a detailed guide to bec preliminary exams … · or e-mail) (30 – 40 words) ... assessed at each...

READING

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A D E TA I L E D G U I D E TO B E C P R E L I M I N A RY

TEST OF READING AND WRITING

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Number of PART Main Skill Focus Input Response questions

1 Reading – understanding short, Notices, messages, adverts, Multiple choice 5real world notices, messages, etc. leaflets, etc.

2 Reading – detailed comprehension Notice, list, plan, contents Matching 5of factual material; skimming and page, etc. scanning skills

3 Reading – interpreting visual Graphs, charts, tables, etc. (The Matching 5information information may be presented in

8 separate graphics or in a compositegraphic comprising up to 3 visuals.

4 Reading for detailed factual Text (approx. 150 – 200 Right/Wrong/ 7information words): advert, business letter, Doesn’t say

product description, report, minutes, etc.

5 Reading for gist and specific Text (approx. 300 – 400 Multiple choice 6 information words): newspaper or magazine

article, advert, report, leaflet, etc.

6 Reading – grammatical accuracy Text (approx. 125 – 150 Multiple choice 12and understanding of text structure words): newspaper or magazine cloze

article, advert, leaflet, etc.

7 Reading and information transfer Short memos, letters, notices, Form-filling, 5adverts, etc. note completion

PART Functions/Communicative Task Input Response Register

1 e.g. (re-)arranging appointments, Rubric only (plus layout of output Internal communication Neutral/asking for permission, giving text type) (medium may be note, formal/instructions message, memo informal

or e-mail) (30 – 40 words)

2 e.g. apologising and offering One piece of input which may be Business corres- Neutral/ compensation, making or altering business correspondence (medium pondence (medium formalreservations, dealing with requests, may be letter, fax or e-mail), internal may be letter, fax or giving information about a product communication (medium may be e-mail) (60 – 80 words)

note, memo or e-mail), notice, advert, etc. (plus layout of output text type)

WRITING

A DETAILED LOOK AT THE TASKS

READING

Part One

In this part there are five short texts, each of which isaccompanied by a multiple choice question containing threeoptions. In all cases the information will be brief and clearand the difficulty of the task will not lie in understandingcontext but in identifying or interpreting meaning.

A wide variety of text types, representative of those likely tobe encountered in international business, can appear in thispart. Each text will be complete and have a recognisablecontext.

Preparation

In order to prepare for this part it would be useful to exposestudents to a wide range of notices and short texts takenfrom business settings. It is also useful to practise answeringsample questions, asking students to explain why an answeris correct (and why the two incorrect options do not apply).

Part Two

This is a matching task comprising one text and fivequestions, which are often descriptions of people’srequirements. Candidates are required to match eachquestion to an appropriate part of the text, labelled A – H.(As there are only five questions, some of the labels areredundant.) The testing focus of this part is vocabulary andmeaning, using skimming and scanning skills.

Preparation

For preparation purposes, students need to be familiar withtext types that are divided into lists, headings or categories;e.g. the contents page of a directory or book, thedepartments in a business or shop, the items in a catalogue,etc. Many of the questions in this part require a simpleinterpretation of what different parts of the text mean, andpreparation for this could involve setting students real-worldtasks of this kind using authentic (but simple) sources.

Part Three

This task consists of eight graphs or charts (or one or moregraphics with eight distinct elements) and five questions.Each question is a description of a particular graphic (orelement of a graphic) and candidates are expected to matchthe questions to their corresponding graphs which arelabelled A – H.

Preparation

This part focuses on understanding trends and changes.Candidates need to be able to interpret graphic data andunderstand the language used to describe it. Expressions

such as ‘rose steadily’, ‘remained stable’, ‘decreased slowly’,‘reached a peak’ should be introduced to students, alongwith relevant topics, such as sales of goods, share pricemovement and monthly costs.

Part Four

This task is a text accompanied by seven, three-optionmultiple choice items. Each question presents a statementand candidates are expected to indicate whether thestatement is A ‘Right’ or B ‘Wrong’ according to the text, orwhether the information is not given in the text (C ‘Doesn’tsay’). Candidates will not be expected to understand everyword in the text but they should be able to pick out salientpoints and infer meaning where words in the text areunfamiliar. The questions will refer to factual information inthe text, but candidates will be required to do someprocessing in order to answer the questions correctly.

Preparation

This can be a difficult task for candidates who are notfamiliar with the three choices represented by A, B and C,and who might not understand the difference between astatement that is incorrect and one that depends oninformation that is not provided in the text. Students need tobe trained to identify a false statement, which means that theopposite or a contradictory statement is made in the text,and to recognise that this is not the same as a statement thatis not covered in the text.

Part Five

This part presents a single text accompanied by six multiplechoice comprehension items. The text is informative and isoften taken from a leaflet, or from a newspaper or magazinearticle.

Candidates are expected to employ more complex readingstrategies in this task, in that they should demonstrate theirability to extract relevant information, to read for gist anddetail, to scan the text for specific information, and tounderstand the purpose of the writer and the audience forwhich the text is intended.

Preparation

In preparing candidates for this part, it would be a good ideato expose them to a variety of texts of a similar length. Astexts become longer, slow readers are at a disadvantage andsome practice in improving reading speed would bebeneficial for this part. It would also be useful to discuss thefollowing areas:• title

• topic

• the writer’s purpose

• the theme or main idea of each paragraph

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• factual details that can be found in the text

• the writer’s opinions (if they are evident)

Part Six

This is a multiple choice cloze test. Candidates have toselect the correct word from three options to completetwelve gaps. This part has a predominantly grammaticalfocus and tests candidates’ understanding of the general anddetailed meaning of a text, and in particular their ability toanalyse structural patterns.

Preparation

Any practice in the grammatical and structural aspects of thelanguage is useful in preparing students for this part.However, it is equally important for students to analyse thestructure and coherence of language within longer discourseso that they are encouraged to read for meaning beyond thesentence level. As tasks such as this typically focus oncommon grammatical difficulties, it is also useful to askstudents to analyse errors in their own work. Pairworkactivities might be productive as students can often helpeach other in the areas of error identification and analysis.

Part Seven

Candidates are given two short texts, for example a memoand an advertisement, and are asked to complete a formbased on this material. There are five gaps, which should becompleted with a word, a number or a short phrase. In thispart, candidates are tested on their ability to extract relevantinformation and complete a form accurately.

For this part, candidates need to transfer their answers incapital letters to an Answer Sheet.

