentence level sentences to their partner who decides which sentences are
right and which are wrong.

Tips for the test

• Check all parts of the sentence, e.g. The boy in front of the
castle is wearing a jacket with spots on it. Ask yourself is the
boy in front of the castle or next to it? Is the boy wearing a
jacket or is it a sweater? If the boy’s wearing a jacket, does it
have spots on it?
• Check the picture and the sentence again before you decide
that the answer is ‘yes’. Remember, if one of the points is
wrong you must answer ‘no’ to the question.

Cambridge Young Learners Flyers Practice Tests 7

 Part 3 Tips

Teaching tip
Students read a written dialogue Get students to record short situational dialogues in pairs, e.g.
consisting of five exchanges where the at the shops, at the cinema, in a restaurant, etc. Give them the
second speaker’s line of dialogue is dialogues to begin with but as they get better, ask them to
write short dialogues of their own. Make photocopies of the
missing. Students choose the different dialogues, cut the second speaker’s dialogue into
appropriate line of dialogue from the separate sentences and give them to the students in the wrong
options given, by writing the correct order. Students can then listen to the recording whilst ordering
letter in the space provided. There is the dialogue or try to order the dialogue before listening and
one extra line of dialogue which the checking.
students do not need to use.
Tips for the test
• Look at the sentence above the gap. Think about what you
Test focus: identifying appropriate would say in reply and try to find something similar in the
utterances and functional language options. Check that the answer you choose also makes sense
with the sentence after the gap.
• When you have completed the dialogue, read through all the
lines again to check it makes sense. If one option doesn’t
work, select another option.

Part 4 Tips

Teaching tip
Students fill in five gaps in a story from Photocopy simple stories, e.g. from graded readers, and blank
a set of nine given words, one of which out target vocabulary. This could be revision of what you’ve
been teaching in class. Alternatively you could make up some
is the example. The gaps may be nouns,
simple stories using words from the wordlists. Give students a
adjectives or verbs. Students also list of missing words (nouns, adjectives and verbs only) for the
choose the best title for the story from a story. Students then decide where the missing words go. Get
choice of three possible titles. the students to form new groups to tell their stories. Tell them
they must use all the words that were missing to tell the
Test focus: putting nouns, adjectives stories. The listening students have to guess which words they
and verbs into basic contexts think were missing from the stories. Doing this will help the
students to remember the target vocabulary.

Tips for the test

• Read the whole story and try to understand it before you
decide which words are missing. Try to decide which type of
word is missing: a noun, an adjective or a verb?
• For question 6, try to explain why two of the options are
wrong. This will help you choose the best name for the story.

Part 5 Tips

Teaching tip
Students look at an illustrated text, then Tell a short and simple story to students. Then repeat the whole
complete the gapped sentences which story but leave out some of the words and ask students to
follow the text using between one and shout out the missing words out as the story goes along. You
could write the missing words on the board to help students.
four words. This task can be repeated several times and you can vary the
number of missing words between one and four. Students can
Test focus: comprehension at text also listen to your story and then work in groups to complete
level, understanding of grammar at gapped sentences about the story from memory.
sentence level
Tips for the test
• Read the story carefully and then read the sentences. Read
the story again and underline the parts of the story that give
the information you need for the sentences.
• The words you need to use will be in the story but may not be
in the same order as the sentence so make sure the words
you write make sense in the sentence.

Cambridge Young Learners Flyers Practice Tests 8

 Part 6 Tips

Teaching tip
Students read a gapped text in the style Choose grammatical sets of words from the wordlists, e.g. if,
of a factual text. For each of the ten because, when; young, younger, youngest; can, must, should.
gaps, they choose the appropriate word Prepare sentences using each of the words and discuss the
differences in meaning between the three words and when they
from three possible options which form can and can’t be used. Get students to write similar sentences
a set, e.g. prepositions, nouns, verbs, of their own and then take the words out of each of the
etc. sentences they’ve prepared. Students then swap the gapped
sentences, and a list of the missing words, with another group.
Test focus: awareness of grammar at Then they should try to complete the gaps in the new sentences
text level and the ability to choose with the words provided
correct grammatical forms Tips for the test
• Read the text carefully to try to understand it before you
worry about the gaps. Before you look at the words, read the
text again and think of a word you would put into each gap.
This may help you decide which of the three words is the right
one.
• For each missing word, think about the differences between
the possible answers, e.g. sleeping, sleeps, sleep, and which
one could be used correctly in the sentence.

