Cambridge English:

Young Learners
Mapping exam content to
classroom coursebooks
www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams/young-learners-english
Table of contents

1 Quiz .................................................................................................................................. 3

2 Looking at grammar .......................................................................................................... 5

3 Looking at topics ..............................................................................................................11

4 Looking at vocabulary ......................................................................................................13

5 Looking at task types .......................................................................................................15

6 Adapting materials picture 1..........................................................................................22

6 Adapting materials picture 2..........................................................................................24

6 Adapting materials using small pictures ........................................................................26

7 To do later! ........................................................................................................................34

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1 Quiz
Do you know the answers to these questions about the Cambridge English: Young Learners
tests? You can find some of the answers on the next few pages, and some you may know
already.

1. How many levels of Cambridge English: Young Learners tests are there?

2. What are the names of the tests?

3. Which test is at the highest CEFR level?

4. At each level, there are three different papers. What do they test?

5. What five things make the Young Learners tests different from tests for adults?

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2 Looking at grammar

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Kids Box 3 coursebook (Cambridge University Press)

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3 Looking at topics
Here is a list of the topic areas in the handbook which are covered by the Young Learners
tests. Look at the Key vocabulary column in the contents list of the coursebook on the
previous page of this handout. Write the relevant unit number against the appropriate topic
area in the list below. See the To do later ideas. You could try matching the vocabulary in
your coursebook against the list here.

Topic list
Young Learners topic areas Unit of coursebook Unit in your coursebook
Animals
The body and the face
Clothes
Colours
Family and friends
Food and drink
Health
The home
Materials
Names
Numbers
Places and directions
School
Sports and leisure
Time
Toys
Transport
Weather
Work
The world around us

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4 Looking at vocabulary
At what level do you think these words first appear in the Young Learners topic (thematic)
vocabulary lists?

Word Level your guess Level alphabetical list

balloon

boring

bored

belt

big

birthday

best

bottle

box

broken

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5 Looking at task types
Can you fill in the exams that are missing?
You can use the handbook summaries on the next couple of pages to check.
Task type Level Exam paper Unit in your
coursebook
Draw lines: match names to people Starters .................................
Movers .................................
Flyers .................................
Write numbers and names Starters Listening
Tick box under picture Starters .................................
Movers .................................
Flyers .................................
Locate object and colour Starters .................................
Tick or cross for true or false Starters Reading and Writing
Write yes or no Starters Reading and Writing
Write words Starters Reading and Writing
Copy words Starters .................................
Movers .................................
Flyers .................................
Write words or numbers in gaps Movers .................................
Movers Listening
Flyers .................................
Flyers Reading and Writing
Write letters in a box Movers Listening
Flyers Listening
Colour or write Movers Listening
Flyers Listening
Copy correct words next to definitions Movers Reading and Writing
Flyers Reading and Writing
Circle a letter Movers Reading and Writing
Tick box to choose title Movers .................................
Flyers .................................
Complete short sentences Movers .................................
Flyers .................................
Select correct response and write a Flyers Reading and Writing
letter
Write a short story Flyers Reading and Writing

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6 Adapting materials picture 1
Look at the vocabulary in the picture below. Which Young Learners level do you think
its at?

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6 Adapting materials picture 2
Look at the picture below from Flyers Listening Part 1.
What do you think is in this picture which makes it harder for children to draw the
correct lines from the name to the person?
What would you need to do to adapt a picture of a scene to practise this type of
activity?

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6 Adapting materials using small pictures
The Cambridge English website has small pictures and flashcards that you can download
here:
www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams/young-learners-english
Look for:
1. Free resources
2. Download Cambridge English: Young Learners flashcards and picture bank
3. Cambridge Young Learners Picture Bank.pdf At the Zoo (2 pages of pictures)

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Starters Reading and Writing Part 1

On the next three pages youll find three sample tasks: two from Starters and one from
Movers. How would you practise these tasks with your classes?
Talk in your group and write down your ideas. One idea has been given for each to start
you off.

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Starters Reading and Writing Part 3

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Movers Speaking Part 3

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Here are some ideas to start you off.

Starters Reading and Writing (Part 1)

Give each child a cut-up set of the picture cards. Write a sentence on the board and
get them to hold up the correct card.

Starters Reading and Writing (Part 3)

Get children to work in pairs. They each secretly choose five of the animals in the
picture cards, check the spelling and then jumble up the letters and write them out on
small pieces of paper. They give each set of letters to their partner who has to put the
letters in the right order and then match them to the correct picture card.

Movers Speaking (Part 3)

Print off several sets of picture cards. Mix them up into sets so that each set contains
three pictures on a topic, e.g. three large animals, and an odd one out, e.g. a small
animal. Children work in groups with the sets to say which is the odd one out and why.

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7 To do later!
To do later:
1. Find the grammar and structures lists for Starters, Movers and Flyers on pages 59 of
this handout booklet. Look at the contents page or go through the units of your
coursebook.
Which Young Learners level do you think your coursebook is at?
What grammatical structures and phrases at that level are covered and which
ones arent?

2. Look at the contents page for your coursebook in the Teachers Book or go through the
units of the Pupils book. Write down on the topic grid which topic each unit of your
coursebook covers.

3. For each topic area that you teach, check against the thematic vocabulary list in the
handbook to see what words your children need to know at each level. Does your
coursebook teach those words or do you need to teach them yourself?

4. Find a black and white scene picture and photocopy it. Either write out some colouring
instructions as for any of the final parts of the Listening tests OR put seven names
round the picture and write a script for what each person is doing so that the children
can listen and draw lines, as in Listening Part 1.

5. Download sets of small pictures from the Free resources section on the Cambridge
website. Adapt them to practise Starters Reading and Writing Parts 1 and 3, Starters
Speaking Parts 1 and 3 and/or Movers Speaking Part 3.

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