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BEC (Business English Certificates) is an internationally recognised, three-level
business English qualification. It evaluates English language proficiency in a
business context. It is recognised and used by
many companies
for different purposes including recruitment and in-house training, and many
universities in the UK use it as an entry requirement for international students
for business-related courses.
BEC is administered by Cambridge ESOL.
BEC can be taken at authorised Cambridge ESOL exam centres worldwide.
More than 60,000 people take BEC in over 50 countries every year.
BEC is offered at three levels, BEC Preliminary, BEC Vantage and BEC Higher.
These levels are linked to the Common European
Framework for Languages. Each level tests all four skills, each of which
makes up 25% of the total score. The materials used relate to the following
topic areas:
| BEC Preliminary | BEC Vantage | BEC Higher | |
| Reading | 90 minutes.7 tasks. Multiple choice, matching, gap filling and form filling questions. 2 tasks, internal company communication, 30-40 words; business communication based on a reading passage, 60-80 words. | 5 tasks, 60 minutes. Multiple choice, matching, gap-filling and error identification questions. | 6 tasks, 60 minutes. Multiple choice, matching, gap-filling and error identification questions.. |
| Writing | 2 tasks, 45 minutes, internal company communication,
40-50 words, short report, proposal or business correspondence, 120-140
words. |
2 tasks, 70 minutes, short report based on graphic input, 120-140 words, report, proposal or business correspondence. | |
| Listening | 4 tasks, 40 minutes. Gap filling, note taking, matching
and multiple choice questions. Material used includes interviews,
discussions, telephone conversations and messages. |
3 tasks, 40 minutes. Gap filling, note taking, matching and multiple choice questions. Material used includes interviews, discussions, telephone conversations and messages. | 3 tasks, 40 minutes. Gap filling, note taking, matching and multiple choice questions. Material used includes interviews, discussions, telephone conversations and messages |
| Speaking | 12 minutes, in pairs. Response to questions, mini presentation, collaborative task and discussion. | 14 minutes, in pairs. Response to questions, mini presentation, collaborative task and discussion. | 16 minutes, in pairs. Response to questions, mini presentation, collaborative task and discussion |
A single grade is given based on the aggregate scores from the four sections.
For BEC preliminary there are two pass grades, Pass with Merit and Pass, and two
fail grades, Narrow Fail and Fail. For BEC Vantage and BEC Higher there are
three pass grades, A, C and C, and two fail grades, D and E. An indication of
performance in each section is also given, on the scale Exceptional - Good -
Borderline - Weak.
BEC scores are valid for life.
ESL exams index
Cambridge ESOL website
BEC handbook
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ESL resources for teachers - BEC