BEC中级考试资料

Information for Candidates BEC VANTAGE University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations Business English Certificates bec vantage information for candidates 2 Why take BEC? More than ever, you need a good knowledge of English to succeed in international business and commerce. If you can show you have relevant language skills, you’ll have a great advantage in the jobs market and more choice if you want to work or study abroad. The Business English Certificates (BEC) from Cambridge ESOL have been created specifically for individual learners who wish to obtain a business-related English language qualification. By taking an internationally recognised business qualification like BEC, you can show that you have learned English to an appropriate standard and can use it in a professional context. BEC is available at three levels: BEC Preliminary, BEC Vantage and BEC Higher. BEC Vantage is set at Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Why take a Cambridge ESOL exam? University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) offers the world’s leading range of qualifications for learners and teachers of English. Around 1.75 million people in over 135 countries take Cambridge ESOL exams every year. • Develop effective communication skills The Cambridge ESOL examinations cover all four language skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing. They include a range of tasks which assess your ability to use English, so that you develop the full range of skills you need to communicate effectively in a variety of contexts. • Worldwide recognition Universities and employers all over the world recognise Cambridge ESOL exams as a measure of your achievement in English. Whether you are hoping to study architecture in Australia or work in IT in Italy, a Cambridge ESOL examination is a valuable stamp in your passport to success. • Quality you can trust We do extensive research and trialling to make sure that you get the fairest, most accurate assessment of your ability and that our exams are most relevant to the range of uses for which you need English. Preparing for BEC If you would like more practice material to help you prepare for BEC Vantage, there are past paper packs available to buy which include an audio CD of the Listening test. You can find more information, prices and details of how to order on our website at: www.CambridgeESOL.org/support/pastpapers.htm What does BEC Vantage involve? This booklet is a brief introduction to BEC Vantage. If you would like to see a full sample paper for BEC Vantage, you can download one from our website at: www.CambridgeESOL.org/support/dloads/bec_downloads.htm The table below shows the different parts of BEC Vantage and how long each paper takes. Information for Candidates – BEC Vantage Name of paper Content Time allowed Marks (% of total) Reading 5 parts/45 items 1 hour 25% Writing 2 tasks 45 minutes 25% Listening 3 parts/30 items about 40 minutes including transfer time 25% Speaking 3 parts 14 minutes (2:2 format*) 25% * 2 examiners, 2 candidates (2:3 format is used for the last group in a session where necessary) � Reading Time: 1 hour Reading is worth 25% of the total marks. Part One (7 questions) This is a matching task. There are four short texts on a related theme or a single text divided into four sections. Although the context of each text will be similar, there will also be information that is particular to each text. There is also a set of seven statements related to the texts. You have to match each statement with the relevant text. In the example below, you can see four statements (1–4) about the mobile phone industry and four texts which are comments by mobile phone retailers. You have to say which text refers to each statement. In the exam, there are seven statements like those below, so you may have to use each text (A–D) more than once. bec vantage information for candidates 3 Market awareness of the mobile telephone has exploded and the retailer who specialises in mobile phones is seeing growth like never before. Admittedly, some customers buy their first mobile phone in the supermarket, but for advice, add-ons and particular services they turn to the specialist. There are a large number of mobile phone retailers and I can’t help but feel the market only has room for four players. Undoubtedly, customer service is the factor that differentiates operators and I think this year we will probably see rationalisation in the sector. Over a few years, prices have dropped sharply and technological advances have meant products have changed – and are changing. Successful retailers must try to keep on top of these developments and invest in the training of employees so they are able to offer impartial advice to customers. E-commerce is taking off but this won’t necessarily replace traditional retail outlets. In order to stand out, you need innovative ideas on customer service. We don’t believe in criticising other retailers, but there’s nothing particularly exciting out there at present. When I first started in the industry, mobile phones were retailing at a thousand pounds and were as large as box files. Now, prices are constantly being driven down and handsets are considerably more compact. There is intense competition between the network providers, and every time they lower their tariffs, more people come into the market. This will continue, and while retail dealers’ profits will be affected dramatically, network providers will have to generate more revenue by offering internet provision and data services to the mobile user. The mobile phone business is behaving like the internet industry in take-up and the pace of innovation, and it’s important not to be left behind. We must continue to innovate in delivering the product to the customer. In terms of service provision, you can draw comparisons between us and our closest rival, but clearly all the main mobile phone retailers have succeeded in taking the industry forward. Growth has accelerated rapidly and the mobile telephone has changed from simply being a business tool, to being a means of communication for everyone. A B C D 1 the need for retail staff to stay informed about the mobile phones they are selling 2 the belief that the market will not sustain the present number of mobile phone retailers 3 the use of mobile phones no longer being restricted to a specific group of people 4 the relationship between charges and the number of mobile phone users bec vantage information for candidates 4 Part Two (5 questions) This