Cambridge Starters: Food and Drink -- Vocabulary, Exercises and 'Do You Like?' Practice

Food and drink vocabulary is one of the most tested topics in Cambridge YLE Starters. Children need to name fruits, meals, and drinks, and they must use "I like" and "I don't like" correctly in the speaking test. This guide covers every word children need, with exercises that match the real exam format and games to make practice fun.

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Why Food Vocabulary Is Important in the Starters Exam

Food appears across all four parts of the Starters exam:

• Listening: Children hear sentences about food and match them to pictures or write words.
• Reading and Writing: Children read short food-related stories and answer True/False questions or fill in missing words.
• Speaking: The examiner shows a scene with food and asks "What can you see?" Children also answer personal questions like "Do you like bananas?"

A child who knows food vocabulary confidently will feel comfortable in all three exam sections.

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Vocabulary Section 1: Fruits

Tip for parents: Keep a fruit bowl on the table. Every day, point to a fruit and ask "What is this?" and "Do you like it?" This builds vocabulary and the "I like" grammar pattern together.

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Vocabulary Section 2: Meals and Food

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Vocabulary Section 3: Drinks

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Grammar Section: "I Like / I Don't Like / I Love / I Hate"

This grammar pattern is tested in both the Reading and Speaking sections of Starters.

Important grammar rules:

Use the plural form for general likes: "I like apples." (not "I like apple.")

Do not use "the" for general statements: "I like cake." (not "I like the cake.")

Use "a/an" only when talking about one specific item: "She eats an apple." or "He wants a sandwich."

Asking the question:

• "Do you like bananas?" -- "Yes, I love them!" / "No, I don't like them."
• "Does he like pizza?" -- "Yes, he likes it." / "No, he doesn't like it."

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Exercise 1: Match Food to Category

Draw a line from each food word to its correct category.

Food words: apple, milk, pizza, banana, water, bread, grape, juice, noodles, lemon, tea, egg, strawberry, cake, lemonade

Categories:

• Fruit
• Drink
• Meal / Food

Answer key:

Fruit: apple, banana, grape, lemon, strawberry

Drink: milk, water, juice, tea, lemonade

Meal / Food: pizza, bread, noodles, egg, cake

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Exercise 2: True or False? (Starters Reading Part 1 Style)

Read the story and write T (True) or F (False) for each sentence.

Story:

Anna loves fruit. She eats an apple and a banana every morning. She does not like lemons because they are sour. For lunch, Anna has rice and soup. She does not like pizza. Anna's favourite drink is orange juice. She drinks milk at night. Her mum makes a strawberry cake on Sundays. Anna loves it!

Anna eats an apple every morning. ___

Anna likes lemons. ___

Anna has pizza for lunch. ___

Anna's favourite drink is milk. ___

Anna's mum makes a cake on Sundays. ___

The cake has strawberries. ___

Answer key: 1. T 2. F 3. F 4. F 5. T 6. T

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Exercise 3: Fill in the Blanks (Starters Reading Part 4 Style)

Choose the correct word from the box and write it in the blank.

Word box: like / love / don't like / eat / drink / sweet / sour

I ___ bananas. They are yellow and ___.

Lemons are yellow, but they are ___.

She ___ soup. She always has it for lunch.

He ___ milk. He drinks juice instead.

We ___ juice and water every day.

Answer key: 1. like / sweet 2. sour 3. loves 4. doesn't like 5. drink

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Exercise 4: Unscramble the Food Words

Rearrange the letters to find the food word.

ganore = ___________

anaban = ___________

waybrsrteer = ___________

zzipa = ___________

aecbrd = ___________

gge = ___________

lodesno = ___________

aekcb = ___________

dlaas = ___________

meelonda = ___________

Answer key:

orange

banana

strawberry

pizza

bread

egg

noodles

cake

salad

lemonade

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Speaking Practice: "Do You Like...?" Conversations

The Starters Speaking test takes about 3-4 minutes. The examiner will ask personal questions about likes and dislikes. Practise these dialogues at home.

Dialogue 1: Likes and dislikes

• Examiner: "Do you like apples?"
• Child: "Yes, I like apples. They are red and sweet."
• Examiner: "Do you like lemons?"
• Child: "No, I don't like lemons. They are sour."

Dialogue 2: Describing food

• Examiner: "What is your favourite food?"
• Child: "My favourite food is pizza. I love pizza!"
• Examiner: "What colour is a banana?"
• Child: "A banana is yellow."

