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Every effort has been made to identify the copyright owners for material used, but it is not always possible to identify the source or contact the copyright holders In such cases, Cambridge ESOL would welcome information from the copyright owners

University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations 1 Hills Road Cambridge CB1 2EU UK www.CambridgeESOL.org © UCLES 2009

It would normally be necessary to obtain written permission in advance from the publisher before photocopying any part of this book However, the Student Worksheet pages in this book are designed to be copied and distributed in class: for these pages the normal requirements are waived here and it is not necessary to contact UCLES for permission for an individual teacher to make copies for use within his or her own classroom Only those Student Worksheet pages that carry the wording ‘© UCLES 2009 Photocopiable’ may be copied

First published 2009

Project managed by Cambridge Publishing Management Ltd Printed in the United Kingdom by Océ (UK) Ltd

ISBN: 978-1-906438-61-6

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Contents Introduction 1.0 cc ccc cece eee e eee e eee eee eenennnneeteeeennnes 4 Teacher’s Notes

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introduction

This Speaking Test Preparation Pack for BEC Higher has been specially created to help you to prepare your students for the Speaking test (Paper 4) of the Business English Certificates (BEC) Higher from Cambridge ESOL Written by experienced Speaking test examiners, it consists of: e a book containing comprehensive Teacher’s Notes and a set of nine Student Worksheets that

provide detailed practice for all parts of the BEC Higher Speaking test

e candidate visuals to allow you and your students to practise with realistic visual stimuli e a DVD showing real students taking a Speaking test to give your students a clear idea of

what to expect on the day

The Student Worksheets can be photocopied to use in class, or printed from the files on the DVD if you prefer They cover the three parts of the Speaking test in detail and contain a variety of exercises and discussion tasks using the DVD

The Teacher’s Notes for each worksheet explain how to conduct each activity and provide answers to and commentary on the various exercises There are ‘Teaching Tips’ for each of the three parts of the Speaking test, giving you extra ideas for use in class In addition, there are ‘Helpful Hints for Students’ for each part of the test, which you can read out to the class The DVD contains a recording of one complete BEC Higher Speaking test, along with the Student Worksheets and candidate visuals (these visuals are also included in this book) We hope you enjoy using the Speaking Test Preparation Pack for BEC Higher and wish your students every success when they take the test

= Aims of the DVD and worksheets

° to raise students’ awareness of the format of the BEC Higher Speaking test ° to focus students’ attention on techniques that will improve their performance

e to provide opportunities for students to practise the language used in the different parts of

the test

Please note:

The DVD and worksheets are not intended as a forum for discussing grades Although in certain questions we are asking students to look at the candidates’ performance, it is with a view to improving their own performance and not for them to grade the candidates on the DVD

The BEC Higher Speaking test on the DVD has been produced for teaching purposes only and is

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ES UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE BEC Higher Speaking test

ESOL Examinations Teacher’s Notes NTRODUCTORY

WORKSHEET

Time needed: 20 minutes

= Task One: general information about BEC Higher Speaking test

Students can complete Task One by visiting the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page of the Speaking section of the Candidate Support site: http://www.candidates.cambridgeesol.org/cs/Help_with_exams/Professional_English/ BEG_Higher If you do not have access to the internet, photocopy page 6 for each of your candidates Answers True | False The test has four parts X

1 The test has three parts

2 There are two examiners — an interlocutor and an assessor

3 The interlocutor asks me questions and the assessor listens to me X 4 The test always lasts 12 minutes X

The test takes 16 minutes If there is an uneven number of candidates, a group of three is allowed When three candidates take the test, it takes 22 minutes

5 | will always take the test with one other candidate X The test usually has two candidates However, if there is an uneven number of

candidates at the end of the testing session, a group of three is allowed

6 The Speaking test is worth 25% of the total marks for the BEC Higher exam X 7 In the test | have to talk with the examiner, but not to my partner X

There is a variety of interaction in the test Candidates will talk with the examiner, with the other candidate and on their own

8 | need to have specialist knowledge about business to take the BEC Higher exam X The exam does not focus on any specific business knowledge (e.g banking or

computing), but candidates are expected to be familiar with a broad spectrum of business situations and the vocabulary appropriate to them

9 If my partner is very shy, | need to talk more X Candidates should not worry about how much their partner speaks (either too much or

too little), although teachers should focus on turn-taking strategies when preparing candidates for the exam Examiners are trained to handle situations where one ị candidate talks more than the other to ensure that both are given equal opportunities | 10 If | don’t understand a question, | can ask

| 11 | will not be compared to my partner

12 If | don’t pass the Speaking test, | will fail the BEC Higher exam X | Acandidate’s overall grade is based on the total score gained in all papers

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BEC Higher Speaking test: Frequently Asked Questions

What’s in the BEC Higher Speaking paper?

The BEC Higher Speaking test has three parts and you take it together with another candidate There are two examiners One of the examiners (the interlocutor) conducts the test and the other examiner (the assessor) listens to what you say and takes notes

Summary

Time allowed: 16 minutes per pair of candidates Number of parts: three

Marks: 25% of total

You have to talk: with the examiner; with the other candidate; on your own

v4

How many marks is the Speaking test worth?

It is worth 25% of the total marks for the BEC Higher examination

How much do I need to know about business to be successful in the Speaking test?

The BEC exams test English language in a business context They are not focused on any specific branch, e.g banking or computing, but you are expected to be familiar with a broad spectrum of business situations and the vocabulary appropriate to them

What happens if we are mismatched, e.g a shy person with a more dominant one?

Examiners are trained to handle such situations and to ensure that both of you are given equal opportunities, which you should then use to show what you know The questions after the Part 3 collaborative task enable the interlocutor to ensure both of you have equal

opportunities

What should I do if I don’t understand a question?

Ask! Good communication involves asking for clarification where necessary and in an appropriate manner

Is it an advantage to know your partner in the Speaking test?

Not really You should be encouraged to change partners in class so that you grow accustomed to interacting with a variety of people, some of whom you don't know well

Are we compared to each other when we’re marked?

No, you are marked on the basis of your individual performance

Does the interview always have a 2:2 format?

No, if there is an uneven number of candidates, a group of three is allowed When three candidates take the test, it takes 22 minutes

Is it necessary to pass all parts of the exam to pass overall?

