Cambridge YLE Speaking Diagnostic
Candidate Visual Booklet • Sheet 1
Starters Scene & Movers Spot-the-Difference
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S Task 1: The School Playground Part 1 & 2 Visual Stimulus
☀️ ☁️ Sunny Morning
🏫
Sunshine School
10:00
👩🏫
Ms. Lee
🌳 👦📖
Leo Under the shade
🏃♂️ ⚽
Sam On the field
👧🥪 🪑
Mia On the bench
🧺 🧃
Picnic Table
🐶💤
Buster On the grass
🎒 🪑
Blue Backpack
Small Object Cards Point or place upon examiner instruction
🍎Apple
✏️Pencil
🐱Cat
⏰Clock
🍌Banana
🧢Cap
M Task 2: Find the Differences Look and compare Picture A & Picture B
Picture A
☀️ 🏫 🕙 🌳 🐦🐦
🏃♂️⚽
Blue
👧🥪
Bench
🪑🎒
On Seat
Picture B
🌧️ 🏫 🕚 🌳 🐦🐦🐦
🏃♂️⚽
Red
👧🍦
Bench
🪑
🎒
Under
Cambridge YLE Speaking Diagnostic • Candidate Booklet Page 1 of 5
Candidate Visual Booklet • Sheet 2
Picture Story, Odd-One-Out & Information Exchange
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M Task 3: Story: "The Park Picnic" Look at Picture 1. Tell the story.
1 🏠
👧👦🥪🧺
Tom & Emma
Scene 1
2 🌳☀️
🧺🌳🥏
At the park
Scene 2
3 🐕❗
🏃♂️🥏🐕
Frisbee
Scene 3
4 😊❤️
👧👦🐕✨
Playing
Scene 4
M Task 4: Odd-One-Out (Which picture is different? Why?) Tell the examiner which one does not belong
Set 1:
🍋Lemon
🍍Pineapple
📖Book
🍊Orange
Set 2:
🏊♂️Swimming
🧼Washing hands
🛏️Sleeping
🛁Bathing
F Task 5: Information Exchange (School Trips) Answer about Robert • Ask about Helen
Robert's School Trip Answer Teacher
<table class="w-full text-[8px] text-left"><tbody><tr class="border-b border-slate-100"><td class="py-0.5 text-slate-500">Destination:</td><td class="font-bold text-slate-800">Science Museum</td></tr><tr class="border-b border-slate-100"><td class="py-0.5 text-slate-500">Transport:</td><td class="font-bold text-slate-800">Train</td></tr><tr class="border-b border-slate-100"><td class="py-0.5 text-slate-500">Departure time:</td><td class="font-bold text-slate-800">08:45 AM</td></tr><tr class="border-b border-slate-100"><td class="py-0.5 text-slate-500">Lunch:</td><td class="font-bold text-slate-800">Sandwiches & apples</td></tr><tr><td class="py-0.5 text-slate-500">Saw:</td><td class="font-bold text-slate-800">Dinosaur bones</td></tr></tbody></table>
Helen's School Trip You Ask Questions ?
• Where / go?
• How / travel?
• What time / leave?
• What / eat?
• What / see?
Cambridge YLE Speaking Diagnostic • Candidate Booklet Page 2 of 5
Assessor Guide • Part A
Examiner Script: Starters (Pre-A1) & Movers (A1)
Sequential Administration: Questions 1 to 26
Candidate:
Age / Grade:
Native Language:
Date / Examiner:
S Starters Battery: Questions 1 to 20 (Pre-A1 Survival to Early A1) Sheet 1 Visuals
1. Warm-up & Identity
Q1: "Hello! What is your name?" | Q2: "How old are you?"
Q3: "How are you today?" | Q4: "What grade / school are you in?"
2. Scene Pointing (Show Sheet 1)
Q5: "Look at this picture. Where is the big tree?"
Q6: "Where is the soccer ball?" | Q7: "Where is the teacher?"
Q8: "Where is the dog?" | Q9: "Where is the school clock?"
3. Preposition Placement Tasks (Natural Prepositions)
Q10: "Look at these small cards. Which is the pencil? Put the pencil on the picnic table."