Part 7 Tips

Teaching tip
Students read a short gapped text in the Like Part 4, photocopy or write simple, short texts and blank
form of, for example, a letter, note, out target vocabulary. Language like common collocations, e.g.
postcard or diary entry. They complete ask a question, take photos, or prepositions, e.g. on Tuesday,
after the lesson, are very useful practice.
each gap with the missing word, which
can be grammatical or lexical. No Tips for the test
words are supplied. • Look at the words before and after the gap and ask yourself
what sort of word is missing. Make sure you use the correct
Test focus: awareness of grammar at tense if it’s a verb.
text level and knowledge of correct • Read your completed text again to check it makes sense and
that your spelling is right and clear to read.
grammatical forms

Cambridge Young Learners Flyers Practice Tests 9

 Speaking
Before the test starts, the student is introduced to the examiner by an usher,
for example, their teacher or another person who speaks the student’s first language.
The examiner then greets the student and the test is conducted on a one-to-one basis
and in English.

Throughout the test the examiner will ask back-up questions if the student has difficulty in responding.

Part 1 Tips

Teaching tip
The examiner gives the student a picture Draw a simple picture choosing words from the wordlist or
of a scene. The examiner has a similar recently learnt vocabulary. Describe your picture to the
students, telling them what to draw but don’t tell them exactly
picture which is shown to the student
where things are or what colour they are, e.g. ‘I’m drawing a
briefly and only once in order to explain picture of a street in a town. There’s a bank, a post office and a
the task. The examiner says something cinema. There’s a bus in the street. There are two women and
about the picture and the student then three children. Put a bicycle in the picture. One of the people’s
explains what the difference is, carrying an umbrella and someone has a bag.’ Once the
e.g. Examiner: In my picture, the students have drawn their interpretation of the picture and
man is carrying a coloured it in, get one or two of them to compare their picture
with yours and talk about the differences.
suitcase.
Student: In my picture, he’s Tips for the test
carrying a rucksack. • Listen carefully to what the examiner says and find the part
of the picture the examiner’s talking about.
The student and examiner talk about six • Start your answer with the words the examiner has used, e.g.
of the differences in the picture. Examiner: In my picture, there’s a woman in front of the
fire station.
Find the fire station, look carefully and use the
examiner’s words to help you give an answer in a full
sentence:
You: In my picture, there’s a man in front of the fire
station.

Part 2 Tips

Teaching tip
The examiner gives the student a picture Tell students to describe an imaginary object, e.g. a bag. Get
them to write the questions and answers about the object, e.g.
card showing one picture with questions
What colour is it? red; Where is it? in my bedroom; Whose is it?
and answers and a second similar my sister’s. Get the students to work in pairs and ask each
picture with prompt questions but other the questions about their bags. As the students get better
without any answers. The cards will be at this, ask them to describe more difficult things, for example,
about two similar things, e.g. two films, situations such as their last holiday: Where did you go? Italy;
two holidays, two restaurants, etc. The What did you do? swimming and cycling; Who did you go with?
examiner asks the student questions my family and my friend. Students will need lots of practice
forming these questions.
about the first picture and the student
gives short answers by using the Tips for the test
information with the picture. The • The examiner will ask you questions first. Listen very
student then uses the prompt questions carefully to the examiner’s questions because you will have to
with the second picture to question the ask the same questions when it’s your turn.
examiner and find out the missing • If you can, try to make the answers on your card into full
sentences.
answers. The examiner responds to the
student’s questions.

