Business English - 4 Levels

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. ln 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.

When you take the Practical Business exam you can show that you can complete basic tasks and fulfil essential functions in a business context such as the office. For example, you will be able to show that you can take a telephone message accurately, and record details of arrangements such as appointments and meetings.

When you take the Intermediate Business exam you can show that you can record information in an increasingly sophisticated way. At this level you will also be able to respond to information and communications in a business-related way in your answer, for example an email message.

When you take the Advanced Business exam you will be able to read, manipulate and respond to different forms of messages in a variety of different ways. You will also be able to analyze a piece of text (e.g. a report document) and write a brief report summarising the information.

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/ enquir¡es/ invitations, etc

B. UNDERSTANDING AND GIVING DETAILS

(Company and personal)
• times
• names
• dates
• places
• prices
• numbers and figures
• abbreviat¡ons
• occupations
• company positions/ responsib¡lities
• phone numbers
• addresses
• numerical data
• statistics
• graphic representations
• tables

In a typical business or work-related environment, the student can

• listen to, understand and record practical factual information given in message form
• deal with basic social situations, such as making introductions, asking/ giving permission, showing gratitude
• deal with the basic methods of modern office communication i.e. write an accurate fax from information provided; write an appropriate email response to an enquiry
• pick out relevant information from a conversation or exchange and accurately record it
• deal with the common exchanges of a business environment, both functional and social such as making an arrangement, confirming an appointment, making introductions
• manipulate basic data
• deal with the basic methods of modern office communication i.e. write a plausible and coherent fax; respond to an email
• listen to, pick out and record relevant information from an authentic context