is a matching task. There is a text which has had six sentences removed from it and a set of seven sentences. You have to match each gap with the sentence which you think fits in terms of meaning and structure. The first gap is always given as an example so that you have five gaps left to complete. Remember that only one sentence fits each gap. When you have finished this part, there will be one sentence which you have not used. The texts for this part have a clear line of thought or argument which you can still understand without all the sentences. Read through the gapped text and the list of sentences first, in order to get an idea of what it is about. When you choose the correct sentence for a gap, you should read before and after the text to check that it fits well. Finally, read through the entire text inserting the sentences as you go along to check that the information makes sense. In the example below there is an article about a survey of businesswomen staying in hotels. Six sentences have been removed. Read the sentences after the text and decide which sentence belongs in which gap. In the exam you mark the correct answer (A–G) for each gap (8–12) on your Answer Sheet. You can only use each letter once. Hotels Failing Businesswomen Hoteliers should take note because they are facing serious criticism! Women account for more than half of all business travellers, but hotels are not doing enough for them. (0) . . . .G . . . . . These show that the number of complaints made about the way women guests are treated is increasing. The Bartonsfield Hotel in London also conducted a recent survey of UK businesswomen, which reveals that 70% feel they receive an inferior service. (8) . . . . . . . The attitude of hotel staff made them feel out of place in public areas; for example, 62% chose to eat in their rooms because they were made to feel uncomfortable by staff when dining alone. (9) . . . . . . . Four years ago, for example, a similar survey had revealed that a significant number of women travelling alone and wishing to use the hotel restaurant were actually turned away. Many of the suggestions for improved services put forward by the Business Travel Association are relatively simple. (10) . . . . . . . Placing tables in restaurants in a way that allows the head waiter to introduce guests to one another, so they can choose to sit together over a meal, was a further suggestion. Guests in the dining room would then have the opportunity to meet up with others who might, for example, be attending the same conference, or have the same business interests. Wendy Manning, executive manager of the Bartonsfield Hotel, agreed with the Business Travel Association that hotel star ratings should be influenced by the level of service they offer to female business guests. (11) . . . . . . . ‘Our survey highlighted the unwillingness of many women to air their views if they are treated badly,’ Wendy Manning pointed out. A group of influential businesswomen recently met to discuss the results of the Business Travel Association questionnaire. They suggested that businesswomen should not hesitate to make it clear if they have a problem. (12) . . . . . . . Once clients have gone, it is all too easy for the issue to be ignored by hotel managers, and it will also be forgotten by the overworked business executives themselves. A The hotel staff assumed they should be booked into the same room. B But there is clear evidence that things are slowly improving. C This would enable women to make an informed choice about a hotel, and they would not be placed in the uncomfortable position of having to complain about poor service. D It is advisable for them to do this during their stay rather than waiting until they check out. E Making sure that facilities in guest bedrooms cater equally for the needs of male and female guests is one such idea. F Most of the women, when questioned further, thought that the reason for this was that they were female and travelling alone. G This is evident from the results of a questionnaire distributed to hotel guests by the Business Travel Association. bec vantage information for candidates 5 Part Three (6 questions) This task consists of a text and six comprehension questions. Each one has four possible answers (A, B, C or D). The example below is an article about product life cycles. Read it and try to answer the questions (13–15) which follow. You have to choose A, B, C or D for each question. There are three more questions like the ones below in the exam. Product Life Cycles and Sales Strategy 13 According to the text, the end of a product’s life cycle is marked by A a sharp rise in production costs. B the product becoming outdated. C an increase in customer complaints. D less support from sales management. 14 What does the writer say about sales management in the first paragraph? A Companies should spend more time on their sales planning. B There are many managers who need to improve their sales performance. C Most sales managers fail to recognise which stage a product has reached. D The sales approach should change with each phase of the product life cycle. 15 According to the text, a greater sales effort is required for a product when A it is particularly innovative. B the advertising budget has been cut. C rival companies start to produce something similar. D consumer interest switches to a new product category. One of the most important concepts in sales management and marketing is that of the product life cycle. This is a historical record of the life of a product, showing the stage in its life the product has reached at a particular time. By identifying the stage that a product is in or may be heading towards, companies can formulate better marketing plans. All products have ‘lives’ in as much as they are created, sell with varying profitability over a period of time, and then become obsolete and are replaced or simply no longer produced. A product’s sales position and profitability can be expected to fluctuate over time and so, at each successive stage in the product’s cycle, it is necessary to adopt different tactics. The two main features of the product life cycle are unit sales and unit profit. The unit sales figures usually jump on introduction, as a response to heavy advertising and promotion, as customers buy the product experimentally. This is generally followed by a levelling off while it is evaluated – the length of this period depending on the use to which the product is put. Then, unit sales rise steadily through the growth phase to the