WRITING

For BEC Preliminary, candidates are required to produce twopieces of writing:

• an internal company communication; this means apiece of communication with a colleague orcolleagues within the company on a business-relatedmatter; the delivery medium may be a note, message,memo or e-mail

• a piece of business correspondence; this meanscorrespondence with somebody outside the company(e.g. a customer or supplier) on a business-relatedmatter; the delivery medium may be letter, fax or e-mail.

Part One

Candidates are asked to produce a concise piece of internalcompany communication of between 30 and 40 words,using a written prompt. The text will need to be produced in

the form of a note, message, memo or e-mail. Candidates aregiven the layout of memos and e-mails (e.g. to/from/date/subject) on the question paper, and need not copy this out aspart of their answer. The reason for writing and the targetreader are specified in the rubric, and bullet points explainwhat content points have to be included. Relevant ideas forone or more of these points will have to be ‘invented’ by thecandidate.

Part Two

Candidates are asked to produce an extended piece ofbusiness correspondence of between 60 and 80 words. Thistask involves the processing of a short text, such as a letter oradvertisement, in order to respond to it. A number ofbulleted content points below the text clearly indicate whatshould be included in the answer. Some of this informationwill need to be ‘invented’ by the candidate.

Where the delivery medium specified for a Part Two answeris a letter, candidates need not include postal addresses intheir answer. Similarly, where the delivery medium specifiedis a fax, candidates need not include ‘fax header’ details, andwhere the delivery medium specified is a an e-mail,candidates need not include to/from/subject details.

Although the use of some key words is inevitable, candidatesshould not ‘lift’ phrases from the question paper to use intheir answers. They would not receive credit for thelanguage in these phrases.

Accuracy and Appropriacy in Faxes and e-mails

Nowadays a significant proportion of written businesscommunication is transmitted electronically, both within thecompany and to people outside the company.

In some contexts, this technological change may havechanged the nature of what people actually write. It may beargued that a new ‘fax’ genre has emerged, characterised bybrevity and informality (and sometimes by the mixing ofhandwritten and typewritten text in the same fax). It can alsobe argued that a new ‘e-mail’ genre may be starting toemerge, characterised by even greater informality and a(possibly temporary) lack of conventions and even of regardfor linguistic accuracy.

However, there is also mounting evidence to suggest thatlinguistic inaccuracy and inappropriate informality withinelectronic business communications is consideredunacceptable by many individuals and organisations, andcan be counterproductive if employed in real life.

As well as being used informally, fax and e-mail are alsowidely used within business cultures in which appropriacyand accuracy are perceived to be important, and this is thecontext of use on which BEC focuses.

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Candidates at all levels of BEC should be aware thatappropriacy, accuracy, range and organisation are importantfeatures of their writing, regardless of the delivery mediumspecified in the task.

Please see the ‘Assessment of Writing’ sections for furtherdetails of the criteria against which candidates’ writing isassessed at each level of BEC.

Preparing for the Writing Questions

In preparing students for the Writing tasks it would bebeneficial to familiarise them with a variety of businesscorrespondence. Analysing authentic correspondence wouldhelp students understand better how to structure their answerand the type of language to use. When doing this, it wouldbe useful to focus on the following areas:

• the purpose of the correspondence

• references to previous communication

• factual details

• the feelings and attitude of the writer

• the level of formality

• the opening sentence

• the closing sentence

• paragraphing

• the desired outcome.

If students are in a class, it might be possible to ask them towrite and reply to each other’s correspondence so that theycan appreciate the importance of accurate content.

In a similar fashion, internal company memos and messagesmight also be written and analysed in terms of the above sothat students can recognise the different levels of formalityinvolved. It is a necessary part of preparing for the test thatstudents understand the uses of, and styles inherent in,different types of business communication so that they areaware of how and why different types of correspondence areused.

For the BEC Preliminary Writing component, candidateswrite their answers on the answer sheet provided.

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pay

s a

redu

ced

amou

nt t

o re

nt t

he m

achi

ne.

AR

ight

BW

rong

CD

oesn

’t sa

y

PAR

T F

OU

R

Qu

esti

on

s 16

– 2

2

•R

ead

the

adve

rtis

emen

t be

low

for

a ho

t dr

inks

mac

hine

.

•A

re s

ente

nces

16

– 22

on t

he o

ppos

ite p

age

‘Rig

ht’o

r ‘W

rong

’? I

f th

ere

is n

ot e

noug

h

info

rmat

ion

to a

nsw

er ‘R

ight

’or

‘Wro

ng’,

choo

se ‘D

oesn

’t S

ay’.

•F

or e

ach

sent

ence

16

– 22

, m

ark

one

lette

r (A

,B

or

C)

on y

our

Ans

wer

She

et.

8

It

can

be

expe

nsiv

e to

ke

ep

the

cant

een

open

to

serv

e dr

inks

to

your

staf

f th

roug

h th

e da

y. O

ur Q

VM

hot

drin

ks m

achi

ne r

epla

ces

this

ser

vice

,so

th

at

you

can

clos

e th

e ca

ntee

nbe

twee

n m

ealti

mes

.Y

ou c

an in

stal

l the

QV

M h

ot d

rink

sm

achi

ne

anyw

here

in

th

e bu

ildin

g.O

ne m

achi

ne i

s su

itabl

e fo

r a

staf

f of

ten

to f

ifte

en p

eopl

e. I

t cos

ts £

1300

tobu

y, o

r £1

1.00

per

wee

k to

ren

t ov

er60

m

onth

s.

It

is

not

expe

nsiv

e to

oper

ate:

fo

r ex

ampl

e,

the

cost

of

pow

er f

or o

ne d

ay i

s 30

p, n

earl

y as

chea

p as

the

pri

ce o

f on

e ho

t dr

ink

from

the

mac

hine

.

Our

co

mpa

ny

wil

l ca

rry

out

aw

eekl

y se

rvic

e, a

t a c

harg

e of

£10

.00.

We

can

also

ref

ill t

he m

achi

ne w

ithdr

inks

ing

redi

ents

for

an

extr

a ch

arge

of £

8.00

. Som

e cu

stom

ers

pref

er to

do

this

them

selv

es, h

owev

er.

The

re a

re e

ight

cho

ices

of

hot d

rink

avai

labl

e fr

om th

e Q

VM

mac

hine

, and

our

com

pany

off

ers

one

mon

th’s

tri

alfr

ee

of

char

ge,

so

that

yo

u ca

nes

tim

ate

how

po

pula

r th

e m

achi

new

ill b

e an

d se

e w

hat t

he a

ctua

l sav

ings

are.

