GEPT Kids vs Cambridge YLE
GEPT Kids or Cambridge YLE? How They Differ and How to Choose
If you are looking for your primary-school child’s first English exam in Taiwan, you are probably weighing these two: LTTC’s GEPT Kids (小學英檢) and Cambridge Young Learners (劍橋兒童英檢, YLE). Both are carefully designed for primary-school children, neither has a pass or fail, both show results as pictures, and both test listening, speaking, reading and writing. The differences are in levels, topics, fees, and where each one leads. Using LTTC’s GEPT Kids site and Cambridge’s own published information, this page puts the two side by side and helps you decide which suits your child.
What is GEPT Kids?
GEPT Kids (小學英檢) is an English test designed specifically for primary-school children in Taiwan by LTTC (the Language Training and Testing Center), the organisation that runs GEPT. It was first launched at the end of 2015. Its topics come from Taiwanese primary-school children’s daily life and learning, the questions use colourful pictures, and it was designed with reference to Taiwan’s national curriculum, GEPT and the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference). It is a separate test, not one of the GEPT levels.
- No levels. It is a single test, and LTTC says it assesses ability at roughly CEFR A1. The questions use about 600 basic, common words.
- A written test and an oral test. The written test covers listening, reading and writing and takes about 45 minutes. The oral test takes about 10 minutes and is either a one-to-one interview or recorded on a computer with a headset in a language lab. A child can take just one of the two or both, in either order, and both are held on the same day.
- Results as suns. Listening, reading and writing, and speaking each earn 1 to 5 suns: up to 10 on the written test and up to 5 on the oral test. There is no pass standard. Every child who completes the test receives a bilingual Chinese and English certificate, and the back gives a skill-by-skill breakdown for the test taken (18 ability indicators across the four skills in all), so you can see which skills are strong and which need work.
- Not designed specifically for admissions. LTTC itself says GEPT Kids “was not designed specifically for so-called ‘high-stakes’ purposes such as school admission or certification”. Its aim is to encourage children to track their learning and set goals through testing.
- A next step built in. Once a child’s English has improved, the next step is GEPT Elementary, at CEFR A2.
What is Cambridge YLE?
Cambridge Young Learners (YLE) is Cambridge’s English qualification designed for children. It has three levels, Pre A1 Starters, A1 Movers and A2 Flyers, and the first part of each name is its CEFR level. All three levels work the same way: three papers, Listening, Reading and Writing, and Speaking, with Speaking done face to face with an examiner. Each paper earns 1 to 5 shields, up to 15 in all. There is no pass and no fail, and every child who sits the exam receives a certificate.
Cambridge’s guidance is that four or five shields in every paper means a child can start preparing for the next Cambridge English Qualification. After Starters comes Movers, after Movers comes Flyers, and after Flyers comes A2 Key (KET). In Taiwan, YLE sittings are run by several exam centres, including yle.tw, LTTC and the Taipei YMCA. In other words, LTTC, which runs GEPT Kids, is also one of the Cambridge YLE centres.
GEPT Kids vs Cambridge YLE at a glance
| GEPT Kids (小學英檢) | Cambridge YLE (劍橋兒童英檢) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | LTTC, the Language Training and Testing Center (which also runs GEPT) | Cambridge. In Taiwan, sittings are run by exam centres including yle.tw, LTTC and the Taipei YMCA |
| Designed for | Primary-school children in Taiwan, with topics drawn from their daily life and schoolwork | Children. yle.tw suggests Starters from age 7 and Flyers from 9 to 12 and up |
| Levels | No levels: one test | Three: Pre A1 Starters, A1 Movers, A2 Flyers |
| CEFR level | Roughly A1 | Pre A1, A1 and A2, one for each level |
| What is tested | Written test: listening, reading, writing. Oral test: speaking. A child can take just one of the two, in either order | Three papers: Listening, Reading and Writing, Speaking |
| Length | Written about 45 min, oral about 10 min | Paper-based: Starters about 45 min, Movers about 1 hr, Flyers about 1 hr 15 min |
| Speaking | A one-to-one interview, or recorded on a computer with a headset in a language lab (Taitung and Hualien use computer recording) | Face to face with an examiner |
| How results are shown | Suns: 1 to 5 (in half steps) for listening, for reading and writing, and for speaking, plus a skill-by-skill breakdown (18 ability indicators across the four skills) | Shields: 1 to 5 for each of the three papers, up to 15 |
| Pass mark | None: no pass or fail | None: no pass or fail |
| Score conversion | GEPT Kids publishes the table that converts performance into suns | Cambridge’s results information does not publish a score-to-shield table |
| Fee | Written NT$950; oral NT$800 (one-to-one) or NT$650 (computer-recorded) | At yle.tw: Starters NT$2,100, Movers NT$2,200, Flyers NT$2,300 |
| What comes next | GEPT Elementary (CEFR A2) | The next level up; after Flyers, A2 Key (KET) |
GEPT Kids information is from LTTC’s GEPT Kids site; Cambridge YLE information is from Cambridge’s website and yle.tw’s registration page. All checked on 2 October 2026. Exam lengths are for the paper-based exams; Cambridge also runs digital versions of Starters and Movers. Fees are as each organisation currently publishes them.
