+ All Categories
Home > Documents > EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

Date post: 14-Apr-2018
Category:
Upload: alexandra-chiriac
View: 219 times
Download: 0 times
Share this document with a friend

of 22

Transcript
  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    1/22

    LCCI Examinations Board MH N T340 9 RNM

    Examiners Report and

    Model Answers for

    English for Business

    THIRD LEVELSeries 4 (Code 3041) 2000

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    2/22

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    3/22

    English for Business Third LevelSeries 4 2000

    How to use this booklet

    Examiners Reports and Model Answers have been developed by LCCIEB to offer additionalinformation and guidance to Centres, teachers and candidates as they prepare for LCCIEBexaminations. The contents of this booklet are divided into 5 elements:

    (1) General Comments assessment of overall candidate performance in this examination,providing general guidance where it applies across theexamination as a whole

    (2) Questions reproduced from the printed examination paper

    (3) Model Answers summary of the main points that the Chief Examiner expected tosee in the answers to each question in the examination paper

    (4) Examiners Report constructive analysis of candidate error, areas of weakness andother comments that apply to each question in the examinationpaper

    (5) Helpful Hints where appropriate, additional guidance relating to individualquestions or to examination technique

    Teachers and candidates should find this booklet an invaluable teaching tool and an aid to success.

    The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Examinations Board provides Model Answers tohelp candidates gain a general understanding of the standard required. The Board accepts thatcandidates may offer other answers that could be equally valid.

    Note

    LCCIEB reserves the right not to produce an Examiners Report, either for an examination paper as awhole or for individual questions, if too few candidates were involved to make an Examiners Reportmeaningful.

    LCCI CET 2000

    All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the Publisher. The book may not be lent, resold, hired out orotherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover, other than that in which it is

    published, without the prior consent of the Publisher.

    Typeset, printed and bound by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Examinations Board.

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    4/22

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    5/22

    English for Business Third LevelSeries 4 2000

    GENERAL COMMENTS

    The general response was very encouraging. Most candidates were aware of the conventions ofbusiness documents although sometimes inappropriate report formats were used (see Question 2).Most candidates were aware of issues of tone and register and, for example, produced a semi-formalletter in Question 1 and an encouraging memo in Question 4.

    There were still a number of errors in English common to many papers. Candidates were oftenconfused by the singular nature of non-countable nouns and invented inappropriate plural terms, suchas staffs or accommodations. Words with similar sounds or spellings continue to be confused (suchas using except instead of accept or bored instead of board). Adjectives and adverbs continue tobe used incorrectly (eg recently research was used instead of recent research).

    Once again, many errors were the result of over ambitious sentence construction and vocabularyusage. A concise style is always more appropriate in business and is likely to produce fewer errors.

    It is always good examination practice for candidates to proofread and check the text produced.A number of careless errors can thus be removed.

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    6/22

    English for Business Third LevelSeries 4 2000

    QUESTION 1

    Situation

    You work for a company called Contronic, which produces electronic components for heatingequipment. Your work involves assisting the Production Manager, Grigori Luzhny. Mr Luzhny has toldhis immediate colleagues in the company that he is to retire from work in April 2001, but this newsshould not be mentioned to anyone outside the company.

    This morning Mr Luzhny gave you the following letter which he has received.

    KUNICO CORPORATION2-18-4 Shi Ken

    Bunkyo-kuTokyo

    Japan 114

    24 November 2000

    Dear Grigori

    It was a pleasure to see you at the Frankfurt Trade Fair last month. We hear rumours that you areabout to retire so it is good to know that you are still working for Contronic.

    As I mentioned when we met, our company is about to launch the new Model C SJ41 (LS) grindingmachine. This is at least 25% more efficient than the Model B which you currently use, in terms ofproduction levels and energy used. Pilot investment appraisals have proved this.

    Although the machine is not officially on sale until May next year, we are giving long-established

    customers, such as your company, the opportunity to make an earlier priority order. I will be visiting anumber of our customers during the forthcoming months and I hope to be in your area during theweek beginning 12 February 2001. I will be pleased to see you to give details of the new machineand to discuss priority purchase terms. We will need to spend two or three hours together and Iwould be grateful if you could suggest a date and a time which would be convenient, so that I canbook this appointment first.

    I hope that everything went well with your daughter and I shall look forward to seeing you in February.

