Starters-reading-and-writing

In the Reading and Writing section of the Starters examination, children show their understanding of simple written English through fun and familiar tasks. These include matching words to pictures, completing sentences, filling in gaps with the correct words, and spelling short words. The activities are designed to help young learners build confidence in reading and writing at a basic level, using common vocabulary and grammar structures they’ve practiced in class. This part of the test encourages children to think carefully about what they read and to communicate simple ideas in writing.

The reading and writing examination is 20 minutes long and you have to answer 25 questions. In Part 1, you are given a picture and a statement and you have to put a tick if the statement is correct or a cross if the statement is false. 

If you want to know what words you child should know at this stage go to the following link.

In Part 2, you are presented with a bright and colourful scene with a group of people people interacting in a familiar setting—often a living room, park, or classroom. Below the image, there’s a series of five short sentences describing various elements in the scene. Children must carefully look at the picture and decide whether each sentence accurately describes what’s happening. They then write either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ beside each statement, based on their observations. This tests their ability to understand simple sentences and match information to visual clues.

✅ Tips for Success

• Scan the whole picture before answering.

• Look for specific details like objects, people, colours and positions.

• Double-check each part of the sentence before deciding.

Part 3 is a word building puzzle. In this task, children are shown a picture of an object—like a duck, snake, or balloon—alongside a group of jumbled letters. Their challenge is to look at the image, recognise what it is, and then reorder the letters to spell the correct word. It’s a fun blend of visual recognition and vocabulary recall, perfect for encouraging careful thinking and letter awareness.

✅ Tips for Success

• Look at the picture first: Don’t rush to rearrange letters—make sure you know exactly what the object is.

• Circle key letters: Pick out the starting and ending sounds; these often guide the correct spelling.

• Practice common vocabulary: Words from everyday life—like animals, toys, food, and classroom items—are great for warm-up activities. 

In Part 4 of the Pre A1 Starters Reading and Writing paper, children read a short, simple text—usually a few sentences about a familiar topic like animals, toys, or nature. Alongside the text is a small word box with five or six words. Learners must choose the correct word from the box to complete each gap in the text. This task helps develop vocabulary recognition and reading comprehension, as children need to understand the context of the sentence to choose the right word.

✅ Tips for Success

Read the whole text first: Before filling in any gaps, read the full text to understand the topic. This helps you guess what kind of words are missing.

Use the clues around the gap: The words before and after each blank often give hints about the missing word’s meaning or grammar (e.g. is it a noun, verb, or adjective?).

Cross out words you’ve used: Once you use a word from the box, cross it out. This makes it easier to choose from the words that are left and helps them to avoid repeating an answer.

In Part 5 of the test, children look at a picture and answer five questions about it. The questions focus on what they can see and understand from the picture—such as what people are doing, where things are, or who is in the scene. Each answer should be just one word, and the questions often begin with 'What,' 'Where,' 'Who,' or 'How many.' This part tests a child’s ability to read simple questions, understand visual information, and write short, accurate answers.

✅ Tips for Success

1. Look carefully at the whole picture first Before answering, take time to look at everything in the picture. Notice what people are doing, where they are, and what objects are around them.

2. Read each question slowly Make sure you understand what the question is asking. Look for clues in the picture that match the question words like “What” or “Where.”

3. Write only one word Keep your answers short and simple. If the question asks 'What is the boy pointing at?' just write the object (e.g. 'television'), not a full sentence.

For more information and practice tests click here.

ANSWERS

Part 2

3. yes.  4. no.  5. yes.

Part 3

1. duck.  2. balloon  3. bus.  4. star.

Part 4

1. shell.  2. garden.  3. food.  4. rocks

Part 5

1. watching.  2. girl.  3. hat.  4. cat. 

Click here for more activities and practice at the Cambridge exams website.