No The BEC Higher Speaking test represents 25% of the total marks available Your overall grade is based on the total score gained in all papers It is not necessary to achieve a satisfactory level in each paper in order to pass the examination

6 SPEAKING TEST PREPARATION PACK FOR BEC HIGHER

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BTA UNIVERSITY Š Huệ a ESOL Examinations of CAMBRIDGE BEC Higher Speaking test Teacher’s Notes WORKSHEET 4 This worksheet is based on Part 1 of the BEC Higher Speaking test

Time needed: 1 hour-1 hour 10 minutes

a Task One (10 minutes)

1 Ask the students to read the two questions on the worksheet Suggest that they work with a partner and ask and answer them in turn

© Tell me about your work or studies and about your ambitions for the future

e Tell me about your work and studies and what you like best about your work/studies You may wish to collect some feedback from the students Their answers will depend on the students themselves and what they say

DVD) 2 Play the whole of Part 1 on the DVD Ask the students to discuss in their pairs how their

Vibeo” answers were different from Paolo and Laura’s Encourage them to think about how well

they answered the questions and to say how they feel about the way the candidates on the DVD answered them Answers will depend on what the students say

3 Ask the students to write down the answers to the next three questions in the space provided on their worksheets Then ask individual students for their answers

Answers

a) How many questions does each candidate answer? — Each candidate answers two questions in Part 1 (apart from their names and where they come from) The first question is a personal one about work and/or studies and the second is a more general one about a business topic in

their country

b) How does the interlocutor indicate who should answer a question? — She uses their names and alternates between them

c) Which candidate speaks the most? — Both candidates speak for about the same length of time overall and extend their answers well in this part, which only lasts for 3 minutes altogether

# Task Two (10 minutes)

DY | Play the first part of Part 1 on the DVD (00.00-1.28) Ask the students to answer the questions vipeo | on the worksheet

Answers

1 How does Paolo extend his answer when talking about his ambitions for the future? — Paolo describes his situation briefly (he has just graduated in management studies at the University of Sdo Paulo, and is improving his English in Cambridge), and then continues by describing his ambitions for the future, which are related to finding a job in the financial, business or banking sector in Brazil 2 What does Laura like best about her studies? —- Laura does not actually answer the question

about what she likes about her studies She just explains what her situation is regarding her studies (she is intending to study fashion and branding at university next year in Amsterdam, and is improving her English in Cambridge)

Remind students that it is important that they listen carefully to the question asked, which will be different from their partner’s

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@ Task Three (20 minutes)

1 Ask the students to complete the table on the worksheet individually by writing two questions about each of the topic areas to ask their partner Suggested answers | Topic area My questions

1 Why are you learning English? Your reasons for learning English

2 Would you like to learn English in the UK/USA, etc.?

ˆ Why did you choose to study X?

- Reasons for choosing your work/studies 2 How long do you think you will stay in your present job?

— Have you ever been on a training course for your

; ^ work?

Your reasons for going on a training course

(in the past or future) 2 Why did you choose this course? / What training course would you most like to do in the future?

ff you could study anywhere in the world, where 2 Whether you would like to move abroad to work would you choose?

or study 2 Would you like to do a job where you travelled abroad often on business? 2 Ask the students to practise in pairs or small groups, taking turns to ask and answer their questions

# Task Four: focus on vocabulary (20-30 minutes)

1 Check that all the students understand the words in the example (finance) Ask the students to work in small groups to brainstorm some related vocabulary for each of the work fields in the table

Ask students to give feedback with their own ideas for suitable vocabulary The vocabulary for the first work field (in italics here) is given on the worksheet

Suggested answers

Finance broker, dealer, trader, banker, stocks and shares, currencies, floatation, to float a company

on the stock exchange

Branding brand, make, model, brand image, brand recognition, brand manager, brand awareness,

own-brand products, generic products

Marketing marketing concept, marketing mix, product, price, place, promotion, packaging, market-driven strategy

Sales sales figures, turnover, revenue, volume, target, unit sales, sales growth, sales forecast,

sales team, salesman

Product original concept, prototype, trialling, testing, rollout, CAD/CAM (computer-aided design development | and manufacturing), product launch

Production manufacturing, manufactured goods, manufacturing plant, assembly line, automated production, industrial robots, output, productivity

2 Ask the students to choose one of these fields and discuss with a partner the advantages and disadvantages of working in this area Then ask them to talk about the areas in which they would and wouldn’t like to work in the future Encourage them to give reasons for their

ideas and to try to use some of the vocabulary in the table in their discussion

& SPEAKING TEST PREPARATION PACK FOR BEC HIGHER

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UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE BEC Higher Speaking test WORKSHEET

SOL Examinations Teacher’s Notes 2

es)

This worksheet is based on Part 1 of the BEC Higher Speaking test

Time needed: 1 hour (1 hour 20 minutes including the Optional Additional Task)

# Task One (10 minutes)

1 Ask the students to read the questions on the worksheet Suggest that they work with a partner and ask and answer them in turn

¢ How important do you think tourism is to the economy of your country?

e What influence do you think international business is having on work practices in your country?

You may wish to collect some feedback from the students Their answers will depend on the students themselves and what they say

DVD| 2 Play the second part of Part 1 on the DVD (1.29-2.58) Ask the students to discuss in their Vibro” pairs how their answers were different from Paolo and Laura’s Encourage them to think about how well they answered the questions and to say how they feel about the way the candidates on the DVD answered them Answers will depend on what the students say

a Task Two (10 minutes)

DVD Play the second part of Part 1 on the DVD again Ask the students to answer the questions on

vioeo | the worksheet

Answers

1 How could Laura have improved her answer to the question about tourism in Holland? — She could have explained her ideas more clearly, using shorter phrases and a variety of linkers (e.g ‘firstly’, ‘secondly’, ‘also’), rather than just ‘and’ to clarify her reasons for the importance of tourism in Holland

2 How could Paolo have improved his answer about international business in Brazil? ~ He could have focused on other aspects of international business (globalisation, multinational companies, the effect of the USA on South American developing countries, etc.) rather than only talking about learning the English language

@ Optional Additional Task (20 minutes)

