Cambridge Movers: Transport, Directions and Telling the Time -- Vocabulary and Exercises

Transport, directions and time are core vocabulary areas for Cambridge YLE Movers. Children need to describe how they travel, follow directions on a map, and tell the time correctly. These skills are tested in the Listening, Reading and Writing, and Speaking sections of the exam. This guide covers all the vocabulary, grammar and exercises your child needs.

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Why This Topic Matters in Movers

Transport and time vocabulary appears throughout the Movers exam:

• Listening Part 2 (write missing information -- dates, times)
• Listening Part 4 (true/false about journeys)
• Reading and Writing Part 2 (cloze stories about trips)
• Reading and Writing Part 4 (true/false texts about travel)
• Speaking Part 1 (Spot the Difference -- describing how characters travel)

Directions are especially useful for the Speaking and Listening sections where children must understand or describe locations and routes.

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Part 1: Transport Vocabulary

Learn the word, how you travel using it, and a sample sentence.

Important note: When describing how you travel, use "by" + transport word. The one exception is "on foot" -- never say "by foot."

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Part 2: Directions Vocabulary

These direction words are essential for map-reading tasks in Movers.

Practice tip: Draw a simple map of your street or neighbourhood. Practice giving directions from your house to a nearby shop or park using these words.

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Part 3: Time Vocabulary

Telling the time is one of the most commonly tested areas in Movers Listening Part 2. Children must be able to read and write the time in words.

How to Read Clocks

The rule for "to" and "past":

• Minutes 1 to 30: use "past" (e.g., 20 past 3)
• Minutes 31 to 59: use "to" (count up to the next hour, e.g., 20 to 4)

Time of Day Vocabulary

Days of the Week

Monday -- Tuesday -- Wednesday -- Thursday -- Friday -- Saturday -- Sunday

Memory tip: Weekdays are Monday to Friday. The weekend is Saturday and Sunday.

Months of the Year

January -- February -- March -- April -- May -- June -- July -- August -- September -- October -- November -- December

In Movers Listening Part 2, children often need to write a date. Practice writing dates like: "the 3rd of May" or "the 12th of April."

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Part 4: Grammar -- Prepositions of Time

In Movers, children make many mistakes with "in," "on," and "at" before time words. Learn these rules.

Quick check:

• "The match is ___ Monday." (Answer: on Monday)
• "She arrives ___ 4 o'clock." (Answer: at 4 o'clock)
• "We go to the beach ___ the summer." (Answer: in the summer)

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Exercise 1: Vocabulary Match (Movers Reading Part 1 Style)

Match each definition to the correct word. Write the letter.

Definitions:

A large vehicle that travels on tracks and carries many people. ___

This aircraft has spinning blades on top and can land in small spaces. ___

A vehicle that travels on water and carries cars and passengers. ___

When you travel this way, you do not use any transport at all. ___

A word that means the underground train in a city. ___

A vehicle two people can ride, and it does not need petrol. ___

Words: A. helicopter B. on foot C. ferry D. bicycle E. metro F. train

Answers: 1-F, 2-A, 3-C, 4-B, 5-E, 6-D

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Exercise 2: Cloze Text -- A Journey Story (Movers Reading Part 2 Style)

Read the story. Choose the best word for each gap.

The School Trip

Last Friday, Class 3 went on a school trip to the city museum. They left school (1) ___ 8 o'clock in the morning. First, they walked to the bus stop (2) ___ foot. Then they (3) ___ the bus to the train station. The train journey took (4) ___ 30 minutes. They arrived at the museum (5) ___ half past nine. In the afternoon, they went back (6) ___ the school bus.

A) in    B) at    C) on

A) by    B) on    C) in

A) rode    B) took    C) driven

A) about    B) in    C) at

A) in    B) on    C) at

A) by    B) with    C) on

Answers: 1-B, 2-B, 3-B, 4-A, 5-C, 6-A

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Exercise 3: Map and Directions

Read the directions and answer the questions. Use the map described below.

The map: Imagine a grid with these buildings:

• Start at the train station on South Street.
• Walk straight on along South Street.
• Turn right into Park Road.
• The library is on the left, next to the park.
• The hospital is at the end of Park Road, on the corner.
• The supermarket is opposite the hospital.
• The school is behind the supermarket.

Now answer these questions:

You are at the train station. You walk along South Street and turn right. What is on your left? ___

Which building is at the end of Park Road? ___

Where is the supermarket? ___

Where is the school? ___

Answers:

The library (and the park)

The hospital

Opposite the hospital

Behind the supermarket

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Exercise 4: True or False -- A Journey Text

Read the story. Write True or False for each sentence.

