English language exams for Young Learners are part of a suite of International English Qualifications and serve as a starting point for further progression to City & Guilds General English exams at a later stage.

Unique Features of City & Guilds Young Learners

The examinations are on demand, with no set exam dates

The exam deploys appealing pictures and pictorial elements to suit children's areas of interest

Conducted under stress-free conditions, at the school and by the teacher

Written and spoken examinations can be taken independently of each other at the candidates' and/or the centre's convenience

The use of monolingual tests is allowed during the tests

Focus is primarily on communicative skills rather than vocabulary range or consciousness of grammar

The exams are very user friendly in terms of examination length (the spoken exam is about 5 minutes, the written exam is about 2 hours long)

Flexibility of the exam preparation process that can be easily and efficiently integrated into everyday classroom activities

The exams ensure a sense of achievement, and thus motivate young learners to achieve further progress

The exams add value to the learning process through achievable targets and objective external assessment

Who are City & Guilds Young Learner exams intended for?

• children between 8 and 14 years of age who desire recognition for their efforts in the English classroom
• teachers of English who want to set realistic and achievable targets for their English classroom as well as to reward their young learners with a feeling of success through an international exam

Available Levels

City & Guilds Young Learners English exams are available at two levels:

Level 1: Basic (broadly comparable to A1 level on the Common European Framework)

Level 2: Elementary (comparable to A2 level on the Common European Framework)

Required language proficiency at Basic or Elementary levels:

Basic:

- Present Simple and Present Continuous

- use of auxiliary verb DO in questions and negations

- the HAVE GOT structure

- the use of teh auxiliary verb CAN for expressing ability and permission

- the plural of nouns

- pronouns

- adverbs of time and place

- definite and indefinite articles

- the use of AND, BUT, BECAUSE

- expressing quantity with SOME, ANY, MUCH and MANY

Elementary:

Requirements at Basic Level plus:

- Past Simple and Past Continuous

- Simple Future tense and the use of GOING TO

- questions and negations

- the past forms of some irregular verbs

- auxiliaries CAN, MUST, COULD, WOULD

- pronouns (relative, reflexive, possessive)

- the use of SO

- adverbs (well, fast, slowly, etc.)

- comparatives and superlatives of adjectives

Topics for the Written examination (2 hours):

Places: home, school, city, favourite places

People: family, friends, teachers, classmates, pen-friends

Special events: holidays, celebrations

Everydays: school-life, sports, hobbies, free time, animals, meals

Fantasy world: fairy tales, legends, robots, sci-fi

Topics for the Spoken examination (5 min. preparation + 5 min. exam)

Home, family, school, everyday activities, leisure time, travelling, holidays, shopping, animals, services, clothes, sci-fi

Assessment:

The examinations are assessed in London, by professional trained markers, who focus on the success of transferring a communicated message.

Milestones of assessment include:

- Range (tenses, modals, articles, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions etc.)

- Purpose Achieved (Reading & Writing)

The candidate has read the text, understood it and responded appropriately, e.g. answered points required in a letter or message; responded to a prompt in an appropriate manner giving correct information, etc.

- Impression

Marks awarded for overall impression of tone, relevance, depth, fluency and appropriacy for each particular level

Support Materials:

Preparatory teaching materials to support teachers in exam specific preparation are donwloadable from here (www.cityandguilds.hu/yesol)

Any course-book covering topics and grammar categories that are highlighted in the Qualification Handbook or listed above can be used (for example, Chatterbox, New English parade, I-Spy, Quest, Splash!, Project, You and Me, Stepping Stones, etc.)