If you wish, you can create a table similar to that in Worksheet 1 Task Three, and ask the students to complete the table as they did before, by writing questions to ask their partner, but this time focusing on the kind of topics asked in this part of Part 1 Remind them that this part requires them to give an opinion about a business-related topic in their own country Some examples of these topic areas are given below:

e Changes in the kind of work available in your country e The effect of technology on working life in your country e Public reactions to advertising in your country

e Public concern for the environment in your country

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1

2

40

Task Three: focus on vocabulary (20 minutes)

Focus the students on the task by writing Paolo’s comment on the board: ‘to make business with people from the United States or from Europe’ Then elicit what he should have said: ‘to do business’

Then ask the students to complete the list of collocations with ‘do’ or ‘make’ used in business situations The first answer (in italics here) is given on the worksheet

Answers (in bold)

make progress do a project make a speech do a feasibility study do your best _ make/do a report do a good job make a breakthrough make a complaint make/do a presentation make an arrangement make a recommendation make a decision make a change to something make an effort make an impact

make/do an impression make an appointment make a profit make an improvement make a phone call make/do a deal make a proposal make money do research make a comparison

make a comment make a success (of something)

make an offer do away with do a market survey make do with

Ask the students to choose four of these expressions and, with a partner, write a short conversation about their work or studies using them Then ask some pairs to read out their conversation to the class

Task Four: focus on grammar (20 minutes)

Ask students to read what Laura says: ‘If there will not come so many tourists to

Amsterdam, a lot of jobs will disappear’ Ask them to write a correct version of this phrase in the space on their worksheets

Suggested answer

If so many tourists didn’t come to Amsterdam, a lot of jobs would disappear N.B She needs to use this form of the conditional because she is talking about a hypothetical future event

If necessary, review the different forms of the conditional with your students before asking them to complete the five sentences in exercise 2 Here is a brief summary:

SPEAKING TEST PREPARATION PACK FOR BEC HIGHER

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Form Example Meaning

First conditional If + present (do) future lf you take that job, you There is a real possibility (will do) will earn more money that this will happen in the

future

Second conditional | \f+past (did) If you took the job, you There is a slight possibility conditional (would do) would earn more money, but it isn’t so likely, or the

but they probably won’t situation is hypothetical offer it to you

| Third conditional If + past perfect (had If you had taken that job, The situation is in the past, | done) conditional you would have earned but it didn’t actually

perfect (would have done) | more money, but you happen, so the didn’t take it consequences are

hypothetical

2 Ask the students to complete the five sentences with the correct verb forms, and compare

and discuss their answers with a partner before giving feedback

Answers (in bold)

a) If l hadn’t studied (not study) economics at university, I wouldn’t have got (not get) this job in financial management

b) If I continue (continue) to study English, I will improve (improve) my chances of working abroad in future

c) If local government provided (provide) more recycling facilities like bottle banks, more people in Brazil would recycle (recycle) their rubbish

d) If students in Holland don’t learn (not learn) to speak good English at university, they won't be able (not be able) to have a good career in management

3 Ask the students to discuss with a partner some decisions they have made in the past and what might have happened if they had made a different decision, e.g If I had (I'd) studied French at school, I would have (would’ve) been able to speak better French and might have (might’ve) applied for a job in Paris, where I’ve always wanted to work

You might need to focus again on the form and pronunciation of this type of third conditional before they do the task Remind students of the need to use contracted forms for spoken English (i.e you had taken becomes you’d taken)

Ask some students to report back to the class with some ‘regrets’ about their partner’s work or student life

SPEAKING TEST PREPARATION PACK FOR BEC HIGHER 44

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In class, give students regular opportunities to practise talking about themselves and their work and/or studies Students studying at college should be prepared to talk about their future work plans as well as the course they are following You can do this at the start or end of a lesson as a quick speaking activity

Have a box of cards with different work-related topics written on them, and do a quick ‘warmer’ activity regularly at the start of a lesson Ask a student to pick out a topic card, divide the students into small groups and give them five minutes to discuss the topic They should discuss the topic in relation to the situation in their country/countries Ask one student in the group to monitor the discussion and language used and suggest other ways of expressing opinions or describing situations You could keep a record of useful phrases that come up during these discussions for students to reuse the next time

3 Ask students to prepare a short personal statement about their studies or working lives Students could then exchange statements and ask each other more detailed questions about them

4 Encourage students to use a variety of tenses (for describing past experiences, current situation

and future plans) whenever they have a discussion in class, and to use a range of vocabulary = whenever possible You could ask students to paraphrase what they have said and encourage them

to express themselves in a variety of ways

Listen carefully to the questions you are asked In this part of the test the questions will be about your work and/or studies and about work-related topics in your country You will not be asked the same questions as your partner

STUDENTS

› PART¿i

Don’t prepare long answers before the exam You are unlikely to answer the questions correctly and it won’t sound natural

Don’t give very short answers to the questions, and always try to give one or two reasons for your opinions and extend your answers fully This gives a good impression right from the start

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Seg tt EYER UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE BEC Higher Speaking test WORKSHEET VIDEO ESOL Examinations Teacher’s Notes 3 This worksheet is based on Part 2 of the BEC Higher Speaking test (Laura’s mini-presentation)

Use the candidate Task Card for Part 2 (Candidate B) provided with this book or, before the lesson, print out the Task Card from the DVD and make sure you have enough copies to give to each student

Time needed: 55 minutes

# Task One (5 minutes)

Play the beginning of Part 2 on the DVD and stop it after the interlocutor has given both candidates their tasks (2.59-3.27) Ask the students to listen carefully to the interlocutor’s instructions and write the missing information in the box on the worksheet

Answers (in bold)

Interlocutor: Now, in this part of the test, I’m going to give each of you a choice of three different topics I'd like you to select one of the topics and give a short presentation on it for about a minute You will have a minute to prepare this and you can make notes if you want After you have finished your talk, your partner will ask you a question

= Task Two (20 minutes)

1 Give the students the candidate Task Cards and tell them that Laura chooses topic C:

Product Planning: the factors involved in deciding on the name of a new product

Divide the class into small groups and ask them to think of the names of some products they know in English (or in their own language), e.g Sensodyne (toothpaste), Galaxy

(chocolate bar) or Uncle Ben’s (rice) Ask them to discuss what image they think these brand names convey They can choose from the words in the box, or add their own

