Business English Exams
BASIC FUNCTIONS:
- Understanding arrangements
- Making appointments
- Confirming arrangements
- Changing arrangements
- Accepting instructions
- Giving instructions
- Obtaining information
- Giving information
- Taking messages
- Sending messages
- Making introductions
- Being introduced
- Responding to greetings/enquiries/invitations etc
UNDERSTANDING AND GIVING DETAILS (Company and personal):
- Times
- Names
- Dates
- Places
- Prices
- Numbers and figures
- Abbreviations
- Occupations
- Company positions/responsibilities
- Phone numbers
- Addresses
- Numerical data
- Statistics
- Graphic representations
- Tables
BUSINESS CONTEXTS:
- Meetings
- Meeting someone
- Exhibitions
- Conferences
- Training courses
- Entertaining clients/visitors
- Travel
- Hotel reservations
- Job applications
- The employment process
- Company business
- Day to day work routine
- The office environment
METHODS OF COMMUNICATION:
- Telephone
- Face to face dialogue
- Letter
- Form
- Notice
- Report
- Presentation
- CV
- Meeting records
- Summary
- Newspaper/trade magazine article
- Training text etc
BUSINESS TOPIC AREAS AND ISSUES:
- Negotiating contracts
- Buying and selling (prices/invoices/delivery dates/orders etc)
- Import/export
- The concepts of tax/insurance
- Marketing
- Advertising
- Human Resources (salaries/promotion/selection procedures etc)
- Management skills
- Manufacturing processes
- Health and safety issues
- The movement of capital (stocks/shares/currencies/investment etc)
- Company performance and results
- Trends - company/economic
- Business personalities
- Problems/complaints/delays
- Facilities
- Company organisation
All Levels
PRACTICAL BUSINESS - LEVEL 1
When you take the Practical Business exam you can show that you can complete basic tasks and fulfil essential functions in a business context such as the office. For example, you will be able to show that you can take a telephone message accurately, and record details of arrangements such as appointments and meetings.In a typical office or workplace context, the student can:- Listen to, understand and record practical factual information given in message form.
- Deal with basic social situations, such as making introductions, asking/giving permission, showing gratitude.
- Deal with the basic methods of modern office communication i.e. write an accurate fax from information provided; write an appropriate email response to an enquiry.
Exam Content
Part One
The candidate hears a message that has been left on an answer phone, by a single speaker. The message contains factual information.This section is thus testing the candidate's ability to understand and accurately record the kind of practical information he or she would need to be able to deal with at work in a typical office context.Part Two
The candidate hears a speaker give an opening gambit or prompt. He or she must then choose the best response from a selection of the three given.This section is testing the candidate's ability to deal with basic social situations in the workplace, such as making introductions, and their ability to deal with necessary exchanges.Part Three
The candidates are given fax and a short text to which they must respond using the fax shell provided.This section is therefore testing the candidate's ability to use a common method of communication in business - the fax - and to accurately answer questions from information provided.Part Four
The candidates are given two emails to read. One of them is a response to an enquiry. This one, the candidates must use as a model for their own email. The other is an open enquiry. The candidates must respond to this enquiry with the invention of simple practical details.This section is testing the candidate's ability to manipulate a common method of communication in business - the email - and to construct a plausible response to an enquiry.INTERMEDIATE BUSINESS - LEVEL 2
When you take the Intermediate Business exam you can show that you can record information in an increasingly sophisticated way. At this level you will also be able to respond to information and communications in a business related way in your answer, for example, an email message.In a typical business or work-related environment, the student can:- Pick out relevant information from a conversation or exchange and accurately record it.
- Deal with the common exchanges of a business environment, both functional and social such as making an arrangement, confirming an appointment, making introductions.
- Manipulate basic data.
- Deal with the basic methods of modern office communication i.e. write a plausible and coherent fax; respond to an email.
