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Business English Certificates (BEC)

What is BEC?

The BEC suite of examinations offers an English language qualification for learners wishing to use English for the purposes of international business. They are practical examinations that focus on the application of language in dealing with real-world business situations. There are three BEC levels; at each level there are Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking components.

What is tested in BEC?

At all three levels, the ‘business’ aspect of this examination delineates affects the vocabulary, the types of text selected and the situations presented in the tasks. In addition, as in the UCLES General English exams, other skills such as understanding the gist of a text or guessing unfamiliar words in a listening situation are tested.

(The information below is a summary for all three BEC examinations; some details apply more to one level than another.)

BEC assesses candidates’ ability to use English for a wide range of work-related functions, such as: asking for and giving personal details; arranging appointments and meetings; understanding office communications (reports, letters, memos, etc.); welcoming foreign visitors; making enquiries/reservations/orders/bookings; taking phone messages; understanding and explaining a company’s production/ordering/delivery systems; asking for and giving information about a product or service, etc.

Topics covered in BEC include: personal identification; the office, general business environment and routine; entertainment of clients, free time, relationships with colleagues and clients; travel and meetings; using the telephone; health & safety; buying and selling; company structures, systems, processes; products and services; results and achievements; business issues.

What types of questions are in BEC?

Task types include:

Reading

Multiple choice comprehension questions about short messages, adverts, articles, reports, etc.

Matching descriptions with key vocabulary or with graphs/charts

Gap-filling tasks to test understanding of text structure

Gap-filling tasks to test grammatical accuracy and range of vocabulary

Error-correction tasks

Writing

Writing short messages

Writing letters or reports

Listening

Matching short extracts with descriptions of their general topic or gist

Multiple choice comprehension questions about conversations, interviews or presentations

Speaking

Engaging in a conversation with the examiner about your work and interests

Exchanging information with another candidate on work-related topics

Discussing general work-related topics