® upmarket e glamorous e feminine đ teenage â classic đ sporty

® exotic e hi-tech ° scientifically proven @ humorous e natural e comforting

° © ©

© © e

N.B If your students don’t have any knowledge of brand names in English, give them some more examples from the list below to discuss:

Virgin (airways/media) Black Magic (box of chocolates) Jaguar (car) Gold Blend (instant coffee) Bold (washing powder) Kleenex (tissues) Reach (toothbrush) Old Spice (aftershave) Lynx (aftershave) Butterkist (popcorn) Pampers (babies’ nappies) Eternity (perfume)

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VIDEO

2 Ask the students to work in pairs and write down what other factors could be important when choosing the name of a new product apart from the image of the name If you wish, you could collect some feedback and collate the students’ ideas on a board

Suggested answers

a) The name should avoid meaning anything in another language, e.g Nova (a brand name of General Motors) means ‘it doesn’t go’ in Spanish!

b) The name needs to fit with other brand names already used in the company c) The name needs to be memorable

3 Now reorganise the students so they are working with a different partner and tell them to practise taking it in turns to do the Part 2 task The new partner should listen and aska question when their partner has finished You should time them, so they get used to talking for about a minute

4 While students are completing the Part 2 task, write the following on the board: e Did you speak for a minute?

e How easy was it to do this?

e Did you have the same ideas or different ones? e How did you organise your ideas?

e How easy was it to think of a question to ask? Ask the students to discuss the questions in pairs

Collect feedback and discuss their answers to these questions with the class Make sure they realise that they need to approach the task as if they are giving a presentation in a business environment, with clear organisation of the points

@ Task Three (10 minutes)

Play Laura’s mini-presentation on the DVD (3.44-5.24) and ask the students to watch and make notes on her performance, answering the three questions on their worksheets You may need to play it more than once

Answers

1 Which aspects of the topic does Laura talk about? — She talks about: e the kind of name needed (short and powerful/easy to remember) e whether it means something in other languages

e the name having a connection with the company

2 How could she improve the organisation of her ideas? — She could:

° improve by signalling her talk more coherently, using linkers such as ‘firstly’, ‘secondly’, ‘then’, ‘also’

e also give an example to illustrate her points e include a short conclusion to round up her ideas

3 How relevant is Paolo’s question to her talk? — Very relevant He picks up on something she has said (a brand name has to be short) and asks her to clarify and extend her ideas on this subject

44 SPEAKING TEST PREPARATION PACK FOR BEC HIGHER

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a Task Four: focus on comparatives (10 minutes)

1 This task picks up on a grammar point based on an error Laura makes that is very common at this level (confusion between adverbs and adjectives in comparative forms)

Ask the students to look at the example and try to correct it or, if you prefer, write it on the board for the students to focus on as a class: If it’s short and powerful, people can remember the name easierly than a longer name Answer

It should be ‘more easily’ (adverb)

2 Ask the students to complete the five sentences and decide whether they need to use an adverb or an adjective

Answers (in bold)

a) The results of the marketing campaign were not very successful — definitely (bad) worse than expected

b) The marketing department is so much (busy) more busy/busier in June than in July c) A cheaper model is (commercial) more commercially viable than an expensive one d) The new product was (wide) more widely used than the old one

e) Advertising on TV can be a (cost-effective) more cost-effective strategy than advertising in a newspaper

m Task Five: focus on pronunciation (10 minutes)

DVD) 1 Play the DVD again from the beginning of Laura’s mini-presentation and stop it after the Vinee” first sentence — see below (3.56-4.13) The name has to be very short not very short, but short and powerful DVD Then fast forward the DVD to where Paolo asks his question (3.56-4.13): VIDEO” Do you really think that the brand name has to be short or it has to be somehow familiar to your public? Ask the students to write down the answer to the question in the space provided on their worksheets Answer

What effect does stressing these words have on the meaning? — The effect of stressing these words clarifies and emphasises the meaning Laura also uses stress effectively to contradict herself, with the words ‘not very short’

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2 Ask the students to listen to you reading the example mini-presentation and underline the words that you stress They can then practise reading it with a partner, paying attention to stressing the right words to enhance the meaning

Time management: how to prioritise tasks during busy periods

| would like to talk about time management and how to prioritise tasks during busy periods To begin with, | would say it’s very important, in fact, essential, to set priorities during your working time, and particularly during busy periods There are various ways to do this Firstly, you should use a diary or calendar to plan your day and week, and in fact most business people always carry their personal organiser or BlackBerry with them at all times Secondly, make a ‘to do’ list every day and rank the tasks in order of importance Make sure you focus on the things that have the highest priority first Thirdly, try to avoid interruptions and distractions that stop you doing what you had planned Reading emails is a typical example of this, and can take up far too much of your very valuable time, especially when many emails are copied to all staff instead of just the relevant people Finally, try to do tasks toa realistic level of quality in the time you have available You don’t always need to do everything

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UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE BEC Higher Speaking test WORKSHEET VIDEO

ESOL Examinations Teacher’s Notes hy

This worksheet is based on Part 2 of the BEC Higher Speaking test (Paolo’s mini-presentation) Use the candidate Task Card for Part 2 (Candidate A) provided with this book or, before the lesson, print out the Task Card from the DVD and make sure you have enough copies to give to each student

Time needed: 1 hour

m Task One (15 minutes)

1 Give the students the candidate Task Cards and tell them that Paolo chooses topic A:

Business Travel: the importance of preparing carefully for a business trip

Ask the students to work with a partner and write down three short ideas that they think he could mention Do not collect feedback yet

Students’ ideas will vary, but here are some suggestions: e Booking the flight and accommodation

e Planning the itinerary

e Planning any presentations or other material in advance e Finding out about the local culture

e Taking presents/samples, etc to give to clients/colleagues e Learning some key words in the local language

2 Ask the students to work with a different partner and take it in turns to do the task The new partner should listen and ask a question at the end Again, you should time them, so they get used to talking for about a minute

While students are completing exercise 2, write the following on the board: e Did you speak for a minute?

e How easy was it to do this?

e Did you have the same ideas or different ones? e How did you organise your ideas?

e How easy was it to think of a question to ask? Ask the students to discuss the questions in pairs

Collect feedback from the class Ask them whether they found it easier to do the task this time Tell them that you will focus particularly on note-taking later on

