bec preliminary

BEC PRELIMINARY

BusinessEnglishCertificates

UCLES 2014 EMC | 3993 | 6Y08 NOT FOR RESALE

Cambridge English ESOL Examinations

bec preliminary information for candidates 2

Why take BEC?More than ever, you need a good knowledge of English to succeed in international

business and commerce. If you can show you have relevant language skills, you'll have a

great advantage in the jobs market and more choice if you want to work or study abroad.

The Business English Certificates (BEC) from Cambridge ESOL are for individual learners

who want to have a business-related English language qualification. By taking an

internationally recognised business qualification like BEC, you can show that you have

learned English to an appropriate standard and can use it in a professional context.

BEC is available at three levels: BEC Preliminary, BEC Vantage and BEC Higher. BEC

Preliminary is set at Level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for

Languages (CEFR).

Why take a Cambridge ESOL exam?University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) offers the worlds leading

range of qualifications for learners and teachers of English. Around 1.75 million people

in over 135 countries take Cambridge ESOL exams every year.

Develop effective communication skills

The Cambridge ESOL examinations cover all four language skills listening, speaking,

reading and writing. They include a range of tasks which assess your ability to use

English, so that you develop the full range of skills you need to communicate

effectively in a variety of contexts.

Worldwide recognition

Universities and employers all over the world recognise Cambridge ESOL exams, so a

Cambridge ESOL examination is a valuable qualification.

Quality you can trust

We do extensive research and trialling to make sure that you get the fairest, most

accurate assessment of your ability and that our exams are most relevant to the

range of uses for which you need English.

Preparing for BECIf you would like some practice material to help you prepare for BEC Preliminary, there

are past paper packs available to buy which include an audio CD of the Listening test.

You can find more information, prices and details of how to order on our website at:

www.CambridgeESOL.org/support/pastpapers.htm

What does BEC Preliminary involve?This booklet is a brief introduction to BEC Preliminary. If you would like to see a full

sample paper for BEC Preliminary, you can download one from our website at:

www.CambridgeESOL.org/support/dloads/bec_downloads.htm

The table below shows the different parts of BEC Preliminary and how long each paper

takes. In BEC Preliminary, Reading and Writing are combined on one question paper.

Name of paper Content Time allowed Marks (% of total)

Reading andWriting

Reading: 7 parts/45 itemsWriting: 2 tasks

1 hour 30 minutes Reading: 25%Writing: 25%

Listening 4 parts/30 items about 40 minutes includingtransfer time

25%

Speaking 3 parts 12 minutes (2:2 format*) 25%

* 2 examiners, 2 candidates (2:3 format is used for the last group in a session where necessary)

BECPreliminary


Reading and Writing

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Reading

The Reading section has the following types of exercise: multiple-choice, matching,

Right/Wrong/Doesnt Say, multiple-choice gap-filling and form-filling. Reading is worth

25% of the total marks.

Part One (5 questions)

In this part there are five short texts, each of which has a multiple-choice question

containing three options. In all cases the information will be brief and clear. To answer

the question correctly, you have to identify or interpret the meaning of the text.

A wide variety of text types typical of international business situations can appear in

this part. Each text will be complete and have a recognisable context. Below are two

examples of the type of text you will find. You have to choose the correct answer from

the three options given (A, B or C) and mark it on your Answer Sheet. There are three

more texts and questions like this one in the exam.

Office Staff Required

Experience essentialFull training given (leading to

recognised qualifications)

Applicants must have

A relevant qualifications.

B previous experience.

C recognised training.

SPORSPOR TMASTERTMASTER

Pakistan-based manufacturer of sports items wishing to dobusiness in Europe is looking for importers

TEL: 92 555 4321

Sportmaster wants to

A sell its products abroad.

B import products into Pakistan.

C manufacture in Europe.

1

Part Two (5 questions)

This is a matching task with one text and five questions which are often descriptions of

peoples requirements. This section of the test is about vocabulary and meaning. There

are more possible answers than questions, so you wont have to use all of them.