The chart is clear. But where does your child sit on it?
A chart shows how the two exam systems line up, not where your child is today. PLI’s free 45-minute trial lesson is itself a full level assessment. Afterwards, Teacher Matt tells you which level fits now and which exam to register for. One LINE message books it, and he usually replies the same day.
What the two have in common, and how they really differ
The common ground first, and there is quite a lot of it:
- Both are designed for primary-school children, with topics from children’s everyday lives.
- Neither has a pass or fail, and both show results as pictures: suns for GEPT Kids, shields for Cambridge YLE, 1 to 5 for each part.
- Both test all four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
- Both lead up to CEFR A2: GEPT Kids leads on to GEPT Elementary, and Cambridge Flyers is itself A2, followed by KET.
There are five real differences:
- One test, or three levels. GEPT Kids has no levels and sits at roughly A1. Cambridge YLE has three, from Pre A1 to A2, so a child can move up level by level as they improve. For a child just starting out, Starters (Pre A1) is a step below A1; for a child already past A1, Flyers (A2) is one more challenge.
- Local topics, or an international exam. GEPT Kids blends international and local everyday and school topics, built especially around the daily life and classrooms of Taiwanese primary-school children. Cambridge YLE is Cambridge’s international exam, and it leads on to the Cambridge route of KET, PET and FCE.
- How detailed the feedback is. The back of a GEPT Kids certificate gives a skill-by-skill breakdown for the test taken (18 ability indicators across the four skills in all), and the GEPT Kids site publishes the table for converting performance into suns, so parents can see a lot of detail. A Cambridge YLE certificate shows only how many shields each of the three papers earned, and Cambridge does not publish how scores convert into shields. On this point, GEPT Kids does better.
- Fees and registration. GEPT Kids costs NT$950 for the written test and NT$800 (one-to-one) or NT$650 (computer-recorded) for the oral test, and a child can take just one. Cambridge YLE at yle.tw costs NT$2,100 to NT$2,300 depending on the level. GEPT Kids registration is online only, and you first create an account using your child’s national ID number.
- How speaking is tested. The GEPT Kids oral test may be a one-to-one interview or a computer recording; the Taitung and Hualien venues, for example, use computer recording. Cambridge YLE Speaking is always face to face with an examiner.
Which suits my child?
First, where we stand: PLI prepares children for Cambridge exams (YLE, KET, PET, FCE). But this page is not here to say GEPT Kids is a bad choice. It is a carefully designed test for Taiwanese primary-school children, and for many of them it makes a very good first exam.
GEPT Kids tends to suit a child when
- It is their first exam, and you want them to try one on familiar, Taiwan-based topics.
- You want detailed feedback: 18 ability indicators across the four skills, showing which skill needs work.
- They will follow the GEPT route later. GEPT is widely recognised for school admission and jobs within Taiwan, and GEPT Kids leads straight into its Elementary level.
- You want to keep the cost down, or to start with only the written test or only the oral test.
Cambridge YLE tends to suit a child when
- You want a ladder to climb one level at a time: Starters, Movers, Flyers, then KET, PET and FCE.
- They are still at Pre A1, or already at A2. GEPT Kids has a single level at roughly A1; Cambridge YLE has a level below and a level above it.
- They attend an international school, plan to study abroad, or will sit KET, PET or FCE later. Cambridge exams are widely recognised by international schools and for study overseas.
- You want speaking always tested face to face by a real examiner.
The two tests are run by different organisations with separate registration, so it does not have to be one or the other. If you would like your child to have one more exam experience, taking both is fine; what matters is that exams never become something your child dreads. If you still cannot decide, the most reliable guide is a teacher who knows the exams hearing your child speak English. PLI’s free 45-minute trial lesson is itself a full level assessment.
What comes after each
After GEPT Kids
LTTC says that once a child’s English has improved, the next step is GEPT Elementary, at CEFR A2. GEPT Elementary and Cambridge Flyers and KET are all A2. For how every GEPT level lines up with the Cambridge levels, see Cambridge vs GEPT.