# Task Two (10 minutes)

Play Paolo’s mini-presentation on the DVD (5.25-7.14) and ask the students to watch and make notes on his performance, answering the questions on the worksheet You may need to play it more than once

Answers

a) Which aspects of the topic does Paolo talk about? - He talks about communicating with people you meet on a trip and showing the knowledge you have about their culture

b) How could he improve the organisation of his ideas? — He could improve by signalling his talk more coherently, using linking words such as ‘firstly’, ‘secondly’, ‘then’, ‘also’, etc He does include a short conclusion to summarise his ideas, which is good He could talk about another aspect of the topic as he only mentions two points This makes his talk slightly short, although acceptable

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c)

18

How relevant is Laura’s question to his talk? - Very relevant She picks up on something he hasn’t mentioned in his talk (the best way to look for information when preparing for a business trip) He answers the question reasonably well (ask someone who has already been to that place) although he loses coherence as he tries to overextend his answer Make sure that the students realise that when they have finished what they want to say, it is fine to stop talking rather than always try to extend, as this can cause a lack of coherence

Task Three: focus on organisation (20 minutes)

Focus on the area of organisation of ideas by asking the students to look at the topic, ‘Public Relations: the importance to a company of maintaining good public relations’, and work with a partner to write out some sentences using the linkers in the box and the ideas below it Stress the importance of adding examples and explanations of points

to move on to and finally to start with specifically

the main aim of my talk is to for example the next after that

to sum up particularly because

e Projecting the right image of a company e Dealing with the press

e Using sponsorship to promote a good image

e Using corporate entertainment to maintain good public relations e The necessity of having a public relations department in the company

Suggested answers (linkers in bold)

The main aim of my talk is to tell you about how important it is for a company to maintain good public relations

To start with, I would like to talk about projecting the right image, particularly when dealing with the press

Next, I would like to move on to sponsorship, and specifically, using sponsorship to promote a good image

After that, I would like to mention corporate entertainment, for example, taking clients to

sporting events such as Wimbledon

And finally, I think it’s really important to have a public relations department because this aspect of business needs to be carefully managed

To sum up, in my opinion these are the most important areas of public relations Ask the students to practise giving their mini-presentations to other students in the class

This can be done in small groups or in front of the whole class

SPEAKING TEST PREPARATION PACK FOR BEC HIGHER

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set

m Task Four: Íocus on making notes (15 minutes)

Focus again on the note-taking aspect here, and make sure the students know how to make some useful notes in the minute they have in the test There is only time to think about the topic very quickly and make some very brief notes (three or four ideas) on aspects of the topic that they want to mention in their talk However, they should make the most of the

opportunity to write some ideas down in order to feel confident that they have enough to say when giving their presentation The listening candidate can also make notes if they want to while their partner is talking, so that they can ask their question more easily Before the test, make sure the students have plenty of opportunity to practise speaking about a topic using only their notes so that they feel confident doing this

Read out the following topics and ask the students to write brief notes in the space on the worksheet to help them to talk about the topics for a minute Then ask them to practise giving thé mini-presentation with a partner, using some of the linkers from Task Three to help them organise their ideas

1 Topic: Reasons for selling part of a company 2 Topic: Reasons for taking over another company 3 Topic: Ways of increasing sales

4, Topic: Ways of improving quality

Suggested answers

1 Topic: Reasons for selling part of a company: e To concentrate on other divisions

e To focus on core competence ° Because it’s making a loss

2 Topic: Reasons for taking over another company: e To diversify the business

e To control the supply chain e To reduce competition 3 Topic: Ways of increasing sales:

e Advertising

e Special promotions to selected customers e Improve product quality

4, Topic: Ways of improving quality: e Replace old machinery

e Provide specialist training for staff e Benchmarking

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Set aside time to practise Part 2 so that your students can get used to talking for a minute on business topics, and can give each other help and support while they practise

In class, students could practise the mini-presentation in pairs, timing each other to see how it feels to talk for a minute on their own Remind them always to make some brief notes (three or four bullet points) before they start to think of some ideas around the subject

3 Point out to students how important it is:

e to organise their thoughts clearly so that they can make the most of their time, and show some evidence of planning

e to choose which topic to talk about quickly and carefully (see Helpful Hints for Students for Part 2 below)

e not to worry about the timing in the examination but just to keep talking until the interlocutor says, ‘Thank you’

4 Give students strategies for starting and finishing their mini-presentation They should approach the task as if they were giving a presentation in a business environment

Don’t spend too long choosing which topic to talk about Topic A is always most general and therefore most suitable for candidates without work experience, topic C is most specialised, so you should avoid this unless you work in or have studied this area

Read the three topics carefully so that you prepare a talk that is relevant For example, in ‘ways of improving quality’ (see above), a talk about problems caused by poor quality would be irrelevant

Use the time for making notes, but remember you only have 1 minute to make notes in the test,

so it’s important to write just three or four bullet points

Before the test, practise speaking about a topic just using your notes so that you feel confident doing this

Try to organise your ideas clearly, using suitable linking words such as ‘firstly’, ‘next’, etc Ask the interlocutor for clarification if you are unsure about what to do

Begin speaking as soon as the interlocutor asks you to, otherwise you will not have a full minute to speak

Don’t panic if you don’t know the word for something — paraphrase it (say it using different words) and move on :

Don’t interrupt while your partner is talking

Listen carefully to your partner’s mini-presentation so you are ready to ask a question about it Try to keep talking for as long as you can Don’t stop before your minute is over

Remember not to worry if the interlocutor stops you To make the test fair, each candidate is given the same amount of talking time

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fA UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE BEC Higher Speaking test WORKSHEET ‘ a en's) ESOL Examinations Teacher’s Notes 5

This worksheet is based on Part 3 of the BEC Higher Speaking test (collaborative task) Use the candidate Task Card for Part 3 (DVD Sample) provided with this book or, before the lesson, print out the Task Card from the DVD and make sure you have enough copies to give to each student

Time needed: 1 hour

= Task One (15 minutes)

V121 1 Play the beginning of Part 3 on the DVD (7.32-7.52) Ask the students to listen carefully to the VIDEO interlocutor’s instructions and write the missing information in the box below

Answers (in bold)

Interlocutor: Now, in this part of the test, you are going to discuss something together You will have 30 seconds to read this task carefully, and then about 3 minutes to discuss and decide about it together You should give reasons for your decisions and opinions You don’t need to write anything Is that clear?

