Free TKT: YL Exam Flashcards

They learn language in chunks - fixed multi-word units memorized and used as a whole, before the underlying grammar is analyzed or understood.

Creative language use - young learners recombine known words and chunks to produce original utterances rather than only repeating memorized phrases.

Reviewing learning - reflecting on a completed task or lesson to consolidate what was learned and identify remaining gaps.

Developing hypotheses - the learner guesses at an underlying language rule from noticing patterns in the input.

Skimming - reading quickly for the general gist or topic, as opposed to scanning, which searches for one specific piece of information.

Skimming reads for overall gist or topic; scanning reads to locate one specific detail (such as a name or number) without reading the whole text.

Attracting attention - a strategy young learners use to signal they want to communicate before making their actual request or comment.

Expressing an opinion states a view or preference (e.g., "I like cats"); expressing an intention states a planned future action (e.g., "I'm going to draw a cat").

Differentiation - the heading that records how the lesson provides support and challenge at different levels for different learners.

A personal teaching aim is the teacher's own professional development goal (e.g., give clearer instructions); learning outcomes describe what the learners themselves will be able to do by the end of the lesson.

Interaction patterns - the heading that specifies groupings such as plenary, group, pair, and solo work at each stage of the lesson.

Possible problems and solutions - the heading that anticipates likely learner difficulties and states how the teacher will address them.

Assessment evidence - the heading that states what evidence (e.g., a completed worksheet or correct answers in a game) will show that learning happened.

Simplifying language - reworking the wording of instructions or text so the difficulty matches learners' current level, without changing the task's purpose.

It supplies the useful vocabulary they need up front, so they can focus on the grammar or task itself rather than searching for words they don't know.

Omitting unnecessary detail - cutting content that is not required for the task, so learners focus only on what's relevant.

Personalising content - relating the material to learners' own lives and interests to increase engagement and comprehension.

Puppets can model dialogue and take on a "character" role, which lowers young learners' anxiety about speaking because the puppet, not the child directly, appears to make mistakes.

Realia are real objects (e.g., real fruit or real coins) brought into the classroom as teaching aids; they make abstract vocabulary concrete and memorable for young learners.

Action rhymes link physical movement to language meaning, helping learners internalize new words and structures through total physical response rather than translation.

ICT (e.g., a computer game or interactive whiteboard) adds instant feedback and motivation; video clips (commercial or class-made) add authentic or personalized visual context for language.

Recasting - the teacher reformulates the error correctly within a natural response, without explicitly flagging that an error was made.

Echo correcting repeats the learner's error back with rising intonation to signal something is wrong and prompt self-correction; recasting reformulates the error correctly without flagging it.

Wait time - giving learners a pause before expecting an answer, which allows more (and often weaker) learners time to process the question and formulate a response.

A divergent question has many possible acceptable answers and encourages open thinking (e.g., "What do you think happens next?"); a convergent question has one expected answer and checks recall (e.g., "What color is the cat?").

Prompting - giving the learner a clue so they can retrieve or self-correct the word themselves, rather than the teacher supplying the answer directly.

Prompting gives a clue (like the first sound) so the child retrieves the word themselves; defining has the teacher explain the meaning directly (e.g., "a baby cat" for "kitten").

Demonstrating provides a model so learners see exactly what is expected before attempting the task themselves, reducing confusion about instructions.

Known to unknown - using familiar language as the foundation to introduce and support new, unfamiliar language.

A language frame (sentence starter) - a structured template that supports learners in producing language correctly while still allowing personal content.

It lets learners swap one word or phrase slot in a fixed sentence pattern, giving controlled practice of a structure while varying the vocabulary.

Speech bubbles provide a written model of the target language in context, scaffolding learners before they produce their own version of the dialogue.

A stirrer - an energising activity (often physical, like a quick game) used to raise the class's energy level and re-engage attention.

A settler - a calming activity such as a visualisation task (learners close their eyes and imagine a scene) used to bring energy and focus back down.

An information-gap activity - pupils exchange missing details through genuine communication, since neither has the full picture alone.

A memory game - a practice activity that consolidates known vocabulary by having learners recall and match items after the visual support is removed.

A drill is controlled, repeated practice of a language pattern (often with a substitution table), giving learners accuracy practice before freer, more communicative activities.

A jazz chant uses a strong, repeated rhythm to practise natural stress and intonation patterns of English in a memorable, engaging way.

An attention signal - an agreed routine cue (like a clap pattern) that the class recognizes as a signal to stop and focus on the teacher.

Routines build a sense of security and predictability, which helps young learners feel safe and behave appropriately, since they know what to expect at each stage.

Ignore the minor error - correcting it would interrupt the flow of communication; the priority in a fluency activity is keeping the exchange natural and motivating.

Extension tasks - additional, slightly more challenging activities given to fast finishers so they stay engaged while classmates complete the original task.

Identifying progress - assessment used to compare a learner's performance now against an earlier point in time, showing improvement over time.

Identifying achievement - assessment that checks whether specific learning objectives for a unit or lesson were met.

Diagnosing weaknesses - assessment aimed at pinpointing a specific area of difficulty so it can be addressed with targeted teaching.

This serves the purpose of identifying likes/dislikes - understanding learner preferences helps the teacher plan more motivating and engaging future lessons.

Focus on behaviour - classroom-based assessment can target cooperation and conduct, not only linguistic accuracy or learning strategies.

Assessing language checks grammar and vocabulary accuracy; assessing learning strategies looks at how a child organizes and approaches their own learning, such as using self-correction or reference resources.

Adjusting materials - redesigning or simplifying the confusing worksheet, since the assessment evidence pointed to a materials problem rather than a language gap.

Oral formative feedback is a spoken in-task comment given during an activity; written formative feedback is a note left in the learner's workbook, often reviewed after the task.