<<BEC Preliminary>>

Starting

• I am writing to ask for further information about ...
• I recently  read / heard about your advertisement online ...
• I would be interested in obtaining / receiving information about ...
• Having seen your advertisement in the newspaper, I would like to ...

Referring to previous contact

• With reference to our last phone call on Monday, March 15, 2021, I would like to ...
• Futher to our last call on Monday evening, I would like to ...
• In reply to your request / quote ...
• I was a pleasure talking to you on the phone last Tuesday.

Thanking for something

• Thank you for your sales letter of March 15 ...
• I truely appreciate your support.
• Many thanks for sending me your sales letter ...
• I am grateful for your personal help.

Making a request

• We would appreciate it if you could ...
• Could you please send me ...
• It would be grateful/helpful if you could ...
• It was most kind of you to ...

Giving bad news

• I regret to inform you that ...
• I am sorry about not being able to ...
• Unfortunately, we are unable to ...
• I am afraid that it would not be possible to ..

Giving good news

• We are pleased to announce that ...
• We are delighted to inform you that ..
• You will be pleased to learn that ...
• We are glad to inform you that ...

Apologizing

• We are sorry for the delay in replying to your email ...
• I would like to apologize for ...
• I am afraid that I cannot ...
• Please understand that we are not able to ...

Complaining

• We regret to inform you that ...
• I am writing to express my dissatisfation with ...
• I am writing to complain about ...
• Please not that your order was too late.

Closing remarks

• If we can be of any further assistance, please let me know.
• If you require more information, please contact us.
• For further details, do not hesitate to contact us.
• We would be please to do business with your company.

Referring to future contact

• We look forward to hearing from you / to meeting you on Monday ...
• If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
• I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience.
• An early reply would be appreciated.

Mitarbeiter = employees, staff members, business clerks

Elements of a text for the BEC writing task

1. Don't copy the text from the task.
2. Get the structure right (email, note, memo, notice).
3. Use a correct salutation (Dear, Hi).
4. Start with an introductory sentence.
5. Address all three/four points in the task.
6. Be specific (type of communication, date, name of person).
7. Be real and authentic (close to every day life).
8. Be polite (use words like 'could', 'would', 'might').
9. Omit distracting word repetitions.
10. Write your dates correctly (12 May 20023 or May 12, 2023)
11. Try to use a wide range of vocabulary appropriate to the task (don't  use only 'have', 'do', 'was').
12. Include two or three paragraphs (structure).
13. Write short sentences (don't add too many subordinate clauses).
14. End with a closing sentence.
15. Include the correct sign-off (Yours sincerely, Kind regards, best wishes).
16. Don't forget your name (first name and second name).
17. Keep an eye on the maximum number of words (30–40, 60–80).

There are two examiners during the speaking test,

•          one will speak

•          the other will listen.

There are usually two candidates (sometimes three).

There are 3 tasks in 12 minutes

•                    Two of the tasks are individual

•                    in the final task, you will have to speak to the other candidate.

Dos and Don'ts

DO

·           Get plenty of speaking practice in small groups, especially on topics that are likely to be used in the exam.

·           Listen to native (or good) speakers of English doing similar tasks.

·           Collect and keep records of words and phrases that are useful for carrying out the exam tasks.

·           Ask for clarification if you don’t understand the instructions/task.

·           Speak clearly and loudly enough for the examiners to hear you.

·           Avoid long silences and frequent pauses.

·           Listen to your partner and respond appropriately.

·           Make sure turn-taking is as natural as possible (taking turns to speak and listening to each other).

·           Use all the opportunities you’re given in the test to speak, and extend your responses whenever possible.

DON’T

·           Don’t memorise and practise too long answers for Part 1. You only need to give short answers in this part.

·           Don’t try to talk much more than your partner or interrupt in an impolite way.

·           Don’t worry about not knowing a word or phrase – explain what you mean using other words.

·           Don’t worry too much about making mistakes – you don’t have to be word perfect

·           Don’t just respond to what has been said – be prepared to give your own ideas, ask for your partner’s opinion and develop your partner’s ideas and contributions.

Part 1: Questions by the examiner (3 minutes in all)

•          Conversation between the examiner and each candidate.

•          Candidates must give information about themselves: interests, job, studies.

•          Candidates must express personal opinions.