2 Give the students the Task Card for Part 3 (DVD Sample) and ask them to look at it They should work with a partner and brainstorm some ideas for doing this task Encourage them to try to come up with three advantages for having a newsletter for all the staff and three ideas for what to include in the newsletter Both students should make a note of their ideas While students are doing exercise 2, write the following on the board:

e Did you have time to discuss and make decisions about both parts of the task on the

card? `

e Did you find enough to say about this topic?

e Did you find one part of the task easier than the other?

e Did you manage to talk for 3 minutes or did you reach your decisions too soon? 3 Organise the students with a different partner and ask the students to do the task Make

sure that they spend 3 minutes discussing both bullet points on the card (you should time them doing this)

4, Ask the students to discuss the questions you have written on the board with their partner Collect some feedback from the class to see how the students felt about doing the task, and answer any general questions they may have

DVD) 5 Play the DVD of Part 3, collaborative task (7.53-10.58) and ask the students to compare their

Tet VIDEO performance with Paolo and Laura's ,

Students’ comments will vary here Encourage them to think about how well they answered the questions, and to say how they feel about the way the candidates on the DVD answered them

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VIDEO VIDEO

= Task Two (15 minutes)

Play this part of Part 3 on the DVD again and ask the students to answer the questions on the worksheet:

Answers

1 Who starts the discussion? How is this done? — Laura She starts by giving her opinion on the advantages of having a newsletter

2 How well do Paolo and Laura interact with each other? - They interact well together by making suggestions, agreeing and adding information to what their partner has said They also ask each other questions and pick up on each other’s ideas

3 Do they look at the interlocutor at all? — No, not until they have finished the task The interlocutor will indicate when they have said enough (after about 3 minutes)

4, Does the interlocutor take part in the discussion? — No The interlocutor does not take part here

It is up to the candidates to keep the discussion going

5 Does one person talk more than the other? — No, they both talk for about the same amount of time

6 Do they reach a joint decision? Does this matter? — Yes, they agree on several points (some advantages of having a newsletter and the content), but it doesn’t matter whether candidates do this or not, in fact The discussion is more important than the decision

7 How well do they address the points in the bullets on the card? — They talk about both bullet points, but don’t deal with them separately, as the advantages and the content of the newsletter are mixed together in their discussion This is perfectly acceptable, however

# Task Three: useful functions (30 minutes)

1 Play the discussion part of Part 3 on the DVD again Ask the students to complete the first two columns of the table on their worksheets by writing down some examples of the language Paolo and Laura use

2 Then ask the students to think of some more’expressions and add them to the table in the third column They can compare ideas with a partner Suggested answers Language to: Paolo uses: Laura uses: Other expressions: Agree/disagree Yes, yes, | agree OK, yes Absolutely, I think so too 22 with you Yes, of course Yes, to everybody Yes, | think it’s good, yes

Well, | can see what you mean, but | would say

Yes, | see your point, but don’t you think that

Move the task forward And in fact, it has to

be general OK But you also think that it has to be And | think it’s also good to There are a lot of opportunities to do it, don’t you think?

Let’s go on to the second part now, shall we? So, what’s your opinion about the idea that ?

Refer back to something

In fact, | was also

thinking about the

newsletter Decause, as | said, as | told you, it’s for the whole

company

$0, as you Said, —aS you Said earlier, it’s

important to

I'd like to add to what you said just now,

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a

3 Ask students to match each function (1-6) with the two most suitable phrases or sentences (A-L) from the table on the worksheet, and put the appropriate number in the box to the right of each phrase The first answer (in italics here) is given on the worksheet

1 | asking for clarification 4 | changing your mind

2 | interrupting 5 | asking for opinions or comments 3 | explaining 6 | speculating Answers (in bold)

A | What do you think would be best? 5 |G On second thoughts &

* B | On the other hand, | see what you & | H | Sorry, but !’d just like to say 2

mean

C | I think we should because 3 | 1 Maybe 6 D | Sorry to interrupt, but l’m afraid! don’t | 2 | J I’m not sure | follow you Can you just 1

agree on that explain

E | One possibility might be 6 |K it would be a good idea to , so that 3 F Do you agree with me on that? 5B | L Could you just clarify what you mean there? | 4

4 Give students the following Part 3 situation and ask them to discuss it with a partner, trying to use as many of these phrases as possible Monitor their discussions and pick up on correct or incorrect usage of these expressions in feedback to the whole class

Incentive scheme for staff

The company you work for is considering setting up an incentive scheme to improve staff performance You have been asked to make recommendations for the scheme

Discuss and decide together:

e what benefits an incentive scheme for staff would bring to the company e what types of incentive could be offered

° which employees in the company should be targeted

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TEACHING Collaborative task As well as business and general vocabulary, students will need to be taught the language for: e Turn-taking ® Negotiating e Making suggestions ® Initiating discussion

e Exchanging ideas and opinions

e Justifying opinions and giving reasons for ideas se Evaluating

2 Students should take part in regular discussions in class, either in pairs, small groups or as a whole class They should focus on the phrases they need to use for the functions identified in 1 (above) 3 Use radio and TV discussion programmes or podcasts with a business focus as examples of the ~ functions identified in 1 (above)

4 Class suggestions

Choose a business-related topic or write a statement on the board Ask students to list advantages and disadvantages, or points for and against the statement Then get them to discuss these in groups and come to some kind of decision

5 Individual suggestions

Encourage students to improve their knowledge of general and business issues by reading English- language newspapers and magazines, watching English-language TV programmes, listening to the radio or downloading podcasts of any business-related topic This will give them ideas for things to say and help them to form their own opinions

Remind students that:

e There is no right or wrong answer to this task

e Examiners are listening for the quality of the language used and it is not necessary for students to actually reach a decision

° Students must have something to say: although candidates are not being assessed on their knowledge of business or the world, if they don’t actually express any ideas or opinions, it will be difficult for the examiners to give a fair appraisal of their language ability HELPFUL HINTS FOR STUDENTS PART 3 Collaborative task

Ask for clarification if you are unsure about what to do, but remember that your partner can always help you with the task as well

