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.

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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.

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r C)

on yo

ur

Answ

er

Shee

t.

8

It ca

n be

exp

ensiv

e to

kee

p th

eca

nte

en o

pen

to s

erve

drin

ks to

you

rst

aff

thro

ugh

the

day.

Our

QVM

hot

drin

ks m

achi

ne r

epla

ces

this

serv

ice,

so

that

you

can

clo

se t

he c

ante

enbe

twee

n m

ealti

mes

.Yo

u c

an in

stall

the

QVM

hot d

rinks

mac

hine

any

whe

re i

n th

e bu

ildin

g.O

ne m

achi

ne is

sui

tabl

e fo

r a s

taff

ofte

n to

fifte

en p

eopl

e. It

cos

ts 1

300

tobu

y, or

11.

00 p

er w

eek

to r

ent o

ver

60 m

onth

s. It

is no

t ex

pens

ive

too

pera

te:

for

exam

ple,

the

cos

t of

pow

er f

or o

ne d

ay i

s 30

p, n

early

as

chea

p as

the

pric

e of

one

hot

drin

kfro

m th

e m

achi

ne.

Our

com

pany

will

car

ry o

ut a

wee

kly

serv

ice,

at a

cha

rge

of

10.0

0.W

e ca

n a

lso r

efill

the

mac

hine

with

drin

ks in

gred

ient

s fo

r an

extra

cha

rge

of

8.00

. Som

e cus

tom

ers p

refe

r to

doth

is th

emse

lves

, how

ever

.

Ther

e ar

e ei

ght c

hoic

es o

f hot

drin

kav

aila

ble f

rom

the Q

VM m

achin

e, an

dour

com

pany

offe

rs o

ne m

onth

s tr

ial

free

of

ch

arge

, so

th

at

you

can

estim

ate

how

pop

ular

the

mac

hine

will

be a

nd se

e wha

t the

actu

al sa

ving

sar

e.

Sav

e m

oney

and

kee

p yo

ur s

taff

hap

py

ADV

ERTI

SING

FEA

TURE

Page 17

BE

C P

RE

LIM

INA

RY

23Th

e re

view

er

sugg

ests

that

one

adv

anta

ge o

f the

boo

k is

that

Ait

is b

ette

r valu

e th

an o

ther

man

agem

ent b

ooks

.

Bit

does

not

nee

d to

be

read

righ

t thr

ough

.C

it is

abo

ut w

ell-

know

n p

eopl

e.

24Th

e bo

ok c

once

ntra

tes

on th

e fa

ct th

at th

e tw

enty

exe

cutiv

es

who

are

inte

rvie

wed

Aw

ork

in

a n

um

ber o

f diff

ere

nt i

ndus

tries

.

Bst

arte

d th

eir c

ompa

nies

.

Cha

ve w

ork

ed

for

diffe

rent l

engt

hs o

f tim

e.

25Th

e re

view

er

cannot a

ccep

t Stu

arts

opi

nion

s be

caus

e St

uart

Am

ake

s unre

aso

nabl

e co

mpl

aint

s ab

out t

he in

terv

iew

ees.

Bw

rites

too

posit

ively

abou

t the

inte

rvie

wees.

Cha

s di

ffere

nt a

ttitu

des

tow

ard

s di

ffere

nt i

nter

view

ees.

26R

eadi

ng th

e bo

ok m

ade

the

revi

ewer

thin

k th

at

Ath

ere

are

certa

in q

ualiti

es w

hich

all

Chie

f Exe

cutiv

es

need.

Bit

is d

ifficu

lt to

disc

over

how

peo

ple

real

ly ru

n a

com

pany

.

Cru

nnin

g a

com

pany

is e

asie

r tha

n m

any

peop

le th

ink.

27W

hich

par

ts o

f the

boo

k di

d th

e re

view

er

most

enjo

y re

adin

g?

Aho

w th

e in

terv

iew

ees

beca

me

Chie

f Exe

cutiv

es

Bw

hat s

ort o

f peo

ple

the

inte

rvie

wees

are

Cth

e ad

vice

give

n b

y th

e in

terv

iew

ees

28Th

e re

view

er

reco

mm

ends

the

book

for

peop

le w

ho

Ain

tend

to s

et u

p in

busi

ness

.

Bw

ant t

o be

com

e se

nior

man

ager

s.C

are

outs

ide

the

field

of b

usi

ness

.

11

Turn

Ove

r

PART

FI

VEQu

estio

ns 2

3

28

R

ead

the

follo

win

g re

view

of a

boo

k ca

lled

The

Boss

es S

peak

.

Fo

r each

que

stio

n 23

2

8on th

e op

posit

e pa

ge, ch

oose

the

corre

ct a

nsw

er.

M

ark

one

lette

r (A

, B

or

C) on

your

Answ

er

Shee

t.

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

nt

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

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.

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

Iv

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

.

Per

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.

The

Bos

ses

Spea

k

Page 18

BE

C P

RE

LIM

INA

RY

13

Turn

Ove

r

29A

callin

gB

calls

Cca

lled

30A

such

Blik

eC

so

31A

at

Bfo

rC

in

32A

who

Bw

hich

C

wha

t

33A

and

Bbu

tC

or

34A

ough

tB

will

Csh

all

35A

beca

use

Balth

ough

Csi

nce

36A

on

Bof

Cw

ith

37A

aB

thes

eC

this

38A

still

Bev

er

Cnev

er

39A

must

Bw

ould

Cm

ight

40A

made

Bha

dC

done

PART

SI

XQu

estio

ns 2

9

40

R

ead

the

artic

le b

elow

abo

ut te

am-b

uild

ing.

