playlist
What's in the Listening test?
The Pre A1 Starters Digital Listening test is a digital component consisting of five tasks. Each task starts with an example. In most tasks, children will hear the audio twice. In task 4, they can listen as many times as they need.
Summary
| Time allowed: |
maximum 40 minutes |
| Number of tasks: |
5
|
| Number of questions: |
20
|
| Marks: |
a maximum of five shields
|
Task 1: Minimal differences
| What do candidates have to do? |
Listen to a short sentence or phrase and select the correct picture from a choice of three.
|
| What should children practise? |
Hearing the different letter sounds in words.
|
| How many questions are there? |
2
|
Task 2: Story scene
| What do candidates have to do? |
Listen to and understand details in a story. Select correct pictures from a choice of three.
|
| What should children practise? |
Listening to short, simple stories at this level. |
| How many questions are there? |
5
|
Task 3: Note-taking
| What do candidates have to do? |
Listen for spellings and numbers. Drag and drop letters and numbers to complete a set of notes.
|
| What should children practise? |
Spelling and writing words, counting and pronouncing numbers. |
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
Task 4: Interactive dialogue
| What do candidates have to do? |
Listen to questions / prompts and choose the appropriate response from a choice of three.
|
| What should children practise? |
Answering open and closed questions with short replies.
|
| How many questions are there? |
3 |
Task 5: Picture editing
| What do candidates have to do? |
Listen to the descriptions and follow the instructions by dragging and dropping objects into the correct place in the picture (questions 1–3) and colouring objects with digital crayons (questions 4 and 5).
|
| What should children practise? |
Prepositions, colours, acting on instructions, asking and answering questions about where something is.
|
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
openbook
What's in the Reading and Writing test?
The Pre A1 Starters Digital Reading and Writing test is a digital component consisting of five tasks. Each task starts with an example.
Summary
| Time allowed: |
maximum 25 minutes |
| Number of tasks: |
5
|
| Number of questions: |
25 |
| Marks: |
a maximum of five shields |
Task 1: Information posters
| What do candidates have to do? |
Read a short phrase on a poster and choose the correct picture from a choice of three to add to it.
|
| What should children practise? |
Matching pictures to words from the Pre A1 Digital wordlist.
|
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
Task 2: Online messages
| What do candidates have to do? |
Read a text / online message exchange and choose the correct picture, emoji, or sticker from a choice of three.
|
| What should children practise? |
Reading and responding to short messages.
|
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
Task 3: Spelling
| What do candidates have to do? |
Complete words by choosing the correct letter combinations (questions 1 and 2) and by unscrambling the letters (questions 3–5). |
| What should children practise? |
Spelling short, simple words.
|
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
Task 4: Factual topic
| What do candidates have to do? |
Read some sentences on a factual topic and drag and drop a word to fill the gap in each sentence.
|
| What should children practise? |
Reading short factual texts, guessing what missing words might be.
|
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
Task 5: Comic book story
| What do candidates have to do? |
Type one-word answers to questions about a picture story.
|
| What should children practise? |
Copying words from a story (questions 1–3) and writing words identified in a picture (questions 4 and 5).
|
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
megaphone
What's in the Speaking test?
The Pre A1 Starters Digital Speaking test is a face-to-face component consisting of four tasks. 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.
Summary
| Time allowed: |
3–5 minutes |
| Number of tasks: |
4
|
| Marks: |
a maximum of five shields |
Task 1: Scene picture and object cards
| What do candidates have to do? |
Point to correct parts of a picture.
Place object cards on the scene picture as directed.
|
| What should children practise? |
Identifying people, animals and things in different pictures.
|
Task 2: Scene picture
| What do candidates have to do? |
Give short answers to questions, including a "Tell me about..." question.
|
| What should children practise? |
Answering simple questions about pictures.
|
Task 3: Object cards
| What do candidates have to do? |
Give short answers to questions. |
| What should children practise? |
Giving one-word answers to simple questions about pictures. |
Task 4: Personal questions
| What do candidates have to do? |
Give short answers to questions.
|
| What should children practise? |
Answering questions on basic information about themselves. |