    Yours sincerely

    KazuoOzuKazuo Ozu (Mr)Sales Director

    Mr Luzhny asks you to reply on his behalf and says:

    Please check my diary for week beginning 12 February and arrange a time for Mr Ozu to visit us. Idlike you to attend also as it is important that someone knows what is happening after I retire, so pleasemake sure you are free as well. Tell him that were interested in the new machine, but dont make anypromises. Well have to see whether it is worthwhile making a large investment at this time, as theModel B machine is working very well. Weve also bought a stock of spare parts for the Model B. Tellhim wed need to know if these would fit the Model C machine. We will also expect to receive ourusual discount; 10% at least. Take care how you mention the discount. Dont make it sound as if

    were demanding this, but make it clear that this is something we would expect.

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    7/22

    QUESTION 1 CONTINUED

    You can tell him the good news about Maria. She gave birth to a little boy, Oleg, and Im now a proudgrandfather.

    You check Mr Luzhnys electronic diary and your own office diary for the week beginning 12 February.

    Extracts from both diaries appear below:

    Extract from Mr Luzhnys electronic diary

    Week commencing Monday 12 February 2001

    Monday 12 February am Annual Leavepm Annual Leave

    Tuesday 13 February ampm 1400-1700 Operation Management Group meeting

    Wednesday 14 February am 1000-1200 Retirement presentation (J Khan)pm 1200-1400 Lunch

    Thursday 15 February am Dentist (all morning)pm

    Friday 16 February ampm Golf tournament

    Extract from your diary

    Week commencing 12 February 2001

    Monday 12 February am General Purposes Committee meeting

    Tuesday 13 February

    Wednesday 14 February 1000-1400 Retirement presentation and lunch (J Khan)

    Thursday 15 February am Visit to KMGpm

    Friday 16 February am New staff inductionpm Golf tournament

    Task

    Write the letter as instructed. You can assume Contronic headed notepaper is used but you shouldinclude all other components of a business letter.

    (25 marks)

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    8/22

    Model Answer to Question 1

    HEADED PAPER

    28 November 2000

    Mr Kazuo OzuSales DirectorKunico Corporation2-18-4 Shi KenBunkyo-kuTokyoJapan 114

    Dear Mr Ozu

    PROPOSED VISIT TO CONTRONIC FEBRUARY 2001

    Thank you for your letter dated 24 November 2000. My colleague, Grigori Luzhny, has asked me toreply on his behalf.

    We are interested in your new Model C SJ41 (LS) grinding machine and we would like to hear moreabout it. We note that you are visiting our area in February 2001 and I would suggest that you visit uson the morning of Tuesday 13 February. If this is not convenient, Mr Luzhny and I are also availableon the afternoon of the following day, Wednesday 14 February. I would be grateful if you could confirmthe date you will be visiting us and the time you expect to arrive.

    Whilst we are interested in this new machine, there are a number of factors we would have to take intoaccount before we could make any decision to purchase, as I am sure you will appreciate. Ourcurrent Model B machine is working well and we have in stock a large number of spare parts for this

    machine. We hope that these parts can be used on the new machine, and we presume that we will beable to take advantage of our usual discount of at least 10% of the purchase price as a regularcustomer of Kunico. We will be taking all of these factors into account in our investment appraisal.

    Mr Luzhny has asked me to thank you for your enquiry about his family and he is delighted to reportthat he is now a proud grandfather. His daughter, Maria, recently gave birth to a boy, Oleg.

    I shall look forward to receiving confirmation of your visit.

    Yours sincerely

    A CandidateAssistant to Production Manager

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    9/22

    Examiners Report on Question 1

    There were few errors in letter layout and conventions. A small number of candidates devisedsophisticated letterheads despite being told that these were not necessary and others omittedeverything, including the recipients address and the date. Normally for this question the candidatecan assume that headed notepaper is used but all other components must be included.

    The main errors concerned who the letter was from. Candidates were asked to reply on behalf ofMr Luzhny. The best way to do this was to write under their own signature, making it clear that thiswas at the request of Mr Luzhny. However, they could not then talk about my daughter as Maria isMr Luzhnys daughter. A small number of candidates completely missed the point that Mr Luzhnysretirement plans were still confidential and should not be disclosed.

    Helpful Hints on Question 1

    Do not waste time devising letterheads when not required to do so

    Read all instructions carefully and clarify what information should be given and what should not be

    Give careful consideration to the tone and register of the letter, keeping in mind the relative

    positions of recipient and sender.

