Cambridge Movers: Weather, Materials and Jobs -- Vocabulary and Exam Exercises

Cambridge YLE Movers tests children at A1 level, typically ages 7 to 10. Three of the most frequently tested topic areas are weather, materials and jobs. This post covers all the key vocabulary, grammar patterns and exam-style exercises your child needs to feel confident on test day.

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Part 1: Weather Vocabulary

The weather section comes up in Movers Listening and Reading tasks. Children need to name weather conditions, describe them in sentences and understand them in short dialogues.

Weather Word Table

Grammar Note: Describing Weather

Use "It is + adjective" for most weather:

• "It is sunny." / "It is cold." / "It is foggy."

For rain, wind and snow you can also use "It is + verb-ing":

• "It is raining." / "It is snowing." / "It is windy." (windy is already an adjective)

Common mistake to avoid: Do NOT say "It is rain." Say "It is raining" or "It is rainy."

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Part 2: Seasons and Weather Associations

Children at Movers level should connect seasons to typical weather. This comes up in both Reading and Speaking tasks.

Practice sentence: "In winter it is cold and snowy. I wear a coat and boots."

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Part 3: Materials Vocabulary

The "made of" structure appears regularly in Movers Reading Part 1 (definitions) and in describing objects.

Materials Table

Grammar: Made of

Structure: "It is made of + material."

Examples:

• "My chair is made of wood."
• "This bottle is made of plastic."
• "Her jumper is made of wool."
• "The window is made of glass."

Common mistake: Do NOT say "made by wood." The correct phrase is "made of wood." ("Made by" is used for the person who made it -- "This cake was made by my mum.")

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Part 4: Jobs Vocabulary

Jobs vocabulary appears in Movers Listening dialogues, Reading cloze texts and Speaking descriptions. Children need to name jobs and say what those people do.

Jobs Word List

Grammar: Talking About Jobs

Two main structures:

"She/He is a + job." -- "He is a doctor." / "She is a pilot."

"She/He works as a + job." -- "She works as a nurse." / "He works as a chef."

You can add where they work: "She is a teacher. She works in a primary school."

Common mistake: Do NOT say "she work" or "she works as doctor." Say "she works as a doctor" (include the article "a").

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

Draw a line to match each word to its definition.

foggy

wool

vet

stormy

leather

journalist

A. A person who writes news stories. B. You cannot see far because of thick cloud near the ground. C. A soft material that comes from sheep. Used for jumpers and scarves. D. A person who helps sick animals. E. There is strong wind and heavy rain. Sometimes there is thunder. F. A material made from animal skin. Used for shoes and bags.

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

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Exercise 2: Cloze Text -- Careers Day at School (A/B/C)

Read the story. Choose the best word (A, B or C) for each space.

Last Friday our school had a Careers Day. Many people came to (1) ___ us about their jobs. First, a firefighter (2) ___ us about putting out fires. He (3) ___ a big red helmet and a heavy jacket. Then a scientist talked about her lab. She said her job is (4) ___ experiments every day. After that, a pilot explained that she flies (5) ___ to many countries. We all thought her job sounded exciting. At the end, we (6) ___ to a journalist. He told us he (7) ___ for a big newspaper. He said the most important thing is to (8) ___ the truth.

A) tell B) told C) telling

A) talk B) talked C) talking

A) wear B) wore C) wears

A) doing B) does C) to do

A) aeroplanes B) trains C) buses

A) listen B) listened C) listening

A) work B) works C) working

A) write B) wrote C) writing

Answers: 1-A, 2-B, 3-B, 4-C, 5-A, 6-B, 7-B, 8-A

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Exercise 3: True or False -- A Rainy Weekend (Movers Reading Part 4 Style)

Read the passage. Write True or False.

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Last Saturday was a very rainy day. Tom and his sister Lily stayed at home all morning. Their mum made hot chocolate for them because it was cold. In the afternoon the rain stopped, but it was still cloudy and windy. Their dad said they could go to the park. Tom wore his rubber boots because the ground was wet. Lily wore her cotton coat. They played for one hour before it started raining again. When they came home, their clothes were wet. Their mum laughed and gave them dry towels made of cotton. Tom said he loved rainy days because he could wear his favourite boots.

