Hello ExamSeekers,

How are you today?

Well, yesterday I mentioned that I’ll be posting about English Exams twice a week. I don’t know how much of that will be possible, but I’m just testing to see if this works out.

Yesterday I wrote a text about the Cambridge B1 Preliminary Writing [Part 1], be sure to check it out! And I’m pretty sure that I will be posting part 2 next week, so stay tuned! As for today, I’m going to cover the Cambridge English YLE (Young Learners Exams).

The past few weeks, I brought you an overview of the YLE – Pre A1: Starters and the YLE – A1: Movers. Therefore, we are only missing the YLE – A2: Flyers. So, let’s go:

The A2 Flyers, formerly known as Cambridge English: Flyers (YLE Flyers), is one of the Cambridge English Qualifications. It is the last test of a child’s language learning journey. It is the third exam of a series of three.

This and the other two Young Learners Exams are prepared specially for children ranging from 6 to 12 years old. As I mentioned in the previous texts about the Pre A1 Starters and A1 Movers, offering kids the opportunity to sit for these exams at a young age boosts their confidence. It also prepares them to deal better with any other examinations in the future.

They are fun, colorful, interactive, and activity-based. It’s an excellent way to get children interested in taking these exams and don’t feel threatened by them or feel that they are taking an exam at all.

By taking this exam, a child at an A2 level can understand simple written English, communicate in familiar situations, understand and use basic phrases and expressions, and interact with English speakers who talk slowly and clearly.

These exams focus on the skills needed to communicate effectively in English through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. They are paper-based, and they take about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Listening: It takes about 25 minutes. It’s divided into 5 parts (25 questions overall). Each part begins with one or two examples. Children will listen to the recording twice.

Reading and Writing: It takes about 40 minutes. It’s divided into 7 parts (44 questions overall). Each part begins with one or two examples. For all parts of the Reading and Writing test, children must spell their answers correctly.

Speaking: It takes about 7-9 minutes. It’s divided into 4 parts. Children take the test alone with the examiner, but someone they know who speaks their language (like their teacher) will introduce them to the examiner and explain what to do in their own language.

Children take all their test papers within five days. The Listening paper is always taken before the Reading and Writing paper. By the way, this is the 2018 version (it’s the newest so far), and here is a list of what you will find in each of the papers:

There is no pass or fail at this level. All children receive a certificate showing the number of shields they have received (up to five shields) for each part of the test. A result of one shield means a child can improve a lot in that skill. Five shields mean that a child did very well in that skill and answered most questions correctly.

Also, the back of the certificate shows how the results align with the CEFR. If a child has achieved 4 or 5 shields in each skill, they are ready to start preparing for the next Cambridge English exam – A2 Key (for schools).

From September 2020 on, children will now receive a Statement of Results, which was only given to candidates who sit for the Main Suite (A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2 exams). The Statement of Result includes the number of shields they have received for each part of the test, information on their strengths, areas for improvement, and ideas on how to improve. It is available in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Russian, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Here is a sample of the Statement of Result in English:

Schools and parents will be able to access learner results directly through their preparation center and Cambridge Online Results Service as soon as they’re available.

Well, I guess this is it for now. An A2 Flyers certificate is a great way to celebrate children’s achievement, build their confidence and reward their own individual ability. So if you are a parent and are still deciding if you will give your children this opportunity, I do recommend it! Here is a booklet with some info to help you prepare your children at home.

I hope that this overview was useful. Soon there will be more updated content for you, so please, leave a comment in the comment section below telling me the type of content you want to see here: tips, samples, instructions, etc.

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Have a great week,
Patricia Moura