A2 Flyers preparation
The Cambridge A2 Flyers Word List — Where to Get It and How to Use It
The most useful thing first: Cambridge's own Flyers word list is free, and you should not have to buy it from anyone. The two links below go straight to the files on Cambridge's site. After that, this page explains what the list looks like, what its 20 topic groups are, the two rules Cambridge states precisely for numbers and names, and a way to work through it in three to four months.
Both files are on cambridgeenglish.org and were confirmed downloadable on 19 September 2026. The first covers Starters, Movers and Flyers; the second is a picture book for younger children who learn words from images.
What the list actually looks like
The Flyers list is a single alphabetical list, each word followed by a grammar label — n for noun, v for verb, adj for adjective, adv for adverb, prep for preposition, conj for conjunction, det for determiner, pron for pronoun, excl for exclamation. It starts like this:
| Word | Grammar label |
|---|---|
| a.m. | (for time) |
| across | prep |
| act | v |
| actor | n |
| actually | adv |
| adventure | n |
| ago | adv |
| agree | v |
| airport | n |
| alone | adj |
| already | adv |
| amazing | adj + excl |
That is a short excerpt from the beginning of the list, shown to illustrate the format. For the list itself, download the official PDF above — we do not republish Cambridge's wordlist here.
The 20 topic groups — the version that is actually useful for learning
The same PDF contains a second arrangement of the vocabulary, grouped by topic into 20 categories. For learning words, the thematic list beats the alphabetical one every time: alphabetical order puts apple next to airport, thematic order puts apple next to banana, and it is the second that sticks. The 20 groups are:
| Animals | Numbers |
| The body and the face | Places & directions |
| Clothes | School |
| Colours | Sports & leisure |
| Family & friends | Time |
| Food & drink | Toys |
| Health | Transport |
| The home | Weather |
| Materials | Work |
| Names | The world around us |
Category names exactly as Cambridge prints them.
Numbers and names at Flyers — the two parts you can actually finish
Most of a word list has no clear finishing line. These two do, and Cambridge states them precisely, so they are worth clearing first:
- Numbers: Flyers candidates are expected to understand and write 101 to 1,000 and ordinals 21st to 31st. For comparison, Starters is 1–20 and Movers is 21–100 plus ordinals 1st–20th.
- Names: Cambridge lists the names a Flyers candidate is expected to recognise and write — Betty, David, Emma, Frank, George, Harry, Helen, Holly, Katy, Michael, Oliver, Richard, Robert, Sarah, Sophia, William. Cambridge’s wording is that candidates are expected to "recognise and write" these names, so make sure your child can hear and spell each one.
Two or three weeks usually covers both, and it removes a real source of dropped marks in Listening and Writing.
Are Starters and Movers words still tested?
Cambridge's PDF does not say so in as many words. Our reading is that they are: in its combined three-level list, many words marked S (first appears at Starters) or M (first appears at Movers) also carry an F marker. So when we teach Flyers we treat the earlier levels as still in scope, and use the F markers only to find what is new at this level and spend the time there first. That is our reading of the document rather than a Cambridge statement — download it and judge for yourself.
A way to work through it in three to four months
- Clear numbers and names first (about two to three weeks). They have a finishing line; done is done.
- One or two topic groups a week. Twenty groups is twenty weeks at one a week, ten weeks at two. Pick whichever group fits what your child is doing at school that week.
- Say every word out loud at least once. Flyers has a Speaking paper; a word your child only recognises on paper will not arrive on the day.
- Every fourth week, test back over earlier groups. What survives the test is what was actually learned.
- Spend the last month on exam format, not new words. By then the gap is in how questions are asked, not in vocabulary.
Not sure which level your child should sit? Starters, Movers or Flyers walks through it. For reading the certificate afterwards, see how YLE shields work. Dates, deadlines and fees are on Cambridge exam dates.
Parents often ask
Where can I download the Cambridge A2 Flyers word list, and does it cost anything?
It is free. Cambridge publishes the Starters, Movers and Flyers wordlists in one PDF that anyone can download, titled Pre A1 Starters, A1 Movers, A2 Flyers wordlists. There is also a free A2 Flyers wordlist picture book for younger children who learn words from pictures. Both links at the top of this page go straight to the files on Cambridge’s own site — there is no need to buy a "complete word list" from anyone else.
How many words are on the Flyers list, and how long does it take to learn?
We could not find a word count printed in that PDF, so treat any exact figure you see elsewhere with suspicion — we do not give one either. A more useful way to plan is by time: the thematic list splits the vocabulary into 20 groups, and at one or two groups a week a child covers the lot in three to four months, learning the words in use rather than by rote.
Are Starters and Movers words still tested at Flyers?
Cambridge’s PDF does not say so in as many words. Our reading is that they are: in its combined three-level list, many words marked S (first appears at Starters) or M (first appears at Movers) also carry an F marker. So the safer way to prepare is to treat the earlier levels as still in scope rather than studying only what is new at Flyers. That is our reading of the document, not a Cambridge statement.
Are there rules about numbers and names at Flyers?
Yes, and they are stated precisely. Numbers: Flyers candidates are expected to understand and write numbers 101–1,000 and ordinals 21st–31st. Names: Cambridge lists the names a Flyers candidate should recognise and write — Betty, David, Emma, Frank, George, Harry, Helen, Holly, Katy, Michael, Oliver, Richard, Robert, Sarah, Sophia, William. These are among the few parts of the syllabus you can finish and know you are done, so they are worth doing first.
Is learning the word list enough on its own?
No, but it is the foundation. Flyers tests Listening, Reading and Writing, and Speaking, and what it really tests is using the words — understanding them, spelling them, saying them. The list makes sure your child never meets a completely unfamiliar word on the day; the rest is exam format and speaking practice. For paper lengths and registration deadlines, see our Cambridge exam dates and fees page.
After the words comes the speaking
PLI's Cambridge YLE classes hold four students at most, so every child is called on many times a lesson — the words on the list get used rather than looked at. Our pass rate from Starters through FCE stands at 100% to date. The free 45-minute trial doubles as an assessment and will tell you exactly how far your child is from Flyers.
Book a Free 45-Minute Trial Lesson
One message on LINE is all it takes — tell us your child's age and goals, and Teacher Matt will reply personally, usually the same day. The free trial doubles as a full level assessment. No lock-in contracts, and places are limited.