BUSINESS ENGLISH LEVELS
All levels of the Business English Examinations have listening, reading and writing elements. All the tasks at all levels have a modern business or work-related topic or context. The tasks are designed with the needs in mind of students who find themselves working every day with office technology and twenty-first century methods of communication. In addition, as in all Anglia examinations, the format of the tasks is designed to give the students the best possible chance of showing his or her skills in, and knowledge of, the language.
List of business-related skills, functions and contexts covered in the examinations.
This list is offered as an aid to students preparing for the Anglia Business English examinations. It is not a complete and comprehensive list, nor is it a list of everything the student must know about business, as this is not a business exam itself but a business English exam. Clearly, just as the levels required of linguistic skill in English rise with the examination levels, in business terms the simpler, more practical topics are the ones tested at the lower levels, whereas at the higher levels students are expected to be able to cope with more complex issues.
A. BASIC FUNCTIONS
- Understanding arrangements
- Making appointments
- Confirming arrangements
- Changing arrangements
- Accepting instructions
- Giving instructions
- Obtaining information
- Giving information
- Taking messages
- Sending messages
- Making introductions
- Being introduced
- Responding to greetings/enquiries/invitations etc
B. UNDERSTANDING AND GIVING DETAILS (Company and personal)
- times
- names
- dates
- places
- prices
- numbers and figures
- abbreviations
- occupations
- company positions/responsibilities
- phone numbers
- addresses
- numerical data
- statistics
- graphic representations
- tables
C. BUSINESS CONTEXTS
- meetings
- meeting someone
- exhibitions
- conferences
- training courses
- entertaining clients/visitors
- travel
- hotel reservations
- job applications
- the employment process
- company business
- day to day work routine
- the office environment
D. METHODS OF COMMUNICATION
- telephone
- face to face dialogue
- letter
- form
- notice
- report
- presentation
- CV
- meeting records
- summary
- newspaper/trade magazine article
- training text etc
D. BUSINESS TOPIC AREAS AND ISSUES
- negotiating contracts
- buying and selling (prices/invoices/delivery dates/orders etc)
- import/export
- the concepts of tax/insurance
- marketing
- advertising
- Human Resources (salaries/promotion/selection procedures etc)
- management skills
- manufacturing processes
- health and safety issues
- the movement of capital
- (stocks/shares/currencies/investment etc)
- company performance and results
- trends - company/economic
- business personalities
- problems/complaints/delays
- facilities
- company organisation