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It was sunny last Saturday. ___

Tom and Lily stayed at home in the morning. ___

Their dad made hot chocolate. ___

The rain stopped in the afternoon. ___

Tom wore leather boots. ___

They played in the park for one hour. ___

Tom likes rainy days. ___

Answers: 1-False, 2-True, 3-False (their mum made it), 4-True, 5-False (rubber boots), 6-True, 7-True

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Exercise 4: Write 3 Sentences About Jobs (Movers Writing Part 6 Style)

Look at the prompts. Write one sentence for each.

(doctor / hospital / help sick people)

(farmer / farm / grow vegetables)

(pilot / aeroplane / fly to different countries)

Model answers:

A doctor works in a hospital and helps sick people.

A farmer works on a farm and grows vegetables.

A pilot flies an aeroplane to different countries.

Now write your own sentences about: teacher, artist, chef.

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Speaking Activity: Spot the Difference -- Summer vs Winter Scene

This activity mirrors the Movers Speaking Part 2 task.

Picture A (Summer scene):

• A child is wearing a cotton T-shirt and shorts.
• The sky is sunny and blue.
• A man is eating ice cream on a bench.
• A girl is swimming in a pool.
• Trees have green leaves.

Picture B (Winter scene):

• A child is wearing a wool jumper and boots.
• The sky is cloudy and grey.
• A man is drinking hot tea on a bench.
• A girl is making a snowman.
• Trees have no leaves.

Practice saying: "In Picture A the child is wearing a cotton T-shirt, but in Picture B the child is wearing a wool jumper."

Try to find and describe all 5 differences.

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Apps and Games for Kids

"Weather Reporter" Game

Pretend to be a TV weather reporter. Each morning, look out of the window and describe the weather out loud:

"Good morning! Today it is [sunny/rainy/cloudy]. The temperature is [hot/warm/cool/cold]. You should wear [a T-shirt / a coat / boots]."

Record yourself on a phone or tablet. Listen back and check your pronunciation. You can also draw a simple weather map and point to it while you talk -- just like a real reporter!

"Job Guessing Quiz"

One player describes a job without saying the word. The other player guesses.

Example clues: "This person works in a kitchen. They cook food. You can find them in a restaurant." Answer: chef / cook

Take turns describing jobs from the vocabulary list. Award one point for each correct guess. First to 10 points wins.

"What Is It Made Of?" Image Quiz

Open a magazine or find images online. Point to an object and ask: "What is this made of?"

The other player must answer with a full sentence: "It is made of [material]."

You can also play with real objects around the house -- pick up a cup, a shoe, a book and ask the question. This is great for fast revision before the exam.

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Home Practice Games

Weather Journal (Draw and Describe)

Keep a weekly weather journal. Each day, draw a small picture of the weather and write one or two sentences underneath.

Example entry: "Monday -- It is rainy. I wore my rubber boots to school."

By the end of a week you will have practised 7 different weather descriptions.

Career Dress-Up Game

Collect or draw pictures of uniforms and tools for different jobs (stethoscope, paintbrush, fire hose, etc.). Put all the pictures face down. Take turns picking one and acting out the job -- no words! The others guess the job and say a full sentence: "You are a doctor!"

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

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Quick Revision Checklist

Before test day, make sure your child can:

• Name and spell all 11 weather words
• Use "It is + adjective" and "It is + verb-ing" for weather
• Name the 4 seasons and their typical weather
• Say what 14 common jobs are and where people work
• Use "He/She is a..." and "He/She works as a..."
• Name 9 materials and give examples of objects for each
• Use "It is made of + material" correctly

With these three topic areas well practised, children are prepared for a large part of the Movers vocabulary syllabus. Regular use of the games above -- especially the Weather Reporter and Job Guessing Quiz -- makes revision fun and effective.

Good luck with your Cambridge Movers preparation!