Don’t begin immediately — remember that you have 30 seconds to read the task and think about it before you start

Start by summarising what you have to do — this gives you thinking time and it gives your partner

the opportunity to say if they have understood the task in a different way Don’t panic if you don’t know the word for something — paraphrase it (say it using different words),

or ask your partner if they know the word

Say as much as you can about each of the bullet points on the Task Card, and go back to the first one if you run out of things to say on the second

If you have no more opinions or ideas, ask your partner a question to develop the topic

Remember to work together with your partner You use different types of language when you speak by yourself and when you speak with another person, so working together with your partner will allow you to use a greater range of language

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UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE BEC Higher Speaking test

ESOL Examinations Teacher’s Notes WORKSHEET 6 VIDEO VIDEO

This worksheet is based on Part 3 of the BEC Higher Speaking test (follow-up questions)

Time needed: 1 hour

a Task One (15 minutes)

1 Direct the students to the five questions on the worksheet Ask them to work with a partner and discuss each question in turn Encourage them to extend their answers as much as possible

e Do you think a staff newsletter is a good idea for all companies? Why?/Why not? e What other ways do you think there are for staff to communicate with each other? e What problems can be caused by poor communication between managers and staff? e In what ways can companies communicate regularly with customers?

¢ Do you think the influence of customers on companies is increasing nowadays? Why?/Why not?

At this point take some feedback from different pairs if you wish 2 Play the second part of Part 3 on the DVD (11.05-end)

Answer

Which questions does the interlocutor ask? — The interlocutor asks the first question and the last two questions

Encourage comments on the content of Paolo’s and Laura’s answers and how it compared with the students’ own answers

a Task Two (10 minutes)

Play this section of the DVD again and ask the students to answer the questions on the worksheet Invite general comments on Paolo’s and Laura’s performance

Answers

1 Does the interlocutor ask each candidate the same questions? ~ Yes, she asks the questions to both candidates, without necessarily specifying who should answer Laura answers the first one, Paolo comments and then they discuss it Paolo answers the second and third questions, with Laura adding comments

2 Does the interlocutor ask candidates to answer questions individually, or discuss them together? — The first and last questions are addressed to both candidates and the second question 1s addressed firstly to Paolo They discuss all the questions together

N.B The interlocutor may manage this part either by addressing candidates individually or indicating that both candidates may contribute to the discussion

3 Do the candidates speak only when asked by the interlocutor? — No They contribute ideas when they want to and add to each other’s opinions Paolo also asks Laura for her opinion about the second question

4 How do the candidates extend their answers? — By giving reasons and details about their ideas, and picking up on what their partner has said

5 How does the interlocutor finish the test? — ‘Thank you That is the end of the test.’

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@ Task Three: focus on vocabulary (15 minutes)

1 Focus the students on this area of common learner error, by asking them to read the two sentences used by Paolo and Laura and select the correct word from the box on the worksheet

a) You can send it by email or you can print it and give it to everybody in the office; there are a lot of opportunities to do it, don’t you think? (Laura)

b) It has to be for everyone to have the chance to know about this newsletter (Paolo)

possibility opportunity chance ways occasion

Answers (in bold)

a} You can send it by email or you can print it and give it to everybody in the office; there are a lot of ways of doing it, don’t you think?

N.B It would be more natural to say: ‘there are several different ways of doing this, wouldn't you say?’

b) It has to be for everyone to have the opportunity to know about this newsletter N.B It would be more natural to say: ‘Everyone should have the opportunity to know about this newsletter

2 Divide the class into small groups to write five sentences to show the difference between the words from the box above Before the students write their sentences, you may wish to elicit some ‘rules’ for using these different words Often, the choice depends on usage in a particular situation, and it is actually hard to rationalise why one is correct and another isn’t

Suggested answers

Possibility (a chance that something may happen or be true, or something you can choose to do in a particular situation, often followed by OF + gerund It tends to be used in more formal situations We normally say ‘there is’, not ‘have’, with possibility)

e There’s a distinct possibility (or good chance) that you will have to give a speech to these visitors

e Is there any possibility (or chance) of finishing that report today? (NOT to finish)

e We could make some staff redundant, that’s one possibility

Opportunity (an occasion or situation that makes it possible to do something that you want or have to do, followed by TO + infinitive or OF + gerund)

e Everyone will have an opportunity (or chance) to comment or ask questions at the end e Iwas never given the opportunity of going to university

e There are more opportunities for young graduates than there were 20 years ago (to get a job)

Chance (luck, likelihood, opportunity, risk It is often used in more informal situations) e It was pure chance that I got that job

e Her resignation has improved my chances of promotion

e I didn’t see the advert and I missed my chance to apply for that job

e There’s a chance of losing everything if you invest your life savings in one company

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Ways (particular choice or method of doing something, especially from among several possibilities, followed by TO + infinitive or OF + gerund)

e There are many ways of solving this problem

e That’s not the right way to operate the machine Let me show you e [like the way you’ve tried to improve staff relations in the department

Occasion (an event or time when something happens, NOT chance or opportunity) e The HR manager and the heads of department met on several occasions to discuss the

issue of staff redundancies

e The CEO used the occasion to make a short speech

e The 100th anniversary of the company was the occasion for a celebration dinner

m@ Task Four: focus on pronunciation (20 minutes)

Write the words that Paolo and Laura use during Part 3 on the board and ask the students to read them aloud and say where the stress lies: communication, employee, employer Elicit how the stress changes according to the type of word (verb, noun, adjective, etc.), using the example in the table on the worksheet

1 Ask the students to complete the table with the missing words, and add a dot above the part of the word that is stressed They can then practise pronouncing these words The first five answers (in italic here) are given on the worksheet Answers Name of the activity | Person Action (verb) Adjective Past form (noun) communication communicator to communicate communicative communicated © @ © © e© employment employee to employ employable employed @ e ~ °

unemployment employer employed

LA finance financier SỐ to finance & financial _@ , financed ộ Qe e 2 © @ graduation graduate to graduate graduated graduated © ° © ©., ° analysis analyst to amalyse analytical analysed c 9, ®., ® eo e specialisation specialist to specialise special specialised -@, speciality e 6 © S9 eo, competition competitor to compete competitive competed e , © e â soe đ + advertisement advertiser to advertise advertising advertised advert / ad 2 © ` e @ e@ * economy economist to economise econemical economised economics

2 Direct students to the example sentence on the worksheet:

When you graduate from university, would you prefer to specialise in finance, economics or advertising?