Sav

e m

oney

and

kee

p yo

ur s

taff

hap

py

AD

VE

RT

ISIN

G F

EA

TU

RE

BE

C P

RE

LIM

INA

RY

23T

he r

evie

wer

sug

gest

s th

at o

ne a

dvan

tage

of

the

book

is t

hat

Ait

is b

ette

r va

lue

than

oth

er m

anag

emen

t bo

oks.

Bit

does

not

nee

d to

be

read

rig

ht t

hrou

gh.

Cit

is a

bout

wel

l-kno

wn

peop

le.

24T

he b

ook

conc

entr

ates

on

the

fact

tha

t th

e tw

enty

exe

cutiv

es w

ho a

re in

terv

iew

ed

Aw

ork

in a

num

ber

of d

iffer

ent

indu

strie

s.

Bst

arte

d th

eir

com

pani

es.

Cha

ve w

orke

d fo

r di

ffere

nt le

ngth

s of

tim

e.

25T

he r

evie

wer

can

not

acce

pt S

tuar

t’s o

pini

ons

beca

use

Stu

art

Am

akes

unr

easo

nabl

e co

mpl

aint

s ab

out

the

inte

rvie

wee

s.

Bw

rites

too

pos

itive

ly a

bout

the

inte

rvie

wee

s.

Cha

s di

ffere

nt a

ttitu

des

tow

ards

diff

eren

t in

terv

iew

ees.

26R

eadi

ng t

he b

ook

mad

e th

e re

view

er t

hink

tha

t

Ath

ere

are

cert

ain

qual

ities

whi

ch a

ll C

hief

Exe

cutiv

es n

eed.

Bit

is d

iffic

ult

to d

isco

ver

how

peo

ple

real

ly r

un a

com

pany

.

Cru

nnin

g a

com

pany

is e

asie

r th

an m

any

peop

le t

hink

.

27W

hich

par

ts o

f th

e bo

ok d

id t

he r

evie

wer

mos

t en

joy

read

ing?

Aho

w t

he in

terv

iew

ees

beca

me

Chi

ef E

xecu

tives

Bw

hat

sort

of

peop

le t

he in

terv

iew

ees

are

Cth

e ad

vice

giv

en b

y th

e in

terv

iew

ees

28T

he r

evie

wer

rec

omm

ends

the

boo

k fo

r pe

ople

who

Ain

tend

to

set

up in

bus

ines

s.

Bw

ant

to b

ecom

e se

nior

man

ager

s.

Car

e ou

tsid

e th

e fie

ld o

f bu

sine

ss.

11

Turn

Ove

r �

PAR

T F

IVE

Qu

esti

on

s 23

– 2

8

•R

ead

the

follo

win

g re

view

of

a bo

ok c

alle

d T

he B

osse

s S

peak

.

•F

or e

ach

ques

tion

23 –

28

on t

he o

ppos

ite p

age,

cho

ose

the

corr

ect

answ

er.

•M

ark

one

lette

r (A

, B

or

C)

on y

our

Ans

wer

She

et.

10

Joh

n

Stu

art

is

an

exec

uti

ve

recr

uit

men

t sp

ecia

list

wh

o

has

turn

ed t

o w

riti

ng

. T

he

resu

lt i

s th

is

bo

ok,

b

ased

o

n

inte

rvie

ws

wit

h

twen

ty C

hie

f E

xecu

tive

s.

Eac

h t

op

man

ager

– n

on

e o

f th

em

fam

ou

s n

ames

, su

rpri

sin

gly

–

is

giv

en a

sh

ort

ch

apte

r, an

d t

her

e is

som

e in

tro

du

cto

ry m

ater

ial

and

a

con

clu

sio

n.

Th

is

mea

ns

you

ca

n

jum

p f

rom

on

e p

erso

n t

o a

no

ther

,

in

any

ord

er,

wh

ich

is

g

oo

d

for

peo

ple

wh

o a

re t

oo

bu

sy t

o r

ead

a b

oo

k fr

om

co

ver

to

cove

r. Fo

r

a m

anag

emen

t b

oo

k it

is

n’t

exp

ensi

ve,

alth

ou

gh

w

het

her

it

’s

go

od

val

ue

for

mo

ney

is d

ou

btf

ul.

So

me

of

the

twen

ty i

nte

rvie

wee

s

star

ted

th

eir

ow

n

bu

sin

esse

s,

wh

ile

oth

ers

join

ed

a co

mp

any

and

w

ork

ed

thei

r w

ay

up

. S

om

e

are

fair

ly

new

in

th

eir

po

siti

on

,

and

o

ther

s h

ave

had

ye

ars

of

exp

erie

nce

, th

ou

gh

, st

ran

gel

y,

Stu

art

do

esn

’t se

em i

nte

rest

ed i

n

thes

e d

iffe

ren

ces.

Th

e in

terv

iew

ees

wo

rk i

n e

very

thin

g,

fro

m r

etai

ling

to a

irlin

es t

o s

oft

war

e, a

nd

it is

th

is

vari

ety

that

fo

rms

the

mai

n t

hem

e

of

Stu

art’s

bo

ok.

I hav

e to

say

th

at S

tuar

t’s a

pp

roac

h

ann

oys

me.

He

rare

ly s

tays

at

a

dis

tan

ce

fro

m

his

in

terv

iew

ees,

wh

o a

re m

ost

ly p

rese

nte

d i

n t

hei

r

ow

n,

po

siti

ve w

ord

s. I

f th

is w

ere

alw

ays

the

case

, at

le

ast

you

wo

uld

kn

ow

wh

ere

you

wer

e. B

ut

he

seem

s to

d

isli

ke

cert

ain

inte

rvie

wee

s.

As

a re

sult

, I

do

n’t

kno

w w

het

her

to

acc

ept

any

of

his

op

inio

ns.

It a

lso

mea

ns

that

th

e b

oo

k g

ives

no

cle

ar l

esso

ns.

At

the

very

lea

st,

I ex

pec

ted

to

lea

rn w

hat

mak

es a

succ

essf

ul

Ch

ief

Exe

cuti

ve.

Bu

t

thes

e p

eop

le

seem

to

sh

are

two

typ

es o

f q

ual

itie

s. S

om

e o

f th

em

are

very

co

mm

on

, su

gg

esti

ng

th

at

anyo

ne

can

be

equ

ally

su

cces

sfu

l,

wh

ich

is

d

efin

itel

y n

ot

the

case

.

