Business English
The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Examinations Board (LCCIEB) is a major international awarding body offering business qualifications recognised by employers around the world. The LCCIEB offers a wide range of practical written and oral English language exams oriented towards the business world.
Practical Business English (PBE) is designed to test a candidate’s ability to survive in a business environment using English. The level is elementary to pre-intermediate. English for Business (EFB) is a communicative written exam offered at four levels, Preliminary, First, Second and Third. The Third level is widely accepted as an adequate standard of English for university entrance.
The Spoken English for Industry and Commerce (SEFIC) is a system of oral examinations designed by industry for industry. The examinations are at five levels, Preliminary, First, Second, Third and Fourth. They cover the most important operations candidates are likely to have to perform in any normal work or travel situation using English. They consist of: -
- Preliminary: A test of the candidate’s ability to ‘survive’ in business English.
- First: The ability to perform basic tasks and discuss routine work matters in business English.
- Second (Threshold): The ability to discuss a variety of common work-related topics in business English.
- Third (Intermediate): The ability to discuss familiar business of professional topics in depth in English.
- Fourth (Advanced): The ability to display a high degree of fluency in discussing a range of business issues in English.
Written English for the Tourism Industry (WEFT): This examines at two levels a number of tasks based on material normally used in the Tourism industry.
LCCIEB, Athena House, 112 Station Road, Sidcup, Kent DA15 7BJ Tel +44 020 8302 0261, Fax +44 020 8302 4169
http://www.lccieb.com
custser@lccieb.org.uk
The Pitman Examinations Institute offers English for Business Communications Levels 1, 2 and 3, designed for those who are preparing for or already working in any occupation requiring the ability to understand and write business communications in English. English for Office Skills Levels 1 and 2 test the use and transcription of English and the ability to perform routine tasks following spoken and written instructions. Pitman qualifications are recognised around the world as proof of skills and ability in a range of well-established office and business subjects.
Pitman Qualifications, 1 Giltspur Street, London EC1A 9DD Tel +44 020 7294 2469, Fax +44 020 7294 2401
http://www.city-and-guilds.co.uk
The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) offers The Business English Certificate (BEC) from Levels 1 to 4. There are three examinations designed to test the English used in business. They are suitable for adults over 17 years old who are either already in business-oriented work, or are preparing for a career in business. UCLES also offers Certificates in English for International Business and Trade (CEIBT). The examination comprises three separate, free-standing certificated papers covering reading, writing, listening and speaking. Candidates can enter one, two or all three tests. They are aimed at students whose English is broadly at Level 4 or CAE. Cambridge also runs the Business Language Testing Service (BULATS). This is a service for companies and organisations which need to test the foreign language skills of their employees, job applicants or trainees in a way relevant to their work. It is available in both computer and paper-based formats.
EFL Information, University of Cambridge, Local Examinations Syndicate, 1 Hills Road, Cambridge CB1 2EU Tel +44 01223 553355, Fax +44 01223 460278
http://www.cambridge-efl.org.uk
efl@ucles.org.uk
The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is an English language proficiency test in a workplace context. The test is designed to meet the needs of the working world, and the questions are developed from samples collected from various countries around the world where English is used at work. It is a two-hour multiple choice paper-based test, which is administered by a subsidiary of the Educational Testing Service in the USA. It was originally developed at the request of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in Japan. As it is used by employers, it neither contains academic language nor is it based on any textbook syllabus. Scores are reported to candidates’ employers or schools.
TOEIC Service International, The Chauncey Group International Ltd, 664 Rosendale Road, Princeton, NJ 08540 Tel +1 609 720 6647, Fax +1 609 720 6550
http://www.toeic.com
toeic@chauncey.com
