Cambridge exams: How to pass BEC? The best tips & tricks from WinWin Cambridge Educational Cent
BEC is historically one of the lowest performing parts in the CPA exam. Encouragingly, the pass rate has seen marked improvement and is the only part with pass rate above 50% in 2012, reaching 57% in 2016.
BEC Preliminary B1 Who should take exam? You should take this exam if you want to improve your English for your career. Studying for the BEC Preliminary will give you a good foundation in the English skills you will need to work in international business contexts. To take the exam you should be able to: - follow short telephone conversations or general business discussions - discuss practical business tasks such as ordering or answering general enquiries - write brief factual business letters or emails There are three parts to Business English exam: Reading and Writing - 1 hour; marks - 50% Listening - 40 min; marks 25% Speaking - 12 min; 25% Tips & Tricks (Reading & Writing): 1) Stick to standard Business writing format, when it comes to business writing; don’t be fancy. Keep it short, simple and straight to-the-point. 2) For preparation purposes, students need to be familiar with text types that are divided into lists, headings or categories; e.g. the contents page of a directory or book, the departments in a business or shop, the items in a catalogue, etc.
BEC Vantage (B2) Who should take the exam? You should take the exam if you want to prove the employer that your English is good enough for you to work in an English-speaking business environment. Studying for the BEC Vantage will develop your confidence and the English skills you need to succeed in international contexts. To take the exam you should be able to: - understand the meaning of business reports and letters - express your opinion or have a discussion about factual issues - give a short prepared presentation and write a brief proposal There are four parts in Business English exam: Reading - 1 hour; marks - 25% Writing - 45 min; marks - 25% Listening - 40 min; 25% Speaking - 14 min; 25% Tips & Tricks (Listening): 1) In order to answer the questions successfully, they will need to work out the answer by developing ideas, and refining these as the text is heard 2) There may be many questions on opinions and feelings, but these will be relatively straightforward and will not require candidates to remember long and complex pieces of information.
BEC Higher (C1) Who should take this exam? You should take this exam if you want to develop professional English business skills. The BEC Higher qualification proves to employers that you can be effective in a demanding English-speaking business environment.
To take this exam you should be able to: - take an active part in business meetings, expressing your opinions and arguing your point of view - understand most business reports and correspondence - write detailed business proposals and letters There are four parts to Business English exam: Reading - 1 hour; marks - 25% Writing - 1 hour 10 min; marks - 25% Listening - 40 minutes; marks - 25% Speaking - 16 minutes; marks - 25% Tips & Tricks (Speaking): 1) Remember that you are not being tested on your general knowledge but on your ability to communicate effectively. Whenever you reply “Yes” or “No” to Examiner’s questions, add more details to your answer. In each case, aim to explain at least one point. 2) Organize and link your ideas and sentences appropriately, talking clearly at a normal speed and using a wide range of vocabulary. Hope we helped somebody with our pieces of advice :) Don't be scared or shy to use such tips and tricks on your lessons! Students will definitely be thankful for that! Aliona Matushevich WinWin Cambridge Educational Center Resources used: Information - https://www.britishcouncil.pl/en/exam/bec-business Authors: Aliona Matushevich - https://www.facebook.com/alena.olegovna.7 Lidia Fedorova - https://vk.com/id47089235 WinWin Cambridge Educational Center - http://winwin.zt.ua/