An

d t

he

oth

er q

ual

itie

s ar

e o

nes

wh

ich

mo

st s

ucc

essf

ul

bo

sses

I’v

e

seen

def

init

ely

do

no

th

ave.

So

in

the

end

I’m

no

wis

er a

bo

ut

wh

at

real

ly g

oes

on

.

Per

hap

s I’m

bei

ng

un

fair.

As

lon

g

as y

ou

do

n’t

thin

k ab

ou

t w

het

her

you

’d li

ke t

hem

as

frie

nd

s, a

nd

pay

no

att

enti

on

to

mo

st o

f th

e ad

vice

they

giv

e, t

he

mo

st r

ead

able

par

ts

are

wh

ere

the

bo

sses

des

crib

e th

eir

rou

te t

o t

hei

r p

rese

nt

po

siti

on

.

Stu

art

seem

s to

th

ink

that

his

bo

ok

wo

uld

be

use

ful

for

peo

ple

aim

ing

for

the

top

, an

dth

at i

t m

igh

t ev

en

mak

e a

few

wan

t to

sta

rt t

hei

r o

wn

com

pan

y;

bu

t, in

fa

ct,

wh

at

they

cou

ld

lear

n

her

e is

ve

ry

limit

ed.

See

n a

s lig

ht

bu

sin

ess

read

ing

fo

r

a d

oct

or

or

teac

her

, th

ou

gh

, th

is

bo

ok

wo

uld

p

rovi

de

som

e g

oo

d

ente

rtai

nm

ent.

Th

e B

oss

es S

pea

k

BE

C P

RE

LIM

INA

RY

13

Turn

Ove

r �

29A

calli

ngB

calls

Cca

lled

30A

such

Blik

eC

so

31A

atB

for

Cin

32A

who

Bw

hich

C

wha

t

33A

and

Bbu

tC

or

34A

ough

tB

will

Csh

all

35A

beca

use

Bal

thou

ghC

sinc

e

36A

onB

ofC

with

37A

aB

thes

eC

this

38A

still

Bev

erC

neve

r

39A

mus

tB

wou

ldC

mig

ht

40A

mad

eB

had

Cdo

ne

PAR

T S

IX

Qu

esti

on

s 29

– 4

0

•R

ead

the

artic

le b

elow

abo

ut t

eam

-bui

ldin

g.

•C

hoos

e th

e co

rrec

t w

ord

to f

ill e

ach

gap,

fro

m A

, B

or C

on t

he o

ppos

ite p

age.

•F

or e

ach

ques

tion

29 –

40,

mar

k on

e le

tter

(A,

Bor

C)

on y

our

Ans

wer

She

et.

12

TE

AM

-BU

ILD

ING

TH

RO

UG

HA

CT

IVIT

IES

Now

aday

s,co

mpa

ny b

osse

s ar

e in

crea

sing

ly t

ryin

g to

find

unu

sual

tea

m-b

uild

ing

even

ts a

s pa

rt o

f the

ir t

rain

ing

prog

ram

me.

An

activ

ity p

ark

(29)

......

Fast

-tra

ck h

asju

st o

pene

d to

offe

r (3

0)...

...ev

ents

.It

spec

ialis

es (

31)

......

even

ts t

o at

trac

t th

eco

rpor

ate

ente

rtai

nmen

t m

arke

t,(3

2)...

...is

gro

win

g al

l the

tim

e.

The

par

k is

situ

ated

just

a fe

w k

ilom

etre

s ou

tsid

e th

e ci

ty c

entr

e (3

3)...

...it

prov

ides

even

ts t

hat

(34)

......

ente

rtai

n as

wel

l as

trai

n.

Clie

nts

can

try

outd

oor

attr

actio

ns s

uch

as s

ailin

g or

clim

bing

,(35

)...

...av

aila

bilit

ycl

earl

y de

pend

s en

tirel

y (3

6)...

...th

e w

eath

er.

Act

iviti

es o

f (37

)...

...ki

nd a

re p

erfe

ctte

am-b

uild

ing

exer

cise

s.

‘I’d

(38)

......

been

to

an a

ctiv

ity p

ark

befo

re,’

expl

aine

d Ja

mes

Bla

ck,a

com

pany

man

ager

.‘B

efor

e w

e ca

me,

I did

n’t

thin

k w

e (3

9)...

...en

joy

ours

elve

s so

muc

h an

d I

didn

’t ex

pect

the

hug

e di

ffere

nce

that

Fas

t-tr

ack’

s pr

ogra

mm

e ha

s (4

0)...

...to

my

team

.Now

we

wor

k be

tter

tog

ethe

r th

an w

e di

d be

fore

.’

BE

C P

RE

LIM

INA

RY

15

Turn

Ove

r �

Insu

ranc

e C

laim

NA

ME

OF

PO

LIC

Y H

OL

DE

R:

(41)

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

…..

PO

LIC

Y N

UM

BE

R:

LD4

756

03

0C

ITE

M(S

) T

O B

E R

EP

LA

CE

D:

(42)

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

LO

CA

TIO

N O

F I

TE

M(S

):(4

3)...

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

...

VA

LU

E W

HE

N P

UR

CH

AS

ED

:(4

4)...

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

...

CA

US

E O

F D

AM

AG

E:

(45)

......

......

......

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DA

TE

OF

DA

MA

GE

:S

und

ay

19 M

ay

PAR

T S

EV

EN

Qu

esti

on

s 41

– 4

5

•R

ead

the

mem

o an

d no

te b

elow

.

•C

ompl

ete

the

clai

m fo

rm o

n th

e op

posi

te p

age.

•W

rite

a w

ord

or p

hras

e (in

CA

PIT

AL

LET

TE

RS

) or

a n

umbe

r on

line

s 41

– 4

5on

you

r

Ans

wer

She

et.

14

MEMO

TO:

Barb

ara

Sinc

lair

FROM:

Pete

r Ro

gers

DATE:

25 M

ay 2

002

SUBJECT:

Insu

ranc

e Cl

aim

Coul

d yo

u de

al w

ith t

his?

It’s

our

insu

ranc

e cl

aim

, fo

r th

e da

mag

e at

the

wee

kend

. Th

e

insu

ranc

e po

licy

is in

my

nam

e, a

nd w

e bo

ught

the

car

pet

for

£300

, al

thou

gh it

will

cos

t at

leas

t £5

00 t

o re

plac

e. L

ucki

ly o

ur o

ffic

e ca

rpet

s se

em f

ine.