Exam Content
Part One
Using the information given in a conversation, candidates must complete the gaps in the form.This part of the examination tests the candidate's ability to pick out the relevant information from a simple conversation (rather than a message) and accurately transfer it to a form typical of a business or work-related situation.Part Two
The candidate hears a speaker give an opening gambit or prompt. He or she must then choose the best response from the three options given.This part of the examination tests the candidate's ability to deal with the typical exchanges he or she would have to cope within a routine business or work-related environment.Part Three
The candidates are given a fax and further information in for example, a table from which they must extract the relevant points to be able to answer the fax accurately.This task therefore tests the candidate's ability both to construct a plausible and coherent fax and to understand and manipulate data presented in tabular or graphic form.Part Four
The candidates must read an email and respond to it in the space provided on the question paper. The size of the space gives the candidate an indication of the length of response and the candidate may be required to invent some practical details such as a date, a time, a name etc.No model email is given at this level, but the reason for writing it, the target reader and the exact kind of information required are all easily extractable from the email which the candidate must respond to.Thus, in this part of the examination, the candidate's ability to understand what is required, and to use his or her initiative is tested in the context of creating a typical office communication.ADVANCED BUSINESS - LEVEL 3
When you take the Advanced Business exam you will be able to read, manipulate and respond to different forms of messages in a variety of different ways. You will also be able to analyze a piece of text (e.g. a report document) and write a brief report summarising the information.In a typical business environment, the student can:- Listen to, pick out and record relevant information from an authentic context.
- Read and manipulate a variety of written forms of business communication including letter, memo, note, fax, email, newspaper article.
- Deal with a longer business-related text; provide an accurate summary of key points.
- Respond appropriately in a typical business conversation or exchange.
Exam Content
Part One
The candidate hears a message that has been left on an answer phone, by a single speaker. The message contains factual information.This section is thus testing the candidate's ability to understand and accurately record the kind of practical information he or she would need to be able to deal with at work in a typical office context.Part Two
The candidate hears a speaker give an opening gambit or prompt. He or she must then choose the best response from a selection of the three given.This section is testing the candidate's ability to deal with basic social situations in the workplace, such as making introductions, and their ability to deal with necessary exchanges.Part Three
The candidates are given fax and a short text to which they must respond using the fax shell provided.This section is therefore testing the candidate's ability to use a common method of communication in business - the fax - and to accurately answer questions from information provided.Part Four
The candidates are given two emails to read. One of them is a response to an enquiry. This one, the candidates must use as a model for their own email. The other is an open enquiry. The candidates must respond to this enquiry with the invention of simple practical details.This section is testing the candidate's ability to manipulate a common method of communication in business - the email - and to construct a plausible response to an enquiry.PROFICIENCY BUSINESS - LEVEL 4
When you take the Proficiency in Business exam you must show that you have full active control of the language needed to discuss a wide range of business issues, for example you might be asked to write reports based on given information. You may also be asked to argue a case for promoting a particular strategy or describe and explain a particular company's performance.In a typical business environment, the student can:- Follow presentations or exchanges typical of business meetings and accurately convert information from them into an acceptable graphic representation.
- Summarise information from a wide range of different spoken and written sources.
- Deal with longer, complex business texts.
- Write a coherent, structured report.
- Control the language of business and manipulate it for specific purposes.
Exam Content
Part One
The candidate hears a message that has been left on an answer phone, by a single speaker. The message contains factual information.This section is thus testing the candidate's ability to understand and accurately record the kind of practical information he or she would need to be able to deal with at work in a typical office context.Part Two
The candidate hears a speaker give an opening gambit or prompt. He or she must then choose the best response from a selection of the three given.This section is testing the candidate's ability to deal with basic social situations in the workplace, such as making introductions, and their ability to deal with necessary exchanges.Part Three
The candidates are given fax and a short text to which they must respond using the fax shell provided.This section is therefore testing the candidate's ability to use a common method of communication in business - the fax - and to accurately answer questions from information provided.Part Four
The candidates are given two emails to read. One of them is a response to an enquiry. This one, the candidates must use as a model for their own email. The other is an open enquiry. The candidates must respond to this enquiry with the invention of simple practical details.This section is testing the candidate's ability to manipulate a common method of communication in business - the email - and to construct a plausible response to an enquiry.