Sam's Journey to Grandma's House

Every Saturday, Sam visits his grandma. He leaves home at quarter past nine in the morning. First, he walks to the bus stop -- it takes about five minutes on foot. He takes the number 7 bus to the town centre. The bus journey takes twenty minutes. Then he meets his mum at the train station. They travel by train for half an hour. They arrive at Grandma's house at quarter to eleven.

Sam visits his grandma on Fridays. ___

Sam leaves home at 9:15. ___

He travels to the bus stop by bicycle. ___

He takes bus number 7. ___

The train journey is 30 minutes. ___

Sam and his mum arrive at 10:45. ___

Answers: 1-False, 2-True, 3-False, 4-True, 5-True, 6-True

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Speaking Practice: Spot the Difference

In Movers Speaking Part 1, children describe differences between two pictures. Here is a transport-themed practice pair:

Picture A: A boy is going to school by bus. It is raining. The bus stop is in front of the school. The time on the clock is half past eight.

Picture B: A boy is going to school by bicycle. It is sunny. The bus stop is next to the park. The time on the clock is quarter to nine.

How to describe the differences:

• "In picture A, the boy goes to school by bus. In picture B, he goes by bicycle."
• "In picture A, it is raining. In picture B, it is sunny."
• "In picture A, the bus stop is in front of the school. In picture B, it is next to the park."
• "In picture A, the time is half past eight. In picture B, it is quarter to nine."

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App and Game Activities

Map Navigation Game

In the CubLearn app, the "Map Navigation" game shows a simple town map. The app gives spoken directions ("Turn left at the park, then go straight on") and the child taps where they end up. This directly practises the Movers Listening skill of following spoken directions.

How to use it: Start with the easy level (3 steps) and work up to the hard level (6 steps). Play 3 rounds per session.

Clock Reading Quiz

The app shows a clock face and asks the child to choose the correct written time from three options. Clocks include o'clock, half past, quarter to, and quarter past. A harder version asks the child to type the time in words.

How to use it: Practice at least 5 clock questions before any Movers exam session.

Voice Recording -- "I Go to School by..."

The app prompts children to record themselves answering:

• "I go to school by ___."
• "My mum takes me to school by ___."
• "It takes about ___ minutes."

This builds fluency for Movers Speaking Part 4.

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Home Games and Activities

Direction Hunt Around the House

One parent gives spoken directions to a hidden object: "Go out of the living room. Turn right. Walk straight on to the kitchen. The surprise is behind the fridge." Children follow directions to find it.

To make it harder: children give the directions back to the parent using a map they draw themselves.

Clock Challenge

Set an alarm for a random time. When it rings, the child must say the time in a full sentence: "It is twenty past three." For extra challenge, write the time on a piece of paper too.

Alternatively, the parent draws clock faces and the child writes the time below each one in words.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: "go by foot" instead of "go on foot"

• Wrong: "She goes to school by foot."
• Correct: "She goes to school on foot." (the only exception to the "by" rule)

Mistake 2: Wrong preposition with days

• Wrong: "The trip is in Monday."
• Correct: "The trip is on Monday." (always "on" for days)

Mistake 3: Wrong preposition with clock times

• Wrong: "He arrives on 3 o'clock."
• Correct: "He arrives at 3 o'clock." (always "at" for times)

Mistake 4: Clock reading errors

• Wrong: "It is 45 past 3."
• Correct: "It is quarter to 4." (for :45, always use "quarter to" the next hour)

Mistake 5: "underground" vs "metro"

Both words are correct. In Cambridge YLE exams set in the UK, "underground" is more common. However, children who live in cities with a metro system may use "metro" -- both are accepted.

Mistake 6: Saying times as numbers only

• Wrong: "The train leaves at eight-thirty."
• Correct: "The train leaves at half past eight." (Cambridge exams expect clock-reading vocabulary)

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Quick Reference Checklist

Before the exam, make sure your child can:

• Name all 11 transport words and use them in sentences with "by"
• Remember "on foot" (not "by foot")
• Use "turn left/right," "straight on," "next to," "opposite," and "between" correctly
• Tell the time using o'clock, half past, quarter past, and quarter to
• Use "at" with times, "on" with days, and "in" with months/parts of the day
• Write dates in words (e.g., "the 12th of April")
• Name all 7 days of the week and 12 months in order
• Describe a journey using at least 3 sentences

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Summary

Transport, directions and time vocabulary covers a large part of the Movers exam. The good news is that these are very practical skills -- children use them every day when they travel to school, look at clocks, and move around their neighbourhood. By practising the exercises and games in this guide, your child will build the confidence to handle these topics in every section of the Cambridge Movers exam.

Make telling the time part of daily life -- ask "What time is it?" and expect a full sentence answer. That small habit builds a big skill.