Than

ks

OW

EN

SM

ITH

IN

SUR

AN

CE

CO

MPA

NY

wit

h co

mpl

imen

ts

Than

k yo

u fo

r yo

ur r

ecen

t ph

one

call

rega

rdin

g flo

odda

mag

e in

you

r ph

otoc

opy

room

.

Coul

d yo

u pl

ease

com

plet

e th

e at

tach

ed f

orm

and

ret

urn

it to

me

as s

oon

as p

ossi

ble.

Ma

rtin

Morr

is

BE

C P

RE

LIM

INA

RY

PAR

T T

WO

Qu

esti

on

47

•R

ead

this

par

t of

a le

tter

from

Mar

y B

enne

tt ap

plyi

ng fo

r a

job.

Wit

h r

efer

ence

to

yo

ur

adve

rtis

emen

t in

Th

e Ti

mes

, I

am w

riti

ng

to

ap

ply

fo

r th

e p

ost

of

trai

nin

g a

ssis

tan

t.

I am

mo

vin

g t

o y

ou

r co

un

try

nex

t m

on

th w

ith

my

hu

sban

d. A

s yo

u w

ill s

ee f

rom

th

e en

clo

sed

CV,

I h

ave

had

a lo

t of e

xper

ien

ce in

trai

nin

g a

nd

I fe

el th

at I

hav

e m

uch

to o

ffer

yo

ur

com

pan

y.

If I

am s

elec

ted

fo

r in

terv

iew

, ple

ase

cou

ld y

ou

giv

e m

e in

form

atio

n a

bo

ut

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lette

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READING ANSWER KEY

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven

1 B 6 E 11 B 16 B 23 B 29 C 41 PETER ROGERS2 A 7 A 12 F 17 A 24 A 30 A 42 (A/THE/ONE) CARPET3 C 8 H 13 G 18 C 25 C 31 C 43 PHOTOCOPY ROOM4 A 9 D 14 H 19 B 26 B 32 B 44 £3005 C 10 C 15 E 20 C 27 A 33 A 45 FLOOD/FLOODING

21 A 28 C 34 B22 B 35 B

36 A37 C38 C39 B40 A

ASSESSMENT OF WRITING

An impression mark is awarded to each piece of writing. Foreach task, a General Impression Mark Scheme is used inconjunction with a Task-specific Mark Scheme, whichfocuses on criteria specific to each particular task.

For Part 1, examiners use the mark schemes primarily toassess task achievement. For Part 2, examiners use the markschemes to assess both task achievement and language.

The band scores awarded are translated to a mark out of 5for Part 1 and a mark out of 10 for Part 2. The total score forWriting is then weighted to 30 marks.

Both General Impression Mark Schemes are interpreted atCouncil of Europe level B1.

Summaries of the General Impression Mark Schemes arereproduced below. Examiners work with a more detailedversion, which is subject to regular updating.

Part 1 Summary of General Impression Mark Scheme

Page 21

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Very good attempt at task, achieving all content points.Band 5

Band 4

Band 3

Band 2

Band 1

Band 0

Good attempt at task, achieving all content points.

Satisfactory attempt at task, achieving all content points with some effort by the reader, or achieving2 content points.

Inadequate attempt at task, achieving 1 content point, possibly with noticeable irrelevance.

Poor attempt at task; no content points achieved, has little relevance.

No relevant response or too little language to assess.

Part 2 Summary of General Impression Mark Scheme

Band 5 Full realisation of the task set.• All four content points achieved.• Confident use of language; errors are minor, due to ambition and non-impeding.• Good range of structure and vocabulary.• Effectively organised, with appropriate use of simple linking devices.• Register and format consistently appropriate.Very positive effect on the reader.

Band 4 Good realisation of the task set.• Three or four content points achieved.• Ambitious use of language; some non-impeding errors.• More than adequate range of structure and vocabulary.• Generally well-organised, with attention paid to cohesion.• Register and format on the whole appropriate.Positive effect on the reader.

Band 3 Reasonable achievement of the task set.• Three or four content points achieved.• A number of errors may be present, but are mostly non-impeding.• Adequate range of structure and vocabulary.• Organisation and cohesion is satisfactory, on the whole.• Register and format reasonable, although not entirely successful.Satisfactory effect on the reader.

Band 2 Inadequate attempt at the task set.• Two or three content points achieved.• Numerous errors, which sometimes impede communication.• Limited range of structure and vocabulary.• Content is not clearly organised or linked, causing some confusion.• Inappropriate register and format.Negative effect on the reader.

Band 1 Poor attempt at the task set.• One or two content points achieved.• Serious lack of control; frequent basic errors.• Little evidence of structure and vocabulary required by task.• Lack of organisation, causing a breakdown in communication.• Little attempt at appropriate register and format.Very negative effect on the reader.

Band 0 Achieves nothing. Either fewer than 25% of the required number of words or totally illegible or totally irrelevant.

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WRITING PART 1

EXAMINER COMMENTS

I am going to attend an engineering exhibition in Frankfurt, and the ticket’s date is 20th March, I will be away for one week, during this week I would like you to arrange the training meeting which wehave decided and make an appointment with selling manager. I would like to see him 27th morning 10:30.

CANDIDATE A

All points clearly achieved with only minor errors ofpunctuation and the occasional missing preposition orarticle.

Band 5

CANDIDATE B

Next week I go to an exhibition in Frankfurt. It’s from the 9th to the 11th. While I am in Frankfurt you shouldwrite the business letters. If there are any problems – call me!

EXAMINER COMMENTS

All the content points have been achieved but ‘Next week Igo’ and ‘write the business letters’ are awkward.

Band 4

CANDIDATE C

I must go attend an engeneering exhibition in Frankfurt from 15 March to 18 March. Can you tell Mr Meier toask him confirmation for the fly on Monday and finish to made the travel documents for departure in April?

Yours sincerely

EXAMINER COMMENTS

The third content point (what work the assistant should dowhile the writer is away) is not achieved as the secondsentence is confused and the role of Mr Meier is not clear.

Band 3

I will go on a trip to Frankfurt about attend an engineering exhibition tomorrow (15/March), so I want youhelp me to leave a message if I have phone call. Thank you!