In the example below, you have to read an advertisement which shows services offered

by a business consultancy. You have to match each question (6, 7 and 8) to the right part

of the advertisement text (labelled AH). In the exam, there are two more questions like

these.

Part Three (5 questions)

This task consists of eight graphs or charts (or one or more graphics with eight distinct

elements) and five questions. In the example below, you can see the income of a

restaurant, total expenditure and advertising costs during an eight-month period. The

months are labelled AH.

For each sentence (1113), you have to say which month it describes. You may not use

any letter (AH) more than once. There are two more questions like the ones below in

the exam.


A B C D E F G H

Month

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

Advertising

Total expenditure

Income

T H I N K I N G O F S T A R T I N G A B U S I N E S S ?

Need expert advice and/or assistance in one or

more of the following areas?

A Market Research

B Constructing a schedule

C Calculating costs

D Meeting legal requirements

E Obtaining finance

F Renting or purchasing premises

G Recruiting and training staff

H Promoting products and services

11 In this month, total expenditure, like income,

showed a fall, while spending on advertising

demonstrated the opposite trend.

12 Total expenditure rose slightly in this month,

while advertising costs reached their peak,

leading to a higher income in the following

month.

13 Despite a decline in advertising costs this

month, expenditure as a whole rose.

6 Margaret Williams needs help in choosing the

business loan with the most competitive terms.

7 Ibrahim Shah wants to be sure that there will

be enough demand for his product.

8 Maria Fernandez would like some advice

about where to advertise a new line of goods.

Part Four (7 questions)

This is a text with seven multiple-choice questions. Each question presents a statement

and you have to say whether the statement is A Right or B Wrong according to the text

and mark it on your Answer Sheet. If the information is not given in the text, the answer

is C, Doesnt say.

You dont have to understand every word in the text but you should be able to pick out

the important points and work out the meaning. Read each statement and the text and

choose A, B or C for each question (1618). The example below is an advertisement for a

hot drinks machine. In the exam, there are four more questions like the ones below.

Part Five (6 questions)

This is a single text with six multiple-choice comprehension questions. It is often from a

leaflet, or from a newspaper or magazine article.

The example below is part of a review of a book called The Bosses Speak. For each

question (2325), you have to choose the correct answer (A, B or C). In the exam, there

are three more questions like these.


23 The reviewer suggests that one advantage of the book is that

A it is better value than other management books.

B it does not need to be read right through.

C it is about well-known people.

24 The book concentrates on the fact that the twenty executives who are interviewed

A work in a number of different industries.

B started their companies.

C have worked for different lengths of time.

25 The reviewer cannot accept Stuarts opinions because Stuart

A makes unreasonable complaints about the interviewees.

B writes too positively about the interviewees.

C has different attitudes towards different interviewees.

It can be expensive to keep thecanteen open to serve drinks to yourstaff through the day. Our QVM hotdrinks machine replaces this service,so that you can close the canteenbetween mealtimes.

You can install the QVM hot drinksmachine anywhere in the building.One machine is suitable for a staff often to fifteen people. It costs 1300 tobuy, or 11.00 per week to rent over60 months. It is not expensive tooperate: for example, the cost ofpower for one day is 30p, nearly ascheap as the price of one hot drinkfrom the machine.

Our company will carry out aweekly service, at a charge of 10.00.We can also refill the machine withdrinks ingredients for an extra chargeof 8.00. Some customers prefer to dothis themselves, however.

There are eight choices of hot drinkavailable from the QVM machine, andour company offers one months trialfree of charge, so that you canestimate how popular the machinewill be and see what the actual savingsare.

Save money and keep your staff happy

ADVERTISING FEATURE

16 With a QVM machine, companies can avoid having a canteen altogether.

A Right B Wrong C Doesnt say

17 The QVM machine provides enough hot drinks for up to fifteen people.


18 Most customers prefer to rent the QVM machine over sixty months.


John Stuart is an executiverecruitment specialist who hasturned to writing. The result is thisbook, based on interviews withtwenty Chief Executives.

