Early foreign language instruction has become the norm across Europe. Expected benefits for students include linguistic advantages and ease of learning the second language (L2). However, research rarely supports these assertions. The present study investigated the receptive skills of two cohorts of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in Years 5, 7, and 9 in Germany. The cohorts differed in their age of EFL onset in elementary school and, consequently, in the amount of exposure before secondary school. Linear mixed model analyses were employed to account for the hierarchical structure of the data. Learners with an earlier start performed better in Years 5 and 9 than late starters, suggesting possible long-term benefits of an earlier start. In Year 7, late starters scored higher on the proficiency assessment. Across the Year 5–9 span, the effects of learner characteristics’ on English proficiency remained stable for gender, L1, grades, cognitive abilities, and cultural capital.

早期的外语教学已成为整个欧洲的常态。对学生的预期好处包括语言优势和学习第二语言 (L2) 的便利性。然而，研究很少支持这些断言。本研究调查了德国 5、7 和 9 年级的两组英语作为外语 (EFL) 学习者的接受能力。这些队列在小学 EFL 发病年龄方面存在差异，因此在中学之前的接触量方面也存在差异。采用线性混合模型分析来解释数据的层次结构。较早开始的学习者在 5 年级和 9 年级的表现要好于较晚开始的学生，这表明较早开始可能会带来长期的好处。在第 7 年，迟到的学生在能力评估中得分更高。跨年 5-9 跨度，