CANDIDATE D

EXAMINER COMMENTS

The candidate has failed to achieve both the second andthird content points (the dates when the writer will be awayand what work the assistant should do during this time),making this an inadequate attempt at the task.

Band 2

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WRITING PART 2

Dear Mrs Bennett

Thank you for applying our company. We arranged an interview for you. The date is 4th April. Please arriveat 9.15 in the morning, the interview star at 9.30. Please arrive on time.

We also need the names and address of 2 referees.

The best way to reach our office is use underground. You can find the name of the street where our office isfrom the map. And use underground from trainstation to our company. You don’t need change train.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Yours sincerely

CANDIDATE E

EXAMINER COMMENTS

All the content points have been achieved and the candidatehas demonstrated confident control throughout most of theletter, although there are a few non-impeding errors and aslightly abrupt register.

Band 5

CANDIDATE F

Dear Miss Bennett

Thank you for your curriculum vitae and for the interest in this job.

We are pleased to have an interview with you at Monday, 23 April at 10 a.m. in our location. So we have thepossibility to introduce you to the team.

Could you please confirm me this requested date and please send me the name of two referees in advance.We hope to see you soon. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards

EXAMINER COMMENTS

The language used by this candidate is consistent with band5, but the fact that the last content point (how to reach thecompany by public transport) is not achieved holds the markawarded at band 4.

Band 4

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CANDIDATE H

To Mrs Bennett

I receive your letter including CV we were also looking for the person who is experienced in work. The datefor interview for you is 20-03-02 and we will very happy to interview you. The best way you can reach us bypublic transport. If you need any further information please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Your sincerely

EXAMINER COMMENTS

Only the first two content points have been achieved, whichholds the mark awarded at band 2.

Band 2

CANDIDATE G

Dear Mrs Bennett

I have received your letter of application of post of traning substance, we have arrenged for you an interviewwith Mr John on 26 April, please tell me your 2 referees names and addresses you can reach us by bussesnumbered 610, 611 from city centre

Yours faithfully

EXAMINER COMMENTS

All the content points have been achieved and the candidatehas used an adequate range of structure and vocabulary.However, there is an impeding error (traning substance) andthis, together with the lack of punctuation and that the factthat the script is slightly short, holds the mark awarded atband 3.

Band 3

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BE

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Part One

The eight questions in this part of the paper are three-optionmultiple choice questions. For each question, candidateshear a short conversation or monologue, typically lastingaround 15 to 30 seconds. Each monologue or dialogue isrepeated on the tape in order to give candidates a chanceto check their answers. The multiple choice options may betextual or they may be in the form of pictures, graphs ordiagrams.

In the extracts in Part One candidates are being tested ontheir understanding of spoken English used in a range ofsituations and on their ability to extract factual information.They may need to pick out a name or time or place.

Alternatively, they may have to identify a trend in a graph, ora place on a map, or the location of an object in a room. Inevery case it will be necessary for candidates to follow theconversation closely.

Part Two

This part consists of a short conversation or monologue,typically lasting around a minute and a half, which containsfactual information. On the question paper there is a form,table, chart or set of notes with seven gaps whereinformation is missing. Candidates have to complete each ofthe gaps. The answers may include dates, prices, percentagesor figures. This part has a numerical focus, althoughcommon words may be tested, and sometimes there will benames that are spelt out on the tape; answers to these haveto be written with correct spelling.

Part Three

Candidates hear a monologue. On the question paper thereis a set of notes or a form with gaps. There are seven gaps tocomplete and the answers may be one or two words. Onoccasion, the key to one of the gaps may be a date.

Part Four

This part, which lasts about three minutes, contains a longerlistening text which generally takes the form of an interview,or a discussion between two or possibly more speakers.There are eight, three-option multiple choice questions onthe question paper and these are always in a written format.In this part of the Listening component, candidates are beingtested on their ability to understand the gist of a longer textand to extract detailed and specific information as requiredby the questions. They may also be tested on the speakers’opinions.

At the end of the Listening test, candidates have ten minutesto transfer their answers to their Answer Sheet.

Preparing for the Listening Paper

The Listening component is carefully paced and candidatesare tested on short extracts in Part One so that they cangradually ‘tune in’ to the spoken language and improve theirlistening skills without losing their place in the test. Listening can be a very demanding activity and candidatesshould practise their listening skills regularly using a widevariety of listening sources. Candidates who enter theListening test having done this will be at an advantage.

At BEC Preliminary level, it is advisable to collect as muchlistening material as possible that is suitably paced and of anappropriate length. Native speakers speak at many different

TEST OF LISTENING

Time: approx. 40 minutes including 10 minutes’ transfer time

Number ofPART Main Skill Focus Input Response Questions

1 Listening for specific Eight short conversations/monologues 3-option multiple choice 8information

2 Listening for specific Short telephone conversation or Gap filling (numbers and 7information prompted monologue spellings)

3 Listening for specific Monologue Note-taking (content 7information words)

4 Listening for gist/specific Conversation/interview/discussion 3-option multiple choice 8information between two or more people

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speeds and some speak much more clearly than others. If itis possible to collect a bank of authentic material that iscarefully chosen, this would prove useful practice forstudents. Otherwise it might be better to make use ofspecially designed materials for this level.

For Part One, candidates should try to listen to short extractsof speech, concentrating on understanding the general ideaor main points of what is said. For Parts Two and Three,practice should be given in note-taking. Prior to hearingtapes or audio materials, students should be given details ofthe information they need to listen for. Teachers shoulddiscuss the task with the students beforehand and encouragethem to listen for clues and prompts that will help themidentify the points they need to find. When listening tolonger texts, it would also be useful to discuss areas such as:

• the purpose of the speech or conversation

• the speakers’ roles

• the speakers’ opinions

• the language functions being used

• factual details

• conclusions.

BE

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LISTENING ANSWER KEY

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

1 C 9 8 (TELEPHONE OPERATORS) 16 (NEW) ROAD MAP(S) 23 A2 A 10 (£) 16,950 17 TRAVEL (MAGAZINE) 24 B3 B 11 33 (DAYS) 18 ORANGE 25 C4 C 12 CS08011 19 CALENDARS 26 C5 B 13 6(TH) OCTOBER/OCTOBER 6 (2002) 20 RADIO EAST 27 B6 A (THE) SIXTH (OF) OCTOBER (2002) 21 (OUR) INFORMATION SHEET(S) 28 A7 C 6/10/02 22 (THE) MANAGEMENT CENTRE/CENTER 29 A8 A 6/10 (2002) 30 C

14 (MS SUE) BLACKMANN15 795335

TAPESCRIPT

PART ONE. QUESTIONS 1 to 8.