Each top manager none of themfamous names, surprisingly isgiven a short chapter, and there issome introductory material and aconclusion. This means you canjump from one person to another,in any order, which is good forpeople who are too busy to read abook from cover to cover. Fora management book it isntexpensive, although whether itsgood value for money is doubtful.

Some of the twenty intervieweesstarted their own businesses,while others joined a companyand worked their way up. Some

are fairly new in their position,and others have had years ofexperience, though, strangely,Stuart doesnt seem interestedin these differences. Theinterviewees work in everything,from retailing to airlines tosoftware, and it is this variety thatforms the main theme of Stuartsbook.

I have to say that Stuartsapproach annoys me. He rarelystays at a distance from hisinterviewees, who are mostlypresented in their own, positivewords. If this were always thecase, at least you would knowwhere you were. But he seems todislike certain interviewees. As aresult, I dont know whether toaccept any of his opinions.. . .

The Bosses Speak


Part Six (12 questions)

In this part you have to select the correct word from three options to complete 12 gaps

in the text. This part is largely about grammar. It tests your understanding of the general

and detailed meaning of a text, and in particular your ability to analyse structural

patterns.

The example below is part of a text about team-building. You have to choose the correct

answer (A, B or C) for each of the questions (2934). In the exam there are six more

questions like the ones below.

Part Seven (5 questions)

In this part you have two short texts, for example a memo and an advertisement, and

you have to complete a form based on these texts. There are five gaps and you need a

word, a number or a short phrase for each one. In this part, you have to extract relevant

information and complete a form accurately. In the exam you need to transfer your

answers (in CAPITAL LETTERS) to an Answer Sheet.

In the example below, you have to read the memo and the note. Then you should

complete the Insurance Claim form (lines 4145) on the next page. You need to write a

word, a number or a phrase for each line.

MEMO

TO: Barbara Sinclair

FROM: Peter Rogers

DATE: 25 May 2002

SUBJECT: Insurance Claim

Could you deal with this? Its our insurance claim, for the damage at the weekend. The

insurance policy is in my name, and we bought the carpet for 300, although it will cost at

least 500 to replace. Luckily our office carpets seem fine.

Thanks

OWEN SMITH INSURANCE COMPANY

with compliments

Thank you for your recent phone call regarding flooddamage in your photocopy room.

Could you please complete the attached form and returnit to me as soon as possible.

Martin Morris

Nowadays, company bosses are increasingly trying to find unusual team-buildingevents as part of their training programme. An activity park (29) ...... Fast-track hasjust opened to offer (30) ...... events. It specialises (31) ...... events to attract thecorporate entertainment market, (32) ...... is growing all the time.

29 A calling B calls C called

30 A such B like C so

31 A at B for C in

32 A who B which C what

33 A and B but C or

34 A ought B will C shall

TEAM-BUILDING THROUGH ACTIVITIES

The park is situated just a few kilometres outside the city centre (33) ...... it providesevents that (34) ...... entertain as well as train.

. . .

NACHHILFE & SPRACHKURSE www.LearningInstitute.ch

Tel: 0041 44 586 33 60 [email protected]

NACHHILFE SPRACHKURSE FIRMENTRAINING LEHRLINGSBETREUUNG STELLVERTRETUNG

Nachhilfe Nachhilfe notwendig? Sprachkurs erwnscht? Das Learning Institute organisiert in der ganzen Schweiz individuelle Nachhilfe- und Sprachkurse fr Privat- und Geschftskunden: Anmeldung und Informationen unter www.LearningInstitute.ch

Die ber 850 Learning Institute Lehrkrfte unterrichten gerne bei Ihnen zu Hause, an Ihrer Schule oder an Ihrem Arbeitsplatz. Bildung ist Vertrauenssache: Dementsprechend gestalten wir unsere Beziehung zu den Lernenden.