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    10/22

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    11/22

    QUESTION 2 CONTINUED

    Your file of research notes reveals:

    Age of Office Staff

    1 September 2000

    Number

    Employed

    % of these using

    Staff Canteenfor lunch

    17 and below1819202122-2525-30over 30

    31712

    69

    161434

    10082838377696458

    Notes on Interviews with other Department Heads

    1 Head of Finance Department

    Yes, we do have a lot of younger staff. It would be very useful if they had somewhere to go atlunch time. Some come back to the office now and disrupt the others who are working. Iwouldnt be against shortening the lunch hour until flexi-time comes in. Of course, if we foundsomewhere to use as a recreation room, we couldnt afford to spend much on it, could we?

    2 Head of Administration Department

    Im not so sure about shortening the lunch hour. A lot of the older staff would oppose this. But arecreation room - yes, good idea. We have got all those old chairs from the Meetings Room instore - we could use them.

    3 Head of Marketing

    We dont have too many young people in my section. Some of those from the other offices sitoutside our rooms at lunch time and they can be noisy - so an indoor room would be great.

    4 Head of Sales and Purchasing

    I think our staff need a break at lunch time. You need to get away from things and a rest room isa good idea. Im not happy about shortening lunch times. Some of the staff who go home or goto town have now got further to go.

    Notes on Interview with Health and Safety Officer

    If we provide a room we would have to take reasonable steps to make it safe, but unless there areparticular hazards, we should not have many problems. There is the smoking issue, of course. Weare a no-smoking building, so we might have difficulties if we allow smoking in any rest room.

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    12/22

    QUESTION 2 CONTINUED

    Possible locations

    Map of site

    Staff Canteen

    BLOCK A

    Option2

    Option 1

    (former Sports Pavilion)

    Largest of rooms available In need of decoration Away from main offices

    Currently used as records store Long walk to it through grounds No telephone link Other services provided (water, electricity, heating)

    Option 2(former Finance Records Store (Ground floor, Block A)

    No longer used - not in good decorative order In same block as canteen Close to main entrance and car park Good services provided (gas, water, electricity, telephone, heating) Close to many offices now used - poor sound insulation Smallest of possible rooms

    Option 3(former Conference Room (Top floor, Block C))

    Well away from most offices used Medium sized room Some distance for staff to travel Provided with all services (gas, water, electricity, telephone, heating) Good decorative order

    Task

    Write the report for Ms Too, as requested, and make any appropriate recommendations.(25 marks)

    Option 1

    Car Park Grounds

    BLOCK B BLOCK COption

    3

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    13/22

    Model Answer to Question 2

    To: Ms Karen Too, Head of Human Resources DepartmentFrom: A CandidateDate: 28 November 2000Subject: Investigation of staff lunchtime activities

    Introduction

    The Chair of the Staff Association has requested that we investigate the difficulties that some of thestaff are facing at lunchtime after the move to the new offices. I have investigated the problem andtaken into account the issues raised, the views of the Heads of Departments and other staff and thepossibilities for improvement, and I have made the following recommendations.

    Findings

    (i) The problemThe issue concerns the lack of a restroom or recreation room for staff who remain on thepremises at lunchtime. They are unable to remain in the canteen, they do not wish to remain

    outside during inclement weather and they do not wish to return to their offices during the lunchperiod.

    (ii) Staff involvedOf the 111 staff, 47 are now aged 21 or under and 30 are aged between 22 and 30. Such youngpeople tend to remain on the premises at lunchtime, with between 83% and 100% of each yeargroup using the staff canteen facilities at lunchtime, as opposed to 58% of staff over 30.

    (iii) Senior staff responseSenior staff generally welcomed the idea of rest room or recreational facilities being provided toresolve the problem. This would reduce the number of younger staff congregating in the groundsat lunchtime and prevent staff from returning to their offices too early and causing a distraction.

    (iv) Shorter lunchtimesOne possibility would be to reduce the lunch hour, but this is not a popular idea with senior staffand it would cause difficulties for those who wish to spend time away from the premises atlunchtime.

    (v) Possible locations of a recreation roomOption A (former sports pavilion)- This is a large room but it is some distance from the main buildings and it is in need of

    redecoration. There is currently no telephone link.Option B (former Records store ground floor, Block A)- This is a small size room, with full services, but it is close to other offices and it has poor

    sound insulation.Option C (former Conference Room top floor, Block C)

    -This is a medium sized room, in good decorative order with full services. It is not centrallylocated.

    Recommendations

    The company should convert the former Conference Room into a recreation room for staff. Theroom is in good decorative order and is fully equipped with all services. The room could beconverted for recreational purposes for little additional cost. The chairs from the old meetingsroom currently in store could be used.