1: Which chart is correct?M: …and I’m pleased to announce that we’ve had a

small but steady increase in ice cream sales, in spiteof the unusually low temperatures in the last threemonths. We’ll see whether this trend continues.

2: What kind of packaging do they decide to use?F: What packaging do you recommend for the smaller

type of bottle?

M: Well, I’d wrap it in clear plastic and tie it at the top.F: OK. But don’t you think a box would be better,

perhaps with a pattern on it?M: Boxes are dull and a pattern on the plastic would

look untidy.F: Right, we’ll do as you recommend.

3: Where is Mike going to take the visitors first?F: Mike, could you show some people round the

factory tomorrow?M: Certainly. The usual tour – from reception to the

warehouse?

F: They are particularly interested in our productiontechniques, so I would start there.

M: OK, and then through customer relations and intothe warehouse.

F: Thanks.

4: Who is Anne going to write to?M: Anne, that supplier we use has become very

unreliable, and we’ve decided to look for anotherone.

F: Seems a good idea.M: We don’t need to inform our clients, but could you

send a note round to all our departments whenwe’ve decided who to replace the supplier with?

F: Yes of course.

5: What’s the new time for the meeting?F: What time’s the MD back tomorrow?M: Erm.. just after lunch, I think. Why?F: Well, I’ve got a meeting tomorrow at a quarter past

two, but I need to be here when the MD arrives –I’ll rearrange my meeting for three.

M: Well, Paul’s coming to that meeting, and he has toleave early.

F: OK, I’ll make it a quarter to, then.

6: Which product has been the most successful?M: Our sales figures show that toy trains haven’t done

very well, although we’ve sold a reasonable numberof the dolls. As for model cars, we’ve sold so manythat we can’t produce enough!

7: What is the purpose of the meeting?F: We’ve got to fill those vacancies in research

urgently. That’s why today’s meeting’s so important.M: Yes, but the advertisement’s only just gone out.

Why discuss the interviews now?F: The closing date is next Friday. It will take us a day

to look at the applications. If we decide on theinterview questions today that’ll save time.

8: Which chart shows the company’s market share this year?F: Is the company doing better this year?M: It’s a mixed picture really. Sales have risen by about

fifty per cent, which is excellent, but our totalmarket share is down to five per cent from twentyper cent last year.

PART TWO. QUESTIONS 9 – 15.

F: Human Resources, Helen speaking.M: Hello. It’s Alan Thomas, phoning about the

vacancies here in Customer Services.F: I’ll just take the details to put in the ad. It’s for

5 telephone operators, isn’t it?M: It was 5, but we’re busier now and also 2 staff are

leaving this week, so we need 8 new people.F: OK. I’ll put that. And are these grade 1 posts, salary

14 to 15 thousand?M: Starting salary is fourteen thousand, but I need some

people with experience, so we’ll pay up to sixteenthousand nine hundred and fifty. That’s the top ofgrade 2.

F: Fine.M: Holidays, next.F: The usual 21 days a year?M: Actually, the telephone staff are working longer

shifts now, so they get an extra 12 days off a year.Together it’s 33 days.

F: OK. Do you have a reference number for theseposts?

M: Yes, it’s CS zero eight zero double one.F: Right. We’ll advertise next week, September the 7th.

What start date shall I put? The 6th of October?M: I wanted them to start on the 1st, but your date is

better. So, put that.F: And will you be their line manager, Mr Thomas?M: They’ll actually report to Sue Blackmann, that’s

double N.F: And who can people contact?M: Sue. She’s on 795 double 3 5.F: Right.....

PART THREE. QUESTIONS 16 – 22.

M: Okay, I just want to update you on our main plansfor promotion this autumn. The main campaign willof course be the pocket dictionary, but we also havea reasonable budget for the new road map, which iscoming out next month, as you know. For bothtitles, we’ve already taken full-page adverts in‘Travel’ magazine and I’m also considering space forthe dictionary in that new monthly ‘ReferenceNow’. For window and general shop display, ourdesigner has produced the wonderful stands youcan see in the corner. I’m sure you’ll agree that theorange is an improvement on the green stands wehad last year! Erm, we’re looking at a range of freegifts for handing out at exhibitions – currently onorder are calendars and keyrings, but possibly infuture larger things too, like umbrellas for majorclients. I’d like your views on that idea before I goahead. Alison’s managed to negotiate some air timeon Radio East and I’m going to visit a TV networkon Friday – that’s more relevant to our future titles

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though. Now, publicity material – everything islisted in the annual catalogue, which will be readyto send to booksellers in December. And talking ofbookseller mailshots we’ve also got one going outin September, which will be our information sheet.Finally, I can confirm the venue for the dictionarylaunch party, which is next month. Some of youknow we were trying to get the university library,but in fact, we’ve now booked the managementcentre, which will be excellent. Their catering issupposed to be very good…

PART FOUR. QUESTIONS 23 – 30.

F: There's quite a lot to talk about.M: Well Sue, it doesn't matter if we don't cover

everything today.F: Ok, David, let’s see how we go.M: Things are looking good, aren't they?F: Definitely. I'm very pleased. We've gone beyond

our sales targets. Our share price is stable. And, ofcourse, you know Eurocom were going to move butthey’ve chosen to keep their contract with us afterall. But winning the prize for British Exporter of theyear was the best thing, as far as I'm concerned.

M: On the other hand, there is the problem of risingcosts.

F: Yes, even though we avoided another rentincrease…

M: But all those expensive newspaper advertisements…F: Yes, that’s the real problem. Although they are partly

balanced by the decrease in import duties.M: Mmm … meanwhile, you want to limit our

expenses where possible?F: Yes, certainly. Actually, the budget for entertaining

clients is fairly reasonable, and very necessary. It's the cost of phone calls that worries me. It seems far too high.

M: Everyone should be using e-mail wherever possibleif you want to save on communications generally.Um, we've already got cheaper paper from theprinters, which is a start.

F: True. Now on to training. We need to be clearwhere this demand for training is coming from.

M: Well, our own success, basically. Our customerbase is expanding all the time. Our staff…

F: ….who are up to date with new computerapplications…

M: Yes, they're ok for that, but they have to deal withall these new clients. They'll need a wider range ofskills than they have at the moment…

F: We could contact the business school. Perhaps theycould send us some of their trainers.