After Cambridge YLE
Follow the ladder up: Starters, Movers, Flyers, then A2 Key (KET). The signal for moving up is Cambridge’s guidance: four or five shields in every paper means a child can start preparing for the next Cambridge English Qualification. For how to read the shields, see what the YLE shields mean; for the full ladder from Starters to C2, see Cambridge exam levels.
The two routes meet at A2
So a child who has taken GEPT Kids can choose between GEPT Elementary and Cambridge Flyers or KET for the next step, depending on their later goals. The other way round, if a child who has taken Cambridge YLE later needs GEPT for school, GEPT Elementary is at the same CEFR level as Flyers.
Exam dates and registration
GEPT Kids
Not every sitting is held in every city. In 2026, for example, the GEPT Kids schedule had sittings in April, August, November and December, at venues including Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Taitung and Hualien, with Hsinchu included only on 29 August. Registration also closes early: for the 22 November sitting, registration ran from 25 May to 21 September. Tests are held at conveniently located schools in city centres. For the latest schedule, go by the registration information on the GEPT Kids site.
Cambridge YLE
Taiwan’s Cambridge exam centres each run their own sittings, with different dates and registration deadlines. At yle.tw, for its 2027 sittings, registration closes about seven to eight weeks before the exam, and yle.tw notes that places at each sitting are limited and registration closes early once they are full. Dates, deadlines and fees for each centre are on our Cambridge exam dates page.
Related pages
- Cambridge YLE courses and how lessons work: Cambridge YLE courses
- How every Cambridge level lines up with GEPT: Cambridge vs GEPT
- Every level from Starters to C2: Cambridge exam levels
- Reading shields, and how many it takes to move up: what the YLE shields mean
- Exam dates, registration deadlines and fees: Cambridge exam dates
Questions parents ask
Is GEPT Kids (小學英檢) worth taking?
Yes, depending on what you want it to do. LTTC itself says GEPT Kids was not designed specifically for “high-stakes” purposes such as school admission or certification. What it offers is a formal test that shows a child where they stand and helps them set learning goals, and the back of the certificate gives a skill-by-skill breakdown for the test taken (18 ability indicators across the four skills in all), so you can see which skill needs work. If that is what you want, it is well worth it. If you want your child to move up level by level, or to go on to Cambridge KET, PET and FCE later, the three levels of Cambridge YLE are a better fit.
Which is better, GEPT Kids or Cambridge YLE?
Neither is better. Both are designed for primary-school children, neither has a pass or fail, and both test listening, speaking, reading and writing. GEPT Kids is a single test at roughly CEFR A1, with topics close to Taiwanese children’s daily life, a lower fee, and GEPT Elementary as the next step. Cambridge YLE has three levels, Starters, Movers and Flyers, running from Pre A1 to A2, and leads on to Cambridge KET, PET and FCE. If your child will follow the GEPT route later, GEPT Kids leads straight into it. If you want a level-by-level ladder, or Cambridge exams later on, choose Cambridge YLE.
Does GEPT Kids have levels? What level is it?
No levels: it is a single test. LTTC says GEPT Kids assesses ability at roughly CEFR A1, and the questions use about 600 basic, common words. Cambridge YLE has three levels: Starters is Pre A1, Movers is A1 and Flyers is A2.
How do the GEPT Kids suns work? How many is good?
Listening, reading and writing, and speaking are each converted into 1 to 5 suns, in half steps; the better the performance, the more suns. The written test (listening plus reading and writing) gives up to 10, the oral test up to 5. The GEPT Kids site describes 8 to 10 on the written test or 4 to 5 on the oral test as “excellent”, 6 to 7 written or 3 oral as “good”, and 2 to 5 written or 1 to 2 oral as “keep going, you will do even better next time”. There is no pass mark. Cambridge YLE shields also run from 1 to 5 per paper, but suns and shields are each test’s own way of scoring, so do not compare one with the other.
Where can I find GEPT Kids past papers and sample questions?
The most reliable source is the official one. The “test content” page on the GEPT Kids site has sample questions of several types, with audio for the listening items, and the site also has the reference word list and a handbook for parents and teachers to download. Official practice tests and study materials are sold in LTTC’s online shop. If you are also considering Cambridge YLE, Cambridge offers free sample papers on its website, and the word lists for all three levels are free from Cambridge too; how to use them is on our Flyers word list page.
What comes after GEPT Kids?
LTTC says that once a child’s English has improved, the next step is GEPT Elementary, at CEFR A2. GEPT Elementary and Cambridge Flyers and KET are all A2, so the next step can also follow your child’s later goals: for the GEPT route, prepare for Elementary; for the Cambridge ladder, Flyers and KET sit at the same level.
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