Sprachkurse

Firmentraining

Lehrlingsbetreuung

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Writing

For BEC Preliminary, you have to produce two pieces of writing:

a piece of communication with a colleague or colleagues within the company on a

business-related matter; it may be a note, message, memo or e-mail

a piece of correspondence with somebody outside the company (e.g. a customer or

supplier) on a business-related matter; it may be a letter, fax or e-mail.

The Writing section is worth 25% of the total marks.

Part One

Here you have to write a note, message, memo or e-mail. You should write 3040 words

and we give you a written prompt which explains why you are writing and who you are

writing to. The layout of memos and e-mails (e.g. to/from/date/subject) is on the

question paper and you dont have to copy this out as part of your answer. The bullet

points explain what content points you should include. You will have to make up your

own content to answer these points.

PART ONE

Question 46

You are going to attend an engineering exhibition in Frankfurt soon.

Write a memo to your assistant:

explaining why you will be away

letting her know the dates you will be away

saying what work she should do while you are away.

Write 30 40 words.

Write on your Answer Sheet.

Insurance Claim

NAME OF POLICY HOLDER: (41) ..........................................................................

POLICY NUMBER: L D 4 7 5 6 0 3 0 C

ITEM(S) TO BE REPLACED: (42) ..............................................................................

LOCATION OF ITEM(S): (43) ..............................................................................

VALUE WHEN PURCHASED: (44) ..............................................................................

CAUSE OF DAMAGE: (45) ..............................................................................

DATE OF DAMAGE: S u n d a y 1 9 M a y


Part Two

You have to write a piece of business correspondence of between 60 and 80 words. For

this you have to read a short text, such as a letter or advertisement and respond to it.

There are some content points below the text to show you what you should include in

the answer. You will have to invent some of the information you need.

In the example below you have to read part of a letter from Mary Bennett who is

applying for a job. Read the instructions after the letter and write your reply.

Listening

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

In the Listening section there are four tasks (multiple-choice, gap-filling and form-

filling). Texts used are monologues and dialogues, including interviews, discussions,

telephone conversations and messages. Listening is worth 25% of the total marks.

Part One (8 questions)

The eight questions in this part of the paper are multiple-choice questions. For each

question, you will hear a short conversation or monologue, typically lasting around 15 to

30 seconds. The multiple-choice options may be texts or they may be in the form of

pictures, graphs or diagrams.

In the extracts in Part One you have to show that you can understand spoken English in

a range of situations and that you can find factual information. You may need to pick out

a name or time or place. Alternatively, you may have to identify a trend in a graph, or a

place on a map, or the location of an object in a room. There are seven more questions

like the one below in the exam. You will hear the eight recordings twice.

8 Which chart shows the companys market share this year?

A B C

With reference to your advertisement in The Times, I am writing to apply for the post of

training assistant.

I am moving to your country next month with my husband. As you will see from the enclosed

CV, I have had a lot of experience in training and I feel that I have much to offer your company.

If I am selected for interview, please could you give me information about how to reach your

offices by public transport?

Write a letter to Mrs Bennett:

acknowledging her letter

offering her a date and time for an interview

requesting the names and addresses of two referees

telling her the best way to reach you by public transport.

Write 60 80 words.

Write on your Answer Sheet. Do not include any postal addresses.

With reference to your advertisement in The Times, I am writing to apply for the postof training assistant.

I am moving to your country next month with my husband. As you will see from theenclosed CV, I have had a lot of experience in training and I feel that I have much tooffer your company.

If I am selected for interview, please could you give me information about how to reachyour offices by public transport?


Part Two (7 questions)

This part consists of a short conversation or monologue. It usually lasts around a minute

and a half and contains factual information. On the question paper there is a form, table,

chart or set of notes with seven gaps where information is missing. The answers may

include dates, prices, percentages or figures.

In the example below, you have to listen to the recording of a manager telephoning

Human Resources about vacancies in his department. You should then complete each of

the gaps (915) with a word, numbers or letters. You will hear the conversation twice.

Part Three (7 questions)

You will hear a monologue. On the question paper there is a set of notes or a form with

gaps. There are seven gaps to complete and the answers may be one or two words.