M: Or what about the courses they run?F: But then again, it seems a pity not to use our own

training department. M: Doing it ourselves, you mean? Well, yes … after all,

it's the people here who know what we do best andcan really understand our needs.

F: I agree. OK, what's next?M: Um, there's the printing of the new brochure.F: Is the basic information changing?M: I shouldn't think so but the whole thing really needs

to look a bit better. The current one just doesn't givethe right idea at all…

F: Much too old-fashioned. Yes, a new presentation, a proper lay-out. What about out-of-date products?

M: Steve’s already taken them out. Now, do you wantto talk about the supplier situation?

F: You mean the situation with Johnson's?M: Yes, they're just not giving us what we need. Their

prices have always seemed very reasonable, but theproducts aren't good enough. There's no pointbeing cheap and on time if we don't actually getwhat we want.

F: Right, well, we need to deal with the situation.What contact have you had with them?

M: I wrote to them twice last month, and it didn't seemto have any real effect. We've looked at every orderas it comes in, so we already have a fairly clearpicture of the problem.

F: Hmm… I think you should start by ringing someother firms, see if they can match Johnson's deal.Then I'll make a decision.

M: Right. Great, we did manage to discuss everything.F: Yes, good.

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Part One

In the first part of the test, the interlocutor addresses eachcandidate in turn and asks them questions about themselvesand their opinions. The questions will be slightly different foreach candidate, and candidates are not addressed in strictsequence. In this part of the test, candidates are being testedon their ability to talk briefly about themselves, to provideconcise information on subjects such as their home, hobbiesand jobs, and to perform simple functions such as agreeingand disagreeing and expressing preferences.

Part Two

The second part of the test is a ‘mini-presentation’. In thispart, each candidate is given a choice of two topics and hasone minute to prepare a piece of extended speech lastingapproximately one minute. After each candidate has finishedspeaking the next candidate is asked which of the bulletpoints they think is the most important. In this part of the testcandidates are being tested on their ability to sustain theirtalk accurately and appropriately.

Part Three

The third part of the test is a conversation between thecandidates. The interlocutor outlines a scenario and providesprompts in the form of black and white pictures or writtentext to help the candidates. The candidates are asked tospeak for about two minutes. The interlocutor will supportthe conversation as appropriate and then ask furtherquestions related to the main theme. In this part of the test,candidates are being tested on their ability to interactappropriately using appropriate functional language andstrategies.

Preparing for the Speaking Paper

It is important to familiarise candidates with the format of thetest before it takes place, and a Speaking Test video withworksheets and notes for the teacher is available for thispurpose from Cambridge ESOL publications. For an orderform, please go to our website and click on Publications.Candidates can be further prepared through the use of pairand group activities in class as well as test practice material.It may be necessary for teachers to explain the benefits of thepaired test format. The primary purpose is to sample a widerrange of discourse than can be elicited from an individualinterview, in particular allowing the assessment to focus onthe interactive nature of oral communication.

Part One of the test is in an interview format. Classroomactivities such as pair or group work where candidatesexchange information would be useful preparation for thispart of the test. Practice of simple repair strategies such asasking for repetition or clarification would also be useful.

Part Two requires a longer turn. Classroom activities whichencourage longer contributions will prepare candidates forthis part of the test. Discussions as well as short talks orpresentations are ideal. Preparation might also include afocus on simple discourse markers and connectors.

Part Three is a discussion. Classroom activities whichencourage candidates to interact well with each other, suchas pair and group work, would be good preparation.Candidates should be encouraged to interact appropriatelyby taking turns to speak. It is also a good idea to encouragestudents to change partners in class so that they growaccustomed to interacting with a variety of people, some ofwhom they do not know well. Practice of particularfunctions such as giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing,etc. would also be useful.

TEST OF SPEAKING

Time: 12 minutes

PART Format/Content Time Interaction Focus

1 Conversation between the About 2 minutes The interlocutor encourages the candidates tointerlocutor and each candidate give information about themselves and to

express personal opinionsGeneral interaction and social language

2 A ‘mini-presentation’ by each candidate About 5 minutes The candidates are given prompts which on a business theme generate a short talk on a business-related topic

Organising a larger unit of discourse.Giving information and expressing opinions

3 Two-way conversation between About 5 minutes The candidates are presented with a scenariocandidates followed by further supported by visual or written prompts whichprompting from the interlocutor generates a discussion. The interlocutor extends

the discussion with further spoken prompts.

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BEC Preliminary - PART THREE

BEC Preliminary - PART THREE

Topics for training

• Equipment• Computer skills• Company organisation• Company rules• Customer service• Product training• Health and safety• Foreign languages

General training programme for new staff

Scenario:

I’m going to describe a situation.

A company is planning to introduce a general training programme for new staff.

Talk together about the topics the company could include in the programme and

decide which three you think are most important.

Here are some ideas to help you.

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ASSESSMENT OF SPEAKING

Candidates are assessed on their own performance and notin relation to each other, according to the followinganalytical criteria: Grammar and Vocabulary, DiscourseManagement, Pronunciation and Interactive Communication.These criteria are interpreted at Preliminary level.Assessment is based on performance in the whole test and isnot related to particular parts of the test.

Both examiners assess the candidates. The Assessor appliesdetailed, analytical scales, and the Interlocutor applies aGlobal Achievement Scale which is based on the analyticalscales.

Grammar and Vocabulary

This refers to range and accuracy as well as the appropriateuse of grammatical and lexical forms. At BEC Preliminarylevel, a range of grammar and vocabulary is needed to dealwith the tasks. At this level candidates may make frequentminor errors and use some inappropriate vocabulary, but thisshould not obscure intended meanings.

Discourse Management

This refers to the coherence, extent and relevance of eachcandidate’s individual performance. Contributions should beadequate to deal with the tasks. At times, candidates’utterances may be inappropriate in length and someutterances may lack coherence.

Pronunciation

This refers to the candidate’s ability to producecomprehensible utterances. At BEC Preliminary level, mostmeanings are conveyed through the appropriate use of stress,rhythm, intonation and clear individual sounds, althoughthere may be some strain on the listener.

Interactive Communication

This refers to the candidate’s ability to take an active part inthe development of the discourse. At BEC Preliminary level,candidates are able to take turns and sustain the interactionby initiating and responding appropriately. Hesitation maydemand patience of the listener.

a detailed guide to bec preliminary exams … · or e-mail) (30 – 40 words) ... assessed at each...

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