Q11: "Which is the cat? Put the cat under the big tree."
Q12: "Which is the apple? Put the apple next to the blue backpack."
Q13: "Which is the banana? Put the banana next to Mia."
4. Scene Actions (Present Continuous) & Object Qs
Q14: "What is Leo doing under the tree?" (Target: Reading a book)
Q15: "What is Sam doing with the ball?" (Target: Running / Kicking ball)
Q16: "What is Mia doing on the bench?" (Target: Eating a sandwich)
Q17: "What color is Sam's shirt?" | Q18: "How many birds can you see?"
Q19: (Point to Apple) "Do you like apples? What fruit do you like?"
Q20: (Point to Cat) "Do you have a pet at home? What animal do you like?"
Starters Diagnostic Check: Name & age formula Receptive: tree, ball, clock Prep: ON the table Prep: UNDER the tree Prep: NEXT TO bag Pres. Cont: is reading Pres. Cont: is kicking Pres. Cont: is eating Numbers (1-5) & Colors
Starters Score: ___ / 12
M Movers Battery: Questions 21 to 26 (A1 Differences) Sheet 1 Visuals
5. Spot-the-Difference Questions (Sheet 1)
Script: "Look at Picture A and Picture B. In my Picture A it is sunny, but in Picture B it is rainy. What other things are different?"
Q21 (Weather): "Look at the sky in Picture B. What is the weather like?"
Q22 (Clothes): "Look at Sam. What color is his shirt in Picture A and Picture B?"
Q23 (Food): "Look at Mia on the bench. What is she eating in Picture A vs. B?"
Q24 (Clock): "Look at the school clock. What time is it in Picture A and Picture B?"
Q25 (Birds): "How many birds are in the tree in Picture A? How many in Picture B?"
Q26 (Preposition): "Look at the backpack. Where is it in Picture A? Where is it in Picture B?"
Movers Differences Check: Uses "but" to contrast Difference 1: Weather Difference 2: Shirt color Difference 3: Food (sandwich/ice cream) Difference 4: Clock time (10 vs 11) Difference 5: Bag on vs under
Cambridge YLE Speaking Diagnostic • Examiner Administration Manual Page 3 of 5
Assessor Guide • Part B
Examiner Script: Movers Story & Flyers (A2)
Advanced Administration: Questions 27 to 49
M Movers Story & Odd-One-Out Battery: Questions 27 to 32 Sheet 2 Visuals
6. Picture Story "The Park Picnic" (Sheet 2)
Script: "Look at Picture 1. Tom and Emma are at home. They are packing sandwiches and a yellow frisbee into a basket. Now you tell the story from Picture 2, 3, and 4."
Q27 (Frame 2): "Where are Tom and Emma now? What are they sitting on?"
Q28 (Frame 2): "What are they doing with their picnic food?"
Q29 (Frame 3): "What does Tom throw? What is the dog doing?"
Q30 (Frame 4): "Look at the children's faces. How do they feel? What are they doing with the dog?"
7. Odd-One-Out Category Prompts (Sheet 2)
Q31 (Set 1): "Look at Set 1 (Lemon, Pineapple, Book, Orange). Which picture is different? Why?" (Target: Book is different because it is not fruit / you read it)
Q32 (Set 2): "Look at Set 2 (Swimming, Washing, Sleeping, Bathing). Which is different? Why?" (Target: Sleeping is different because you don't use water / you are in bed)
Movers Story Check: Connectors (first, then, next) Identifies dog catching frisbee Explains emotion: happy / smiling Odd-One-Out 1 + 'because' Odd-One-Out 2 + 'because'
Movers Score: ___ / 14
F Flyers Battery: Questions 33 to 49 (A2 Questions, Past Recount & Future) Sheet 2 Visuals & Interview
8. Information Exchange (Sheet 2)
Teacher asks Candidate about Robert's Trip:
Q33: "Where did Robert go on his school trip?" (Ans: Science Museum)
Q34: "How did he travel there?" (Ans: By train) | Q35: "What time did he leave?" (08:45)
Q36: "What did he eat?" (Sandwiches & apples) | Q37: "What did he see?" (Dinosaur bones)
Candidate asks Teacher about Helen's Trip (Examiner answers):
Q38–42 Expected: "Where did Helen go?" (Castle) | "How did she travel?" (Coach) | "What time did she leave?" (09:15) | "What did she eat?" (Pasta) | "What did she see?" (Old swords)
9. Extended Personal Interview (Past, Future & Reasons)
Q43 (Past Simple): "What did you do yesterday after school?"