Tips

• Listen carefully what question you'll have to answer.
• If you don't understand a question, ask the examiner to repeat it (Could you repeat that please?).
• Copy the grammar in the question. Reply in the same grammatical tense or use the same verb as in the question (e. g. Where do you work? I work for a bank / Present Simple).
• Give a short answer to the question and add one extra detail
• Check that you know how to answer them and the correct vocabulary to talk about your job, your daily tasks and your company (different categories).
• You can also check that you know the correct grammar and the correct prepositions.
• Answer the questions in full sentences. Always add a reason or give an example.
• Smile at the examiner and make eye contact.

Four sets of sample questions for part 1:

Feedback Form

6 Feedback Roles for Part 1

Part 2: Mini-presentations (5 minutes)

•          A ‘mini-presentation’ by each candidate on a business topic.

•          What is important when...?

•          Each candidate can choose between two topics.

•          Each topic includes three ideas/suggestions to talk about.

•          Candidate must give a short talk (speaking time: 1 minute).

•          Preparation time: 1 minute, candidate can take notes.

Tips

• Choose quickly.
• Choose a topic which is easier for you and which you understand entirely.
• Take some quick notes.
• Try to say something to each point.
• It doesn’t have to be interesting, but it must make sense
• Don’t speak too fast.
• If you don’t know a word: Guess it or ask the examiner: I’m not sure what it is, but I guess …
• When speaking, use your notes and look at the examiner.
• Watch the time (one minute) and try to finish with a short concluding sentence.
• Keep speaking for the entire minute, even you have to repeat some ideas.

Choose your structure for part 2:

Additional sentence starters for part 2:

Synonyms for 'important':

• essential
• vital
• crucial
• a key point / factor

Part 2 Example

 What is important when you go to the supermarket? 

• a list 
• Bags 
• Money 

You should be able to produce something like this. 

I'm going to talk about what you should consider when you go to the supermarket. When it comes to buying groceries, you have to pay attention to those three points:

• shopping list
• bags
• money

 Firstly it is important to write a shopping list because you can plan what you need and your shopping trip will be quicker. Make sure you don't forget your list. 

Secondly, bags are useful because now you often have to pay for bags. If you take your own bags you can save money and help the environment 

Thirdly, money is essential because without it you can't pay for your shopping. Overall money is the most important because it is what you really need, you can forget the other two. 

To sum  up, the key factor is the money. If you don't have any money, you ca't buy anything.

Feedback Form for Part 2

6 Feedback Roles for Part 2

Two topics to choose from

Part 3: Discussion (3 minutes) and questions by the examiner (2 minutes)

•          The examiner describes a situation for the candidates to discuss, and gives them some pictures or words to help them.

•          Candidates discuss together and must come to a decision.

•          At the end, the examiner asks further questions.

Tips

• When you read the task, use this time to think about the different ideas, their advantages and disadvantages.
• Try to start. This way you will feel more relaxed because you are speaking.
• Give an opinion about one part of the situation and ask your partner if he/she agrees?
• Remember to say ‘Do you agree?’ not ‘are you agree?’ If you are worried about making a mistake, with agree, just ask What do you think?
• Make sure to talk about most of the suggestions.
• Add reasons and examples.
• Speak to your partner, make eye contact.
• Listen to your partner and respond to what they say.
• Introduce another point and ask your partner to respond.
• You have to achieve the task: Watch the time and reach an agreement at the end of 2 minutes.
• Keep going. (see you are playing tennis, back and forth back and forth).
• Cooperation is important. There has to be a discussion: Don’t do all the talking yourself! If your partner talks too much, interrupt politely.
• Decide time! Usually, if the discussion works well and you have agreed and disagreed about the same things, then the decision part is easy because it is "obvious" what you have decided.

Sentence Starters for Part 3

A possible structure for part 3:

A: Would you like to start or should I?  / Let's start with our discussion.

B: As far as I am concerned, ....

A: I feel the same ...

B: Personally speaking, I believe that ...

A: I'm afraid, I disagree ...

B: Would you go along with that?

A: I see your point, but …

B: That’s a good point ...

A: You're absolutely right .

B: Let's make a choice / Let's agree on the three most important aspects. 

A: Would  you agree that we choose A, B and C?

B: Yes, that's fine with me.

Feedback Form for Part 3

Feedback Roles for Part 3

Examiner:

Now, in this part of the test, you are going to talk about something together. I'm going to describe a situation:

Follow- on questions:

PREPARE YOUR TASK:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Initial sentence: Let's get started. So we have to discuss about ...

Final sentence: So let's accomplish the task and agree on 2/3 points.

General Information:

• Website

Sample Test

• Exam