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Guide To Using The Business Advanced Tests FINAL

This document provides guidance on using the Business Advanced tests, which are designed to reflect the Cambridge BEC Higher exam. [1] There are eight progress tests covering the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking similar to the exam. [2] The tests also include two longer review tests that cover the materials from the previous four units. [3] Marking guidelines are provided for both the writing and speaking sections of the tests.

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Lolita Isakhanyan
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100 views

Guide To Using The Business Advanced Tests FINAL

This document provides guidance on using the Business Advanced tests, which are designed to reflect the Cambridge BEC Higher exam. [1] There are eight progress tests covering the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking similar to the exam. [2] The tests also include two longer review tests that cover the materials from the previous four units. [3] Marking guidelines are provided for both the writing and speaking sections of the tests.

Uploaded by

Lolita Isakhanyan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Guide to using The Business Advanced tests

Welcome to The Business Advanced tests. These tests reflect the content of the units in The
Business Advanced Student’s Book. They have also been designed to reflect the content and level
of the Cambridge ESOL BEC Higher examination. The structure of the tests, which cover the
four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking, and the range of question types, are similar
to those in the examination and include topics and vocabulary specified in the BEC Higher
syllabus. There are two types of test:

• Eight Progress Tests for Units 1-8


• Two Review Tests, one for units 1-4 and one for Units 5-8

Progress Tests
There are eight progress tests, one after each unit, with four parts to each test, Reading, Writing,
Listening and Speaking. The time needed to do each test will depend on individual classes and on
the administration of the Speaking section. Guide times are given for the other parts of the tests.

Part 1 Reading – two tasks 20 points

Task 1 – One text on a unit topic


Question types include multiple-choice, cloze (individual words), cloze (whole sentences),
matching

Task 2 – One text related to the unit topic


Question types include text editing and gapfill

This section tests vocabulary and collocations from the unit, macro and micro reading skills
including the students’ ability to construct and deconstruct whole texts, cohesion and coherence.

Time: 30 minutes

Part 2 Writing – two tasks 10 points

Task 1 – One short report or email writing task (100-250 words)

Task 2 – One short composition task based on the writing model in the unit – e.g. job description,
appraisal review, press release. (200-300 words)

This section tests the students’ ability to generate written text, appropriately structured and
organized according to the purpose and demonstrating appropriate use and register of language.

An impression mark of between 0 and 5 is given (see marking guidelines below).

Time: 30 minutes

The Business Advanced Tests / Guide to using the tests 1


Part 3 Listening – two tasks 15 points

Tasks 1 and 2 – Based on the coursebook listening texts

Questions types: multiple-choice, true or false, matching ideas / summaries with speakers,
phrase completion.

This section tests the students’ macro and micro listening skills and their ability to digest and
process information obtained through aural input.

Time: 30 minutes

Part 4 Speaking – one task 5 points

Individually, students do one mini-presentation task from a choice of three given. They are given
prompts to base their mini presentations on and time to prepare what they are going to say. A
choice of three topics is given to provide task variety.

Ideally, the teacher should listen to the presentations student by student in a separate room.
In smaller classes the presentations can be given to the whole class and marked by the teacher.

Alternatively, in larger classes, the presentations could be delivered in small groups, with the
students marking their peers.

An impression mark of between 0 and 5 is given for each presentation (see guidelines below).

Time: depends on number of students


 
Review Tests
There are two longer Review Tests – one after Unit 4 and one after Unit 8. These test the course
materials in the previous four units, and are double the length of the Progress Tests.

Part 1 Reading – four tasks 40 points

Questions types as in the Progress Tests Time: 60 minutes

Part 2 Writing – two text composition tasks 10 points

Task 1 – one shorter, more informal email composition task (150-200 words )
Task 2 – one longer, more formal report writing or other composition task (300 words plus)

Time: 45 minutes

Part 3 Listening – four tasks, 30 points

Question types as in the Progress Tests

The Business Advanced Tests / Guide to using the tests 2


Time: 40 minutes

Part 4 Speaking – two tasks 10 points

Task 1 – A mini presentation – similar to those in the Progress Tests


Task 2 – A group discussion task

As with the Progress Tests the teacher should ideally listen to the discussions and mini
presentations group by group in a separate room. In smaller classes the discussions and mini
presentations can be done in front of the whole class and marked by the teacher.

The time taken for this part of the test will depend on the number of students.

Overall timing of the Review Tests will depend on the class and how the Speaking section is
administered, but it will be between two and three hours. This reflects the lengths of the Business
English Certificate (BEC) examination.

Marking the tests


Marks are indicated on the tests themselves for each section of the test. The Answer Key for the
tests contains the answers for Reading and Speaking. For marking Writing composition tasks and
Speaking see guidelines below.

Writing
For the composition tasks, marks should be given for both task achievement and communicative
quality. Credit should be given where students have attempted to use difficult grammar and
vocabulary. The following areas can be considered when marking the students’ written work:

• Content
• Accuracy
• Range of grammar and vocabulary structures
• Organisation and cohesion
• Effect on target reader

Speaking
The following areas can be considered when marking the students’ mini presentations:

• Grammar and vocabulary


• Coherence and content
• Pronunciation

In the discussions in Speaking Part 2 in the Review Tests the following can also be marked:
• Interactive Communication

The Business Advanced Tests / Guide to using the tests 3

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