Q44 (Past Simple): "What did you eat for dinner yesterday evening?"
Q45 (Past Simple): "Who did you play with or talk to yesterday?"
Q46 (Future Plans): "What are you going to do this weekend?"
Q47 (Hypothetical): "If it rains this Saturday, what will you do instead?"
Q48 (Reasoned Opinion): "What school subject do you like best? Why do you like it?"
Q49 (Narrative Recount): "Tell me about a memorable trip or holiday you took with your family."
Flyers Diagnostic Check: Answers past questions (went, ate) Question: "Where did she go?" Question: "What time did...?" Question: "How did she travel?" Spontaneous past: yesterday recount Future: going to / will Justifies opinion with 'because'
Flyers Score: ___ / 14
Cambridge YLE Speaking Diagnostic • Examiner Administration Manual Page 4 of 5
Assessment Synthesis & Learning Prescription
Cambridge YLE Diagnostic Profile & Learning Roadmap
Diagnosed Level
Pre-A1 | A1 | A2
Starters Tier (Pre-A1)
___ / 12
Nouns & Prepositions
Movers Tier (A1)
___ / 14
Differences & Story
Flyers Tier (A2)
___ / 14
Questions & Recount
Composite Index
___ / 40
Total Speaking Score
1. Tense Knowledge & Grammatical Mastery Matrix Granular Tense Breakdown
| Tense / Structure | Cambridge Level | Diagnostic Descriptors & Observed Evidence | Mastery |
|---|
| Prepositions of Place | Starters (Pre-A1) | Accurately follows in, on, under, next to during object placement. | 0 1 2 3 |
| Present Continuous | Starters (Pre-A1/A1) | Produces is/are + verb-ing ("He is reading", "She is eating"). Checks auxiliary omission. | 0 1 2 3 |
| Contrastive Clauses ("but") | Movers (A1) | Contrasts differences: "In Picture A it is sunny, but in Picture B it is rainy." | 0 1 2 3 |
| Narrative Sequencing | Movers (A1) | Connects 4-frame story with first, then, next, suddenly, finally. | 0 1 2 3 |
| Causal Clauses ("because") | Movers (A1) | Justifies Odd-One-Out: "The book is different because you read it, not eat it." | 0 1 2 3 |
| WH-Question Formation | Flyers (A2) | Forms question frames: "Where did she go?", "What time did she leave?" | 0 1 2 3 |
| Simple Past Recount | Flyers (A2) | Distinguishes finished past: regular -ed (played) and irregulars (went, ate, saw). | 0 1 2 3 |
| Future Intentions | Flyers (A2) | Uses be going to or will for weekend plans: "I am going to play soccer." | 0 1 2 3 |
Observed Lexical Tiers
• Starters: Survival concrete nouns & colors: Mastered | Target
• Movers: Action verbs, feelings, food: Mastered | Target
• Flyers: Time, travel, school subjects: Mastered | Target
Observed Vocabulary Gaps:
Assessed Cambridge Placement
Pre-A1 Starters 0–12 Points
A1 Movers 13–26 Points
A2 Flyers 27–40 Points
Primary Communication Priority:
Prescriptive Instructional Roadmap (What to work on going forward) Teacher Action Plan
Tense & Grammar Target
Anchor sentence frames & repetitive drills.
Lexical & Phrasal Target
Total Physical Response (TPR) + realia cards.
Speaking Interaction Target
Information-gap paired communication.
Assessor Diagnostic Narrative & Individual Strengths:
Assessor Verification
Next Review Date: ____ / ____ / 2026
Cambridge YLE Diagnostic Speaking Suite • Pre-A1 Starters → A1 Movers → A2 Flyers Integrated Profile Page 5 of 5 • Diagnostic Report & Roadmap