Sometimes the key to one of the gaps may be a date. You will hear the talk twice.

For the example below, the recording is of part of a talk by the Marketing Director of a

publishing company. You have to fill in the missing information in the notes about the

Autumn promotion plans. You have to use one or two words for each question (1622).

Autumn promotion plans

Main titles: pocket dictionary and (16) ....................................................................................................

Advertising space booked in (17) ............................................................................... magazine

New colour for display stands: (18) ....................................................................................................

Free gifts include (19) ......................................................................... and keyrings

Alison has made a deal with (20) ....................................................................................................

For mailing to booksellers in September: (21) ....................................................................................................

Venue for dictionary launch party: (22) ....................................................................................................

Customer Services Vacancies

NUMBER OF VACANCIES: (9) .......................................................................................... telephone operators

SALARY: (10) Max. ................................................................................................................

TOTAL HOLIDAY (PER ANNUM): (11) ........................................................................................................................... days

JOB REFERENCE: (12) .........................................................................................................................................

JOB START DATE: (13) ......................................................................................................................... 2002

LINE MANAGER: (14) Ms Sue ....................................................................................................................

TEL NUMBER (FOR ENQUIRIES): (15) .........................................................................................................................................


Part Four (8 questions)

This part, which lasts about 3 minutes, contains a longer listening text. It is usually an

interview or a discussion between two or possibly more speakers. There are eight

multiple-choice questions on the question paper. In this part you have to show that you

can understand the gist of a longer text and find detailed and specific information to

answer the questions. You may also be tested on the speakers opinions.

In the following example, Sue, a senior manager, is talking to her assistant, called David.

You have to choose the correct answer (A, B or C) for each question (2325). There are five

more questions like the ones below in the exam. You will hear the conversation twice.

At the end of the Listening test, you have 10 minutes to transfer all your answers to the

Answer Sheet.

Speaking

Time: 12 minutes

The Speaking test is conducted by two oral examiners and you will be tested in pairs of

candidates. At centres with an uneven number of candidates, the last single candidate is

examined with the last pair in a group of three. The Speaking test is worth 25% of the

total marks.

Part One

In the first part of the test, one of the examiners talks to each of you in turn and will ask

you questions about yourselves and your opinions. In this part of the test, you will have

to show that you can talk briefly about yourself, provide brief information on subjects

such as your home, hobbies and jobs, and perform simple functions such as agreeing

and disagreeing and expressing preferences.

23 Sue is particularly pleased about the company

A receiving an award.

B increasing its share price.

C getting a new client.

24 What is the main cause of the companys rising costs?

A import taxes

B publicity

C premises

25 Which expenses do they want to reduce?

A entertainment

B stationery

C telephone


Part Two

The second part of the test is a mini-presentation. In this part, you have a choice of two

topics and one minute to prepare a speech lasting approximately one minute. After you

have finished speaking, the other candidate is asked which of the bullet points (see

sample topics below) they think is the most important.

Part Three

The third part of the test is a conversation between you and the other candidate. One of

the examiners describes a scenario and will give you prompts in the form of black and

white pictures or written text to help you. You have to speak for about 2 minutes. The

examiner will support the conversation as appropriate and then ask further questions

related to the main theme.

Next stepsWe wish you every success in taking BEC Preliminary and we hope that you will take

other Cambridge ESOL exams in future. BEC Vantage is the next level of the BEC suite of

business-oriented exams (see www.CambridgeESOL.org/exams/bec.htm) or, if you

prefer a general English qualification, you should consider First Certificate in English

(FCE) as the next step.You can find out more information about FCE on our website at:

www.CambridgeESOL.org/exams/fce.htm

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, Doesnt 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 peoplesrequirements. 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 Doesntsay). 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 writers purpose

the theme or main idea of each paragraph

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factual details that can be found in the text

the writers 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.

Page 11

BE

C P

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LIM

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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 others 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.

Page 12

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

nt

exp

ensi

ve,

alth

ou

gh

w

het

her

it

s

go

od

val

ue

for

mo

ney

is d

ou

btf

ul.