Cambridge Young Learners Flyers Practice Tests 10

 Part 3 Tips

Teaching tip
The examiner shows the student a story Make a set of five basic pictures (e.g. stick pictures) which tell
card with five numbered pictures on it a short, simple story. Cut up the five pictures and give these to
small groups of students. Make sure you only use words from
which, in sequence, tell a story. The the wordlists. Then tell the story and ask them to put the
examiner tells the student the title of the pictures in order. Students can do the same activity in pairs by
story then starts to tell the story by making picture stories about their family, their school, things
talking about the first picture, e.g. These they did last night, etc, cutting up the pictures and telling their
pictures tell a story. It’s called ‘Tom and story to a partner.
the football’. Just look at the pictures
Tips for the test
first. It’s a sunny day. Tom’s playing
• Remember to use the present continuous tense for things
football with his sister in the garden. that are happening in the story, e.g. they’re watching
Now you tell the story. television, or the present perfect tense for things that have
already happened in the story, e.g. the boy has dropped his
The student then continues the story by books.
describing the other four pictures. The • If you find this difficult, just describe what you can see in the
examiner may ask questions about the picture, e.g. what the people are doing, where things are,
what colour things are, and this will help you narrate the
content of the pictures to help the story.
student structure answers.

Part 4 Tips

Teaching tip
The examiner asks the student four Give students the chance to talk together in English at the
personal questions, e.g. ‘What time do beginning and the end of lessons. Let them say whatever they
want to (in English) for these few minutes to encourage fluency
you get up every day?’, ‘What do you
and try not to correct them too much while they’re talking. Give
eat for breakfast?’ ‘What do you do them feedback on their mistakes at the end. Ask them to talk
after school?’ ‘Tell me about your about something different each time, e.g. their family, their
weekend’. The last question is always a home, their last holiday, what they do at the weekends, what
‘Tell me about …’ question and the they do at school, etc.
student is expected to give more than
one response to the last question. Tips for the test
• Listen carefully to the question word the examiner uses, e.g.
Where, How many, How long, etc. so you know what sort of
answer to give. The final question is always ‘Tell me about … ,
e.g. ‘Tell me about your best friend.’ Try to say three things.
• It doesn’t matter how short your answers are, just try to say
something and remember to ask the examiner if you don’t
understand the question.

Cambridge Young Learners Flyers Practice Tests 11

Revision tips
Make sure your students:
• know their colours (black, blue, brown, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red,
yellow).
• know the days of the week and can hear the difference, e.g. between Tuesday and
Thursday.
• are confident about counting and recognising numbers from 1 to 100 and can
recognise the difference, e.g. between 14 and 40.
• have learnt prepositions carefully, particularly prepositions of place, and are
confident about the difference between them. Many questions rely on their
knowledge of these prepositions.
• have had plenty of practice of spelling out words and recognising all the letters of
the alphabet. They should pay particular attention to the sound of vowels, e.g. the
difference between the letters e and a.
• know the meaning of the word double, e.g. double t.
• look at pictures carefully, paying attention to details of where things are, what
colour they are, what people and animals are doing, etc.
• revise lexical items using pictures of objects and verbs from the Starters, Movers
and Flyers Vocabulary Lists, where possible arranged into lexical sets.
• are familiar with the English names in the Vocabulary List.
• are able to distinguish between different question words, e.g. who, where, which,
what, how, how many, etc.
• are able to talk about themselves and answer questions about their everyday lives.
• revise grammar areas thoroughly (see the Structure List in the YLE handbook)
paying particular attention to the following:
- verb forms: positive, negative, interrogative, imperative and contracted forms
- tenses: present simple / present continuous / past simple for regular and irregular
verbs
- words taking -ing or the infinitive
- simple conjunctions and the difference between them
- comparative and superlative forms of adjectives

Practical tips for test day

Tell your students to:
• arrive in good time for their tests.
• have several sharp pencils with them.
• write in pencil so that they can make changes neatly.
• take a rubber with them.
• make sure they have all the coloured pencils (ready sharpened) they will
require for Listening Part 5.

Remind students to:

• look at the words and pictures very carefully.
• underline the important words in sentences.
• check carefully before deciding on an answer.
• make changes clearly.
• stay calm during the listening test if they miss something on the recording
during the first listening as they will get another chance to hear the information.

Cambridge Young Learners Flyers Practice Tests 12