    Although the room is in Block C and is not as accessible, staff using this room are less likely todisrupt the work going on elsewhere.

    The company should seek advice on any health and safety issues in using this room. The roomshould be a non-smoking area as this policy is carried out in the rest of the building.

    The lunch break should remain as one hour, until the new flexible hours system is introduced.

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    14/22

    Examiners Report on Question 2

    Candidates must realise that there is no one very specific report format to be used on all occasions.There are a number of ways of producing a report and as long as information is carefully selected andgrouped into sections with ease of reference, the particular form of layout used is not important.However, some styles were not appropriate on this occasion. For example, this is not a report to lend

    itself to a case for case against format as it is not a report to decide between two alternatives.Better reports were concise and summarised the key issues before arriving at a sensible conclusion.Candidates must not assume that readers of the report will also have read the question! Thus,Option 1 out of context would be meaningless to the reader, unless this phrase was explained.

    Helpful Hints on Question 2

    Before anything is written, use your summarising skills to extract the salient points

    Use any appropriate style that makes use of headings and sub-headings to summarise the mainpoints

    Refer to any full statistical data collected as in an appendix as real reports make great use ofthese.

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    15/22

    QUESTION 3

    Situation

    You are employed by Comco International, a major multi-national company with a wide range ofinterests and subsidiary companies. The management of Comco are now contemplating diversifying

    into other areas and there is a possibility that Comco might enter the merchant shipping industry bytaking over an existing shipping company.

    As Comco has not had any experience of this area of work, you have been asked to investigate thecurrent international position of this industry, then to discuss this informally with the Board of Directors.You have been given a number of questions and asked to prepare brief answers. These questionscan be answered from the following information which you have gathered from a variety of sources.

    International Shipping Worldwide

    Annual Cargo Shipped (5.5 billion tonnes)

    Worldwide ship-owning nations (% of world fleet by tonnage)

    General(timber, sugar, rice, steel,

    agricultural products etc)29%

    Crude Oil30%

    Oil Products 10%

    Liquid Petroleum 2%

    Grain 4%

    Iron Ore 8%

    Coal 8%

    Containers 9%

    Others 34.7%

    Greece 18%Japan 13%

    Norway 8%

    USA 6%

    China 5%

    Germany 3.6%

    South Korea 3.5%

    Hong Kong 3.2%Singapore 2%

    Taiwan 3%

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    16/22

    QUESTION 3 CONTINUED

    From an International Guide to the Industry

    The strength of the worldwide shipping industry reflects the general economic health of the nations ofthe world. When the world enjoys prosperity, goods flow freely between countries and merchant

    shipping is a beneficiary of this trade. In times of international difficulties or conflict, the volume ofinternational trade can decline substantially within weeks. In recent years the international industryhas had a turnover of between 60 and 70 billion US dollars.

    Moving goods by ship between nations has been the major means of trade for thousands of years; thismode of transport was adopted by the Phoenicians and it was later exploited by all the great imperialand trading nations. Significantly, it has not been superseded by other means of moving goods. Airtransport can make a limited contribution to international trade but it is never likely to take over thetransportation of goods in the way it has taken over passenger transportation from ships because ofthe limited size and scope of aircraft. As the worldwide road network improves, more goods are likelyto be transported by land, but there are many difficulties here, not least the fact that at any time manyareas and countries are not safe for international travel due to climate, geography or conflict. With theadvent of containerisation, goods can be moved quickly by land to the ports where the international

    journey can be made by sea. In the United Kingdom and Japan, 95% of imported goods arrive by seaand even for those countries with more substantial land boundaries, such as Germany or China, themajority of their goods arrive at their ports.

    The sea remains the most reliable medium of transportation, particularly as there is virtually no limit onthe size of ships that can be built. The largest moving man-made object on earth is the NorwegiansupertankerJahre Vikingwhich carries more than half a million tonnes of crude oil.

    The busiest trade is now shipping coal and iron ore from South America, South Africa and Australia toAsia, Europe and North America; oil from the Middle East, the North Sea and the Americas all over theworld; and grain from North America to Asia.

    The worldwide industry continues to be dominated by traditional sea-faring nations such as Norway,Denmark and Greece, and others that have built up fleets in more recent times such as Korea, China,Taiwan and Japan. However, there has been a movement to register this shipping in countries whereregistration is cheaper and more loosely regulated. This is known as flying a flag of convenience.