Ch

oose

the

corre

ct w

ord

to fi

ll ea

ch g

ap, fro

m A

, B

or

Con th

e op

posit

e pa

ge.

Fo

r each

que

stio

n 29

4

0, m

ark

one

lette

r (A

,B

or

C) on

your

Answ

er

Shee

t.

12

TEA

M-B

UILD

ING

THR

OUG

HAC

TIVI

TIES

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.

Id

(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

nt

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

.

Page 19

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)

......

......

......

......

......

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......

......

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..

PO

LIC

Y N

UM

BE

R:

LD4

756

03

0C

ITE

M(S

) T

O B

E R

EP

LA

CE

D:

(42)

......

......

......

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......

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......

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......

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)...

......

......

......

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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

PART

SE

VEN

Ques

tions

41

45

R

ead

the

mem

o an

d no

te b

elow

.

Co

mpl

ete

the

claim

form

on th

e op

posit

e pa

ge.

W

rite

a wo

rd o

r phr

ase

(in C

APITA

L LE

TTER

S) or

a nu

mbe

r on

lines

41

45

on y

our

Answ

er

Shee

t.

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?

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 S

MIT

H IN

SUR

AN

CE

CO

MPA

NY

with

com

plim

ents

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

Page 20

BE

C P

RE

LIM

INA

RY

PART

TW

OQu

estio

n 47

R

ead

this

part

of a

lette

r fro

m M

ary

Benn

ett a

pplyi

ng fo

r a jo

b.

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

ttert

o M

rs B

enne

tt:

ack

now

ledg

ing

her l

ette

r

offe

ring

her a

dat

e an

d tim

e fo

r an in

terv

iew

re

ques

ting

the

nam

es a

nd a

ddre

sses

of t

wo r

efe

rees

te

lling

her t

he b

est w

ay to

reac

h yo

u b

y pu

blic

transp

ort.

W

rite

60

80

wo

rds.

W

rite

on y

ou

r A

nsw

er S

heet

.Do

not i

nclu

de a

ny p

osta

l add

ress

es.

17

WR

ITIN

G

QUES

TIO

NS 4

6 an

d 47

PART

O

NEQu

estio

n 46

Yo

u a

re g

oing

to a

ttend

an

engi

neer

ing

exhi

bitio

n in

Fra

nkf

urt s

oon.

W

rite

a m

emo

to y

our

ass

ista

nt:

ex

plai

ning

why

you w

ill be

aw

ay

le

tting

her

kno

w th

e da

tes

you w

ill be

aw

ay

sa

ying

what

work

sh

e sh

ould

do

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re a

way

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rite

30

40

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rite

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ou

r A

nsw

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heet

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a Ly

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ch 2

003

Sub

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rip

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rank

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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

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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.

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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 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

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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 dont 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 dont 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

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Page 27

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Th

is s

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or

use

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A DETAILED LOOK AT THE TASKS

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 speakersopinions.

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.

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42W

hat k

ind

of p

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LISTENING SAMPLE PAPER

Page 31

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PART

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Page 32

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8PART

FO

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30

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parti

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bout

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com

pany

Are

ceiv

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an a

ward

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incr

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are

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new

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s th

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ain

caus

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com

pany

s ris

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cost

s?

Aim

port

taxe

s

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blic

ityC

prem

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hich

exp

ense

s do

they

want t

o re

duce

?

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rtain

men

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stat

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tele

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e

26M

ore

train

ing

is re

quire

d be

caus

e th

e co

mpa

ny h

as

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tware

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its ra

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of c

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27H

ow w

ill th

e co

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ny o

rgan

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e tra

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nd

staf

f to

a co

llege

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curr

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taff

mem

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ploy

ext

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PART

TH

REE

Ques

tions

16

22

Lo

ok a

t the

not

es a

bout

a p

ublis

hers

pla

ns fo

r pr

omot

ion

this

autu

mn.

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me

info

rmatio

n is

mis

sing

.

Yo

u w

ill he

ar p

art o

f a ta

lk by

th

e co

mpa

nys

Mar

ketin

g Di

rect

or.

Fo

r each

que

stio

n 16

2

2, fill

in th

e m

issin

g in

form

atio

n in

the

num

bere

d sp

ace

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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 Im pleased to announce that weve had a

small but steady increase in ice cream sales, in spiteof the unusually low temperatures in the last threemonths. Well 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, Id wrap it in clear plastic and tie it at the top.F: OK. But dont 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, well 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?

Page 34

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 weve decided to look for anotherone.

F: Seems a good idea.M: We dont need to inform our clients, but could you

send a note round to all our departments whenweve decided who to replace the supplier with?

F: Yes of course.

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

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

M: Well, Pauls coming to that meeting, and he has toleave early.

F: OK, Ill make it a quarter to, then.

6: Which product has been the most successful?M: Our sales figures show that toy trains havent done

very well, although weve sold a reasonable numberof the dolls. As for model cars, weve sold so manythat we cant produce enough!

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

urgently. Thats why todays meetings so important.M: Yes, but the advertisements 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 thatll save time.

8: Which chart shows the companys market share this year?F: Is the company doing better this year?M: Its 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