BEC Wizard

You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars/pounds, etc. to get yourself a business education. There are a growing number of colleges, universities and other organizations which are offering free online business courses. Here are some examples of such courses and what you can expect to learn from them. Free Online Business Courses There are many free online business courses which allow you to learn about different areas of business. You don’t need to register and there are no tuition fees. For example, there are courses on: Business Management Marketing Information Systems Masters in Business Administration However, most of these free online business courses do not equate to college credits. If you want to obtain credits for taking online business courses then you should consider accessing online business resources that are fee-based. Providers of this type of online business course typically offer online learning through a range of video lessons which are quick and inform

BEC Vantage speaking test Part 1 questions and sample answers (about 3 minutes) The examiner will take turns to ask you and your speaking partner questions. You will be expected to give information about yourself and also express your personal opinions on certain topics. Examples of BEC Vantage speaking test questions and sample answers What are you studying at the moment? I’m studying a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. It’s a two year course and I’m in the second year at the moment. What made you decide to study (name of subject)? Well, it’s directly related to my career and I thought it would be good to have an MBA for the future, especially if I want to pursue a career in top management. I also thoroughly enjoyed the first business degree I did which had an emphasis on international business and finance. Can you tell us something about your studies? Yes, of course, when I first went to university I did an international business degree with a specializatio

BEC Preliminary Business English Certificate Wordlist If you are preparing for the Cambridge Business English Certificate Preliminary test it is a good idea to have a copy of the BEC Preliminary wordlist to help you study and learn some of the necessary business English vocabulary expected at this level. The BEC Preliminary wordlist is a guide which can help you when preparing and ensure your business English vocabulary contains all the words you are expected to be familiar with at BEC Preliminary level. The wordlist, developed by Cambridge ESOL, is used by the people who write or create the exam questions and material. It also contains what has been identified as high-frequency business related vocabulary. The BEC Preliminary Business English Certificate wordlist also includes: Receptive vocabulary - words you should understand even though a questions is not focused on them Productive vocabulary – words you need to know in order to be able to answer a question The list

BEC speaking practice You can do this BEC practice speaking exercise with a speaking partner or in a group. One of you thinks of a large well-known company and the other person has to ask yes/no questions to work out/guess the name of the company. Here is an example : Johnson & Johnson Example questions : Is the company a multinational? Is the company part of the oil and gas industry? Does the company produce consumer products? Does the company work in the pharmaceutical industry? Does the company produce a very wide range of products? And so on, until the other person (or the group) guesses the name of the company correctly. If someone asks a question and you don’t know the answer, then you could allow them one open question as a bonus, for example: what kind of products do they produce? You can take it in turns to think of a company and ask questions. This will help you recall and use business English vocabulary and help you to think faster in response to the

Advanced Business English Vocabulary | Phrasal verbs The following are all phrasal verbs commonly used in Business English (as well as in everyday life). Can you complete the text below by choosing the correct phrasal verb and using it in the correct form. Business English Phrasal Verbs get ahead = make progress boil down to = is essentially start out = begin talk over = discuss thoroughly come up with = produce ideas/solutions turn up = arrive stick to = follow/obey Making progress, or (1)_____, in the organization where I work basically (2)_____ being a hard worker and (3)______ the guidelines put in place by management. The organization I work for doesn’t welcome originality, especially when you are just (4)_____ in your career. On a positive note, the organization is extremely supportive and always willing to (5)_____ problems and assist you in (6)____ solutions. There is one thing you must avoid though, which is (7)_____ to meetings late. Bad timekeeping is seriously

BEC preliminary Speaking Test Task Sheet for Candidate A A: What is important when ...? Taking an overseas vsisitor for lunch or dinner - Getting to know the person - Talking about work matters - Cultural eating habits B: What is important when ...? Commenting on a colleague’s work - Being diplomatic - Strengths - Weaknesses Exam Tip In Part 3 you have to talk together with your partner and with the examiner at the end. Make sure that you both take turns speaking. Remember: - Ask your partner for his/her opinion on what you say. - Take part in the discussion – don’t sit in silence. - Alow your partner to finish saying something before you give your opinion. Scenario You have been asked to organise the annual Sales Conference for your company. Talk together about the meetings and social functions which should be included in the conference programme. Decide what you will do on the first day of the conference. Candidate’s Prompt Sheet: Annual s

Why Learning English is Important for Your International Business Career According to Bloomberg News , Honda Motor Co. has made English the official language of its global meetings. The decision is part of a policy move to give regional offices more decision-making power. Takanobu Ito, Honda’s CEO, announced the change to global employees back in April. The move copies similar policy decisions by other Japanese companies fast Retailing Co., Asia’s largest seller of apparel, and also Rakuten Inc., Japan’s biggest Internet shopping mall. The ‘English only’ rule adopted by Honda refers to meetings in-person and also video conferences. For some of the company’s staff it means using interpreters as Ito has done in previous media interviews. Honda is not alone; various other companies have adopted a similar English only policy for global operations, Rakuten back in 2010 phased the language change in over a two year period, fast Retailing adopted English as their official language last