    Although the United Kingdom is no longer a major maritime nation (before 1914 its merchant shipscomprised 60% of the world fleet), London is still the leading centre for insurance, underwriting,chartering, surveying and classification. Singapore and New York have built up support andadministrative services but London remains as the centre where contracts are drawn up, disputes areresolved and insurance is arranged.

    Flags of the world fleet (% of shipping registrations)

    Panama 20%Liberia 13%Greece 6%Bahamas 5.3%

    Malta 5.2%Cyprus 4.8%Singapore 4.3%Norway 4%China 2.9%Japan 2.6%Others 31.9%

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    17/22

    QUESTION 3 CONTINUED

    Task

    Answer the following questions, in your own words as far as possible, to show understandingof the information given.

    1 How recent is the development of world trade by sea?(2 marks)

    2 What is the connection between a flourishing international shipping industry and worldwideprosperity in general?

    (3 marks)3 What are the major competitors to shipping as a means of transporting goods internationally and

    what are their limitations?(5 marks)

    4 What is meant by the term flying a flag of convenience?

    (2 marks)

    5 Briefly, compare the figures for the worldwide ship-owning nations, with those for the worldwideregistrations of shipping.

    (5 marks)

    6 Identify the origin and destination of the most common sea-borne cargoes.(5 marks)

    7 What is the major contribution of the United Kingdom to the worldwide shipping industry?(3 marks)

    (Total 25 marks)

    Model Answer to Question 3

    1 Trade has taken place by sea for thousands of years, since the days of the ancient Phoenicians.

    2 When the world is enjoying general prosperity, this leads to a boom in merchant shipping asthere will be a high volume of international trade. Problems with the world economy can lead to arapid decline in international maritime trade.

    3 As well as by sea, goods can be transported by air or land. Air-borne trade can have only limitedpotential because of the technical limitations of aircraft, which can never reach the same size asships. Land based trade has more potential but few trading nations have only land links with

    trading partners and road transport is always going to be affected by the vagaries of the weather,terrain and war or conflict.

    4 Companies often choose to register their shipping in a country where the registration is cheaperand where fewer restrictions are imposed on registration. This is called flying a flag ofconvenience.

    5 Of the major ship-owing countries, only a small proportion of shipping is registered in the homecountry. For example, Greece owns 18% of the international fleet but only 6% of worldwideshipping is registered in Greece, and for Japan the figures are 13% and 2.6%. In contrast,neither Panama nor Liberia which register a third of international shipping between them, areamongst the top ten ship-owning nations.

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    18/22

    Model Answer to Question 3 continued

    6 Crude Oil (30%) mainly from the Middle East, North Sea and Americas to all over the world.

    Coal (8%) and Iron Ore (8%) mainly from South America, South Africa and Australia to Asia,Europe and North America.

    Grain (4%) mainly from North America to Asia.

    7 The United Kingdom, mainly London, is the leading centre for the arrangement of maritimesupport services such as contract production, insurance and legal services.

    Examiners Report on Question 3

    This question posed most difficulties for those with a weaker command of English. It is never sufficientto lift a section of the original material as invariably some selection and interpretation is needed.

    A number of candidates ignored the hint that the mark allocation for each part reflects the level ofdifficulty and usually the length of answer required. Part 1, for example, carried 2 marks and requiredno more than a brief statement that sea trade has existed for thousands of years. However, Parts 3, 5and 6 carried 5 marks each and required greater development.

    Helpful Hints on Question 3

    Pay close attention to the marks allocation as a guide to the length and depth of your response tothe question

    Read and ensure you have understood all the material before answering the question concisely inyour own words.

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    19/22

    QUESTION 4

    Situation

    You work for Nutrico International, a major provider of processed food to the international market.From its base in your home area, Nutrico supplies a vast range of prepared and packaged foods tocustomers in various parts of the world. The company has a number of branches in differentcountries.

    It is well known that the company has faced financial problems recently and all employees are awarethat attempts are being made to cut costs and make savings.

    This morning, you attended a meeting with the companys Finance Manager, Ms Shahin Rizva andMr David Blanc, a representative of a local organisation, Business Link. Ms Rizva introduces Mr Blancto you and says the following:

    As you know, Ive been looking at the figures for the amount of money we are spending on staff travel,particularly abroad, and quite honestly we just cant afford to keep it up. I know how important it is forus to remain in contact with customers and clients but weve got to consider ways of cutting down onour expenses and I think we might have the solution to some of our problems. Can I introduceDavid Blanc, who is a specialist in teleconferencing? His organisation, Business Link, has developedvideo-conferencing to a fine art, and we should be able to use this form of communication much morethan we do. David, would you like to say something about this?

