BEC speaking topics
If you are preparing for one of the Cambridge Business English Certificate exams: Preliminary, Vantage or Higher, then you will want to know what BEC speaking topics are.
The BEC speaking test is divided into three parts. The first part deals with introductions, some personal information and your work and/or studies. Parts 2 and 3 deal with ‘business related topics’. That is a very wide range of topics that could be included and you can get some idea of the type of things that might be included by simply looking through any Business English textbook at the level you are studying.
Some of the more common topics include:
- Business Strategy
- Meetings
- Presentations
- Events
- Solving problems
- Negotiating
- Customer Relations
- Staff Development
The topics are general business related topics and do not normally include highly specialized topics which would require in-depth industry experience, so it’s not important which sector of industry you come from or if you have been studying a general Business English course either independently or as part of a university degree, you will be expected to be familiar with ‘general business’ related topics.
Speaking Business English
One of the problems many candidates have is that although they understand the idea or topic and may even have some work experience related to the area, they do not have much practice or experience speaking about it in English. To achieve a good score in the BEC speaking test you will need to show that you can communicate clearly and accurately and can use appropriate vocabulary as well as having good pronunciation and being able to organize your ideas and thoughts in a logical way.
It is a good idea to read as much as possible on general business topics so that you can learn relevant vocabulary words, and more importantly, complete phrases which are normally used to describe or talk about certain topics. Being able to use topic specific vocabulary will help you achieve a high score.
Practice BEC speaking tasks
If you want to become good at something – you have to practice. It is just like playing sport or playing a musical instrument – the more you practice the better you become. Practice speaking English in the way you will be asked to perform in the BEC speaking test. If you are not sure of the format of the test then you should watch a video of a mock BEC speaking test to understand exactly what the examiner will ask you to do.
Watching the video will give you a good idea of the format and also the types of questions and topics which are normal in the BEC speaking test.
You can find many examples of BEC speaking topics and questions online (there are some on this blog) and this can help you to practice. Here are three ways you can practice and improve your speaking performance for the BEC speaking test.
- Record yourself speaking your answer for part 2 of the test. How long did you speak for? Did you use the full minute to show how well you can speak in English? Listen to yourself again - what could you improve?
- Carry a selection of BEC speaking topics with you and practice formulating your answers. Think about the vocabulary you would like to use. Do you know how to say everything you want to say? Do you need to learn some more vocabulary to help you describe things? Can you plan your answer in one minute?
- Find a speaking practice partner, either a colleague at work, another student or maybe someone online in another country who is also doing the BEC speaking test. Practice asking each other questions, listening to each other and forming answers.
Read lots of business related articles online or in magazines, learn phrases related to general business topics and practice speaking with confidence to improve your fluency. With sufficient practice you will be well prepared when the date of your BEC speaking test arrives and will feel confident and sure of performing well.