maturity phase, when the product is widely accepted, and so on to saturation level. By this time, competitors will have entered the market with their own version and, from this point, the sales team will have to work even harder to win all additional sales. Eventually, the product’s sales decline as better versions enter the market and competition becomes too strong. In retrospect, most firms know what happened to their products from launch to withdrawal. They can compile this information from the records of unit sales. Unfortunately, unit sales are not the complete story as it is unit profit that is the decisive factor, although this is not always recorded accurately. It is this figure that sales management has to monitor, though, to ensure an effective marketing strategy and to produce effective profits. At launch, the product is costed accurately on the basis of production costs plus selling costs. Initially these remain fairly stable, but, when the product is proving successful, competitors will bring out their own ‘copy-cat’ products. With a competitor in the field, the original firm has to respond in order to maintain its market position. It can run special sales promotions, improve deliveries, make more frequent sales calls and so on. Often the extra expenditure is not accurately charged to the product and the result is that, long before unit sales are noticeably falling, the unit profit has already fallen. The product life cycle, then, presents a picture of what happened in the product’s ‘lifetime’, so how can this be used as an ongoing aid to management decision-making? Every sales manager has a chart on which the progress of sales is plotted and this can be used as a guide to the stage of development each product is currently in. An essential management skill is being able to interpret sales results and draw in the stages as they occur. Deciding where each stage begins and ends can be a random exercise, though usually the stages are based on where the rate of sales growth or decline becomes pronounced. bec vantage information for candidates 6 Part Four (15 questions) In this part you have a text with fifteen gaps. You have to decide which word belongs in each gap. The example below is some advice about the use of technology in presentations. You have to choose a word (A, B, C or D) to fill each of the gaps in the text (19–23). We only show five questions below. In the exam, there are ten more questions like these. Part Five (12 questions) This task is similar to something you may have to do at work if you sometimes have to check business documents to make sure that there are no mistakes before the final version is sent out. Guidelines for giving Presentations Most presentations today (0) . . .B . . . on the use of some sort of technology, such as a laptop computer linked to a projector.While this technology can help to (19) ...... presentations better, it also has a (20) ...... of getting in the way. As a general (21) ...... , it is better to (22) ...... on the content of a presentation as a means of (23) ...... your audience’s attention, rather than relying on sophisticated equipment. Bear in mind that when an organisation invites (24) ...... for a contract, they may (25) ...... four or five presentations from different companies on the same day. Each of these companies will probably be using the same computer graphics (26) ...... and the same equipment. The chances are the presentations will be similar too. That’s why the content and (27) ...... of what you say are important.Think about what you want to say and how to say it as clearly as possible. As a first step, you need to (28) ...... the main points you want to get across. Audiences are easily bored and (29) ...... to remember only the most entertaining, exciting or unusual ideas. Next create your materials, choosing the images for your presentation carefully. Remember you do not want to stop your audience from listening to you, nor do you want to (30) ...... them. Finally, make all the necessary (31) ...... for the equipment you need. If technology is to be an important (32) ...... of your presentation, make sure you know how to use it (33) ...... and test it out beforehand. 19 A produce B make C construct D build 20 A behaviour B habit C practice D routine 21 A method B law C rule D course 22 A focus B define C target D direct 23 A gaining B acquiring C collecting D taking Most presentations today depend on the use of some sort of technology, such as a laptop bec vantage information for candidates 7 The example below is an article about a training company. In most of the lines 34–45, there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. If you can find the extra word, you have to write it in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. Some lines are, however, correct and you should write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet. There are two examples at the beginning of the text, (0) and (00). In line 0 the extra/wrong word is ‘so’ and line 00 is correct. � Writing Time: 45 minutes For BEC Vantage, you have to produce two pieces of writing: • a communication with a colleague or colleagues within the company on a business- related matter. It may be a note, message, memo or e-mail; and one of the following: • a piece of correspondence with somebody outside the company (e.g. a customer or supplier) on a business-related matter. It may be a letter, fax or e-mail • a report; this means the presentation of information in relation to a specific issue or event. The report will contain an introduction, main body of findings and conclusion; it may be a memo or an e-mail • a proposal; this has a similar format to a report, but remember that a proposal is about the future and includes recommendations for discussion; it may be a memo or an e-mail. The Writing paper is worth 25% of the total marks. Part One In this part the task rubric explains who you are and who you are writing to. You may have to write a note, message, memo or e-mail and you have to write 40 to 50 words. The instructions include bullet points which tell you the pieces of information that you must use in your answer. If you have to write a memo or an e-mail, it is not necessary to include to/from/date/subject details. S O C O R R E C T 0 There is little doubt that training has become so an accepted part of business but it is 00 equally true that companies take a much less scientific approach than they should. A 34 recent study suggested us that, while UK organisations spend nearly £10bn a year on 35 trainin