To help teachers and parents support their children’s preparation for the Starters exam FLYER has compiled a list of grammar structures that children should be familiar with.
Pre A1 Starters is the first exam in the Cambridge English Young Learners (YLE) system for primary school students. This exam is designed for primary school students aged 4 – 7 to assess their English language skills. So, what grammar topics are covered in Starters? Take a look!
1. Common grammar structures in Starters exams
For kids, grammar is frequently seen as a dull topic. Nonetheless, the Starters Cambridge exam covers a limited amount of grammar; it is concise and focused on short structures. Here are 23 common grammar structures in the Starters Cambridge exam:
Note:
- N: noun
- adj: adjective
- to V: infinitive verb with “to”
- V-ing: gerund verb
| No. | Grammar Structure/Grammar Topic | Example |
| 1 | Singular and Plural Nouns (including irregular plurals, countable and uncountable nouns, and names) | – Would you like an orange? – Lemons are yellow. – Pat has six mice. – I eat rice for lunch. – Anna is my friend. |
| 2 | Adjectives – Possessive adjectives | – He’s a small boy. – His name is Bill. |
| 3 | Articles | – It’s a banana. – This is an apple. – Put the hat on the boy’s head. – I want some milk. – These books are blue. |
| 4 | Pronouns (including demonstrative pronouns, personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, question pronouns, and “one”) | – This is my car. – Can you see me? – Which is Anna? – Yes, please. I’d like one. – This is mine! – Is that yours? |
| 5 | Verbs Present Simple Tense Present Continuous Tense (not indicating future) Can (indicating ability; making requests/permissions) Have (got) (indicating possession) | – I’m coloring it now. – My grandma lives here. – She lives here too. |
| 6 | Adverbs | – I’m coloring it now. – My grandma lives here. – She lives here too. |
| 7 | Conjunctions | I’ve got a pen and a pencil. |
| 8 | Prepositions of Place and Time | – Put the clock next to the picture. – We go to school in the morning. |
| 9 | Interrogative Words | – Who is that man? – Where is Alex? |
| 10 | The pronoun “you” | How do you spell that? |
| 11 | Have + something + to V | Lucy has a book to read. |
| 12 | Gerund | Swimming is good. |
| 13 | Let’s + V | Let’s go to the zoo! |
| 14 | Like + Ving | I like swimming. |
| 15 | There is/ There are | – There is a monkey in the tree. – There are some books on the table. |
| 16 | Would like + N/ to V | – I would like some grapes. – Would you like to color that ball? |
| 17 | Happy Birthday! | You’re eight today! Happy Birthday! |
| 18 | Here you are | A: Would you like an apple? B: Yes, please. A: Here you are. |
| 19 | Me too | A: I like football. B: Me too. |
| 20 | So do I | A: I love hippos. B: So do I. |
| 21 | a story about + Ving | – This is a story about playing football. |
| 22 | What (a/an) + adj + N | – What a good dog! – What beautiful fish! |
| 23 | What now? | A: Put the egg in the box. B: OK! The egg is in the box. What now? |
2. 200+ Starters practice tests online
The FLYER Virtual English Testing Platform currently offers over 600 Cambridge exam preparation sets for various levels, including Starters, Movers, Flyers, covering all sections of Listening, Reading & Writing, and Speaking. This provides children with the most authentic and complete exam experience.
- These exams have been carefully compiled to match the format (up to 90%) following Cambridge’s latest standards.
- The automatic scoring system and answer key will help students review and study effectively at home.
- Interactive exercises and game simulations stimulate children’s brain activity and interest in learning.
- It offers various fun learning features such as challenges with friends, short practice exercises, and vocabulary reviews.
Moreover, a helpful feature for parents is the Learning Report, which makes it easy to track the progress of their children’s studies. The system automatically stores all test results and uses them to provide feedback on the student’s current proficiency level, strengths, and areas that require improvement.
More significantly, parents who use FLYER’s virtual testing platform can save up to 80% on their kids’ exam preparation expenses!
Conclusion
This is a list of common grammar structures encountered in the Starters Cambridge exam, along with some sample materials to assist teachers, parents, and children in preparing for the exam effectively. We hope this information proves beneficial throughout the preparation process!
