The Cambridge KEY and KEY for Schools are CEFR level A2 and have been designed for adults and teenagers respectively. The KEY for Schools examinations are designed especially for students at the higher grades of primary school or the early grades of high school.
The KEY for Schools examination represents the first opportunity our students are offered to familiarize with how the higher examinations, which they will be soon targeting, are conducted. At the same time it may serve as an excellent way of assessing the progress made by our students throughout the school year. Language schools that choose to participate in the KEY exams usually incorporate preparation for this examination in their syllabus.
The KEY and KEY for Schools examinations comprise three parts:
| Part | Duration |
| Reading & Writing | 1 hour 10 minutes |
| Listening | 25 minutes |
| Speaking | 8 to 10 minutes |
The Speaking Examination is carried out by two well-trained speaking examiners examining the candidates in pairs.
The written parts of the examination are graded in Cambridge.
The base mark is an average of 60% across all parts. Although participation in the KEY for Schools examinations cannot be considered a requirement, we at QLS maintain that they represent one of the very important steps that lead to a successful acquisition of useful certificates, such as B2, C1 and C2 later, which makes them quite beneficial for the young learners. At the same time they provide our teachers with an opportunity to prove the outcomes of their hard work.
Contact us for further information.