    Mr Blanc says the following:

    I know this might not be a popular thing to say, as you and your colleagues probably enjoy the tripsabroad, but I dont think people realise just how much video-conferencing is used nowadays. We havestudios in this area and we can link up with anywhere in the world. You can see and speak to peoplewithout leaving town. And dont worry about technical problems; weve got most of these solved andweve reached the stage that 99% of our conferences go without a hitch. We use something calledISDN6 which offers images on the screen that are of TV quality but it costs 6 times the price of a phonecall. We can offer ISDN2 for short conferences - the images are not perfect, but it is only twice the cost

    of a phone call. Our studios are open 24 hours a day so you can link up to any local time. The picturesand sound are transmitted instantaneously, and we can record the conferences if necessary. And wecan use fax facilities to transmit documents during the conference. We can even provide aninstantaneous translation service if required.

    Ms Rizva then adds:

    We must use the system much more in future. Not only is it much cheaper but staff then dont have towaste time travelling and they wont have to worry about being jet-lagged or forgetting importantdocuments.

    Ive spoken to our Departmental Managers and theyve agreed that they will now examine anyrequests for long distance travel from staff in future and they will only accept them if video-conferencing

    cant be used. We have to accept that sometimes there wont be the facilities at the other end andthere will be occasions when someone has to appear in person. But David has agreed to hold atraining session for all of our staff on Tuesday 12 December at Business Link, so that should reassurethem.

    Please draft a memo to all staff to tell them what they now have to do if they are thinking of arrangingan overseas trip, or even a long distance trip in this country. Tell them about video-conferencing andstress the positive side of all of this, please.

    Task

    Draft the memo to go to all staff, following Ms Rizvas instructions.(25 marks)

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    20/22

    Model Answer to Question 4

    MEMORANDUM

    To: All Staff From: A Candidate

    Date: 28 November 2000Subject: Video-conferencing

    Although it is accepted that staff from our company must continue to retain strong links with ourcustomers, clients and suppliers all over the world, the company is looking at ways of reducing theescalating cost of supporting long distance trips whilst retaining these invaluable links.

    One avenue that has been explored is the use of video-conferencing as opposed to appearing inperson at meetings. Staff might not be aware that the use of video-conferencing is now widespreadand many of the organisations and individuals that we work with use it extensively.

    Video-conferencing involves those taking part in a meeting appearing on video screens. They can

    speak to people anywhere in the world without leaving a local studio. This is not only much cheaperthan making expensive foreign trips but it eliminates travel time and other such disadvantages asjet-lag on long distance trips.

    I am pleased to say that we will work with a local organisation, Business Link, that has excellentvideo-conferencing facilities and great experience of operating in this area. They can provide all of thetechnical support required and advise us on the most appropriate systems to use, balancing cost andquality of image. They can provide a 24 hour service, a complementary fax service and eveninstantaneous translation should language be an issue.

    As video-conferencing provides so many advantages, it has been decided by the companymanagement that this will be the main medium of communications between ourselves and our longdistance partners. If you feel that special circumstances demand that you should make a long

    distance trip you should seek the permission of your Department Manager who will grant this onlywhen video-conferencing is not the most appropriate system.

    I am sure you will accept the whole range of advantages that video-conferencing brings to thecompany and that you will wish to know more about it. Business Link has agreed to organise atraining session for our staff on Tuesday 12 December. If you are able to attend this session, pleasenotify your Departmental Manager as soon as possible.

    Examiners Report on Question 4

    This question provoked a mixed response. Better candidates realised that the task was not simply to

    repeat the information but that it was important to reassure staff and persuade them of the benefits ofvideo-conferencing. A small number of candidates did not use a memo format, and some missed vitalpieces of information, such as the date and time of the forthcoming meeting.

    Helpful Hints on Question 4

    Remember that this is a reformulation question; information must be converted from one form to amore appropriate format

    You will be given clear instructions on the purpose of the memo. Use this and do not simplyrepeat the information given.

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    21/22

  • 7/29/2019 EfB Level 3 Model Answers Series 4 2000

    22/22

    Education Development International plcThe Old School Holly Walk Leamington Spa Warwickshire CV32 4GL United Kingdom

    Customer Service: +44 (0) 8707 202 909 Fax: +44 (0) 1926 887676Email: [email protected]


Recommended