Dialogue 3: Talking about meals

• Examiner: "What do you eat for breakfast?"
• Child: "I eat bread and an egg. I drink milk."
• Examiner: "Do you like soup?"
• Child: "Yes, I like soup. It is hot and nice."

Practice tip: Make mealtimes into speaking practice. Ask "What do you want?" and encourage full answers: "I want rice and soup, please." Praise correct use of "I like" and "I don't like."

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Interactive Game and App Ideas

These ideas work on tablets, phones, and computers.

1. Food Sorter Game Find apps or online games where food items appear on screen and children drag them into the correct basket (Fruit / Drink / Meal). This mirrors Exercise 1 and builds category thinking. After sorting, say the name aloud: "Apple -- fruit!"

2. Voice Recording: 'I Like...' Sentences Use the voice recorder on your phone or tablet. Ask your child to record themselves saying five things they like and five things they don't like, using food vocabulary. Play it back together. Children love hearing their own voice and will notice their own mistakes naturally.

3. Food Flashcard Match Use Quizlet or a similar free flashcard tool. Make cards with the English word on one side and a picture on the other. Play the match game: children tap matching pairs as fast as they can. Start with 10 words, then add more.

4. Cambridge YLE Practice Apps Search for official Cambridge YLE or Cambridge English for Kids apps. Many include food vocabulary sections with Starters-level listening and reading tasks. Short 5-minute sessions work best for ages 5-8.

Screen time tip: Always follow a device session with a real-life activity. After the Food Sorter game, go to the kitchen and sort the actual fruit bowl together.

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Home Games

Game 1: Food Yes/No Game

You need: Two players and food vocabulary cards (write words on small pieces of paper, or use pictures from a magazine).

How to play:

One player picks a food card and holds it so the other player cannot see it.

The other player asks Yes/No questions to guess the food:

- "Is it a fruit?" "Is it sweet?" "Is it yellow?" "Do we drink it?"

The player answers only "Yes" or "No."

The guesser has 10 questions to find the answer.

Swap roles after each round.

Learning boost: This game builds the question "Is it...?" and the answer "Yes, it is" / "No, it isn't" -- both tested in Starters Reading Part 1.

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Game 2: Supermarket List Game

You need: Paper and pencil.

How to play:

One player says "I am going to the supermarket. I need..." and names one food item.

The next player repeats the sentence and adds a new food item: "I need apples and bananas."

Keep adding items. If a player forgets an item or says it wrong, they are out.

See how long the list can grow.

Extension: Write the list together at the end. Count how many items are on it. Use number words.

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Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Mistake 1: Using "the" for general likes

• Wrong: "I like the cake."
• Right: "I like cake."

When a child says they like a type of food in general, no article is needed. "The" is for specific things: "I like the cake on that table."

Mistake 2: Forgetting the plural for general statements

• Wrong: "Do you like apple?"
• Right: "Do you like apples?"

For general preferences, use the plural. "I like apples." "Do you like grapes?" "She loves strawberries."

Mistake 3: Confusing "like" and "likes"

• Wrong: "She like pizza."
• Right: "She likes pizza."

With he / she / it, add -s to the verb. Practice: "I like... He likes... She likes..."

Mistake 4: Saying "I no like"

• Wrong: "I no like soup."
• Right: "I don't like soup."

Children learning English often translate directly from their first language. Practise "I don't like" as a fixed chunk until it sounds natural.

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What's Next?

Once your child is confident with food vocabulary and "I like / I don't like," move on to:

• Animals -- another major Starters topic, using the same "I like" pattern
• Colours and clothes -- "I like the red dress" or "I don't like that yellow hat"
• Family members -- "My mum likes cake. My dad likes soup."
• Cambridge Starters: Numbers and Classroom Objects -- combine counting with food: "There are three apples on the table."

The more topics connect together, the more natural the language becomes. Aim to practise food vocabulary in real meals, not just on worksheets.

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Quick Reference Card (Cut Out and Keep)

Fruits: apple, banana, orange, mango, grape, strawberry, watermelon, lemon

Meals and food: bread, rice, cake, egg, soup, sandwich, salad, pizza, burger, noodles

Drinks: water, milk, juice, tea, lemonade

Key pattern: "I like [food]. It is [description]."

Key question: "Do you like [food]?" -- "Yes, I love it!" / "No, I don't like it."

Five minutes of food vocabulary practice at mealtimes makes a real difference. Connect the English words to real food your child sees and eats every day.