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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

arts

bo

ok.

I hav

e to

say

th

at S

tuar

ts 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

nt

kno

w w

het

her

to

acc

ept

any

of

his

op

inio

ns.

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lso

mea

ns

that

th

e b

oo

k g

ives

no

cle

ar l

esso

ns.

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the

very

lea

st,

I ex

pec

ted

to

lea

rn w

hat

mak

es a

succ

essf

ul

Ch

ief

Exe

cuti

ve.

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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

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e

seen

def

init

ely

do

not

hav

e. S

o i

n

the

end

Im

no

wis

er a

bo

ut

wh

at

real

ly g

oes

on

.

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hap

s Im

bei

ng

un

fair.

As

lon

g

as y

ou

do

nt

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

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calli

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calls

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lled

30A

such

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31A

atB

for

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32A

who

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wha

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33A

and

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ough

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35A

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mad

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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

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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

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even

ts a

s pa

rt o

f the

ir t

rain

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prog

ram

me.

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activ

ity p

ark

(29)

......

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-tra

ck h

asju

st o

pene

d to

offe

r (3

0)...

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ents

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spec

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31)

......

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trac

t th

eco

rpor

ate

ente

rtai

nmen

t m

arke

t,(3

2)...

...is

gro

win

g al

l the

tim

e.

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par

k is

situ

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just

a fe

w k

ilom

etre

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tsid

e th

e ci

ty c

entr

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3)...

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ides

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ts t

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(34)

......

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rtai

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wel

l as

trai

n.

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try

outd

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attr

actio

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as s

ailin

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clim

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,(35

)...

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aila

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ycl

earl

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tirel

y (3

6)...

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eath

er.

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iviti

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to

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mes

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efor

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e ca

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nt

thin

k w

e (3

9)...

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elve

s so

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ffere

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t-tr

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team

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15

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(41)

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und

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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

SUBJE

CT:

Insu

ranc

e Cl

aim

Coul

d yo

u de

al w

ith t

his?

Its

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

ho

w t

o r

each

yo

ur

off

ices

by

pu

blic

tra

nsp

ort

?

W

rite

a le

tter

to M

rs B

enne

tt:

ac

know

ledg

ing

her

lette

r

of

ferin

g he

r a

date

and

tim

e fo

r an

inte

rvie

w

re

ques

ting

the

nam

es a

nd a

ddre

sses

of

two

refe

rees

te

lling

her

the

bes

t w

ay t

o re

ach

you

by p

ublic

tra

nspo

rt.

W

rite

60

80

wo

rds.

W

rite

on

yo

ur

An

swer

Sh

eet.

Do

no

t in

clu

de

any

po

stal

ad

dre

sses

.

17

WR

ITIN

G

QU

ES

TIO

NS

46

and

47

PAR

T O

NE

Qu

esti

on

46

Yo

u ar

e go

ing

to a

ttend

an

engi

neer

ing

exhi

bitio

n in

Fra

nkfu

rt s

oon.

W

rite

a m

emo

to y

our

assi

stan

t:

ex

plai

ning

why

you

will

be

away

le

tting

her

kno

w t

he d

ates

you

will

be

away

sa

ying

wha

t w

ork

she

shou

ld d

o w

hile

you

are

aw

ay.

W

rite

30

40

wo

rds.

W

rite

on

yo

ur

An

swer

Sh

eet.

16

ME

MO

To:

Sar

a Ly

ons

Fro

m:

Dat

e:14

Mar

ch 2

003

Sub

ject

:T

rip

to F

rank

furt

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

BE

C P

RE

LIM

INA

RY

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.

BE

C P

RE

LIM

INA

RY

WRITING PART 1

EXAMINER COMMENTS

I am going to attend an engineering exhibition in Frankfurt, and the tickets 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. Its 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

BE

C P

RE

LIM

INA

RY

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 ca

bec preliminary

Documents

bec vantage

bec higher

cambridge esol exams

minutes reading

teachers of english

acambridge esol examination

reading section

good knowledge of english