Ask the students to work individually to write five questions, using at least two words from the table above in each question, that they would like to ask their partner When they have written their questions, they can ask and answer them in pairs

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Suggested questions

1 How many of the employees in your company are employed in the financial sector? 2 Would you like to do a job that involves analysing statistics or communicating with

people?

3 Would you say you are a more competitive or a more analytical type of person? 4, What is the unemployment rate among graduates in your country?

5 Who do you think is more employable: someone in the advertising sector or someone in the financial sector?

TEACHING

Follow-up questions |

1 This part is a continuation of the collaborative task, and candidates will be asked questions to extend the discussion of the topic they have already discussed Candidates should be prepared to: e give their opinion on questions put by the interlocutor

© extend their responses by giving reasons and further details

¢ agree or disagree with their partner, giving reasons and justifying their ideas © add to or extend their partner’s response appropriately

® ask a question to confirm or seek information

e interact with their partner and not dominate the conversation

2 Both parts of Part 3 involve discussion It is important that teachers give their students as much practice in taking part in a discussion as possible They should tell their students not to be afraid of giving opinions, interrupting or disagreeing, but remind them that they should do this sensitively and politely

3 Encourage students to develop their own opinions by bringing in articles of interest in the news from business magazines and by getting other students to ask questions about them

As many topics as possible should be covered in class The following topics are examples: ® personal information

© general business environment ° travel and meetings

e health and safety e buying and selling

°® company structures, systems and processes © products and services

There is a more complete list in the BEC Handbook, which can be downloaded from the Cambridge ESOL website: http://www.cambridgeesol.org/resources/teacher/bec.html HELPFUL HINTS FOR STUDENTS PART 3 Follow-up questions isten to what your partner says when they are asked a question and offer additional ideas where ppropriate

_ Remember that you don’t always have to agree with your partner — it makes an interesting discussion if

you have a different opinion i Be aware that the interlocutor may address some questions to you individually, but may also ask you to

discuss a question with your partner In this case, turn to your partner and be prepared to express your own opinion and ask them what they think

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| UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE BEC Higher Speaking test

ESOL Examinations Teacher’s Notes

This worksheet will give more practice in Parts 2 and 3 of the BEC Higher Speaking test Use the candidate Task Cards provided with this book or, before the lesson, print out the Task Cards from the DVD and make sure you have enough copies to give to each student

Time needed: 1 hour 20 minutes (1 hour 35 minutes including the Optional Additional Tasks)

= Task One: focus on a Part 2 task (40 minutes)

1 Tell students you are going to review Part 2 of the test Show them the Task Cards to remind them what the task looks like (make enough copies for students to see in a group of three) Ask them what they can remember about the task

Answers

Students give a 1-minute presentation; they have a choice of three topics; they have 1 minute to prepare

2 Write the words ‘Recruitment’, ‘staff involved’, ‘application procedure’, ‘selection procedure’ and ‘interview procedure’ in boxes on the board and elicit a few words connected with that area of work Then divide the students into pairs or small groups and ask them to

brainstorm some more vocabulary around the topic of recruitment, using the spider diagram on the worksheet as a starting point

Suggested answers (in bold) previous work personnel officer background of experience applicants / selection procedure staff involved head of A

recruitment RECRUITMENT sducation

letter of CV (curriculum vitae) application / to draw upa shortlist application procedure interview procedure situation vacant column in newspaper sychometric letter

3 Ask the students to discuss and compare experiences of job interviews they have had in their group If none of them have had interviews, they can talk about the usual process for getting a first job in their country and what they think it would be like to have an interview

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4 Give the students the Part 2 mini-presentation topic from the Part 2 (Candidate A) Task Card Recruitment: how to ensure that a job interview focuses on relevant aspects

Using their experiences and ideas from the discussion, students should try to look at the topic from a company viewpoint, as if they were working in a recruitment department Ask them to work with a partner and write down three short ideas that they could mention in their mini-presentation

Suggested ideas

e Different members of the interview panel need to focus on different areas ° The applicant should be given time to ask relevant questions

» The group interview stage should focus on a discussion or role play related to the job Now reorganise the students so they are working with a different partner and tell them to

take turns to do the task The new partner should listen and ask a question when their partner has finished You should time them, so they get used to talking for about a minute While they are completing exercise 4 above, write the following questions on the board:

e Did you speak for a minute? e How easy was it to do this?

e Did you have the same ideas or different ones? e How did you organise your ideas?

e How easy was it to think of a question to ask? Ask the pairs to discuss these questions together

Collect feedback and discuss the answers to these questions with the class Make sure they realise that they need to approach the task as if they are giving a presentation in a business environment, with clear organisation of the points, as they did in Worksheets 3 and 4

Optional Additional Tasks (15 minutes)

For further practice of the mini-presentation, there are three additional tasks for Part 2 on the Part 2 (Candidate A) and Part 2 (Candidate B) Task Cards at the front of the book (i.e three of the tasks not chosen by the candidates on the video test) One of the tasks on Part 2 (Candidate A) Task Card is: Information Technology: the importance of an effective website for a company’s image This task can be exploited in a similar way to the one above 1 3o

Write the word COMPANY WEBSITE in a box in the middle of the board and elicit a few words connected with that area of a company’s image Then divide the students into pairs or small groups and ask them to brainstorm some more vocabulary around the topic, using a spider diagram or some other method of recording the vocabulary

Suggested answers

search engine images/text google (to google a company) _ visual appeal

visitors to the site (users) clear, self-explanatory site structure usability easy, recognisable links

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Ask the students to discuss and compare experiences of looking at company websites on the internet They should talk about the ones they think work successfully to promote a

company’s image and those that are not so successful If you have access to the internet in the classroom, the students can look at some websites to compare in the lesson If not, you could ask them to do it at home or in a library, and come to the lesson with some ideas and comments

Give the students the mini-presentation topic and, using their experiences and ideas from the discussion, ask them to try to look at the topic from a company viewpoint, as if they were working in a communications department Ask them to work with a partner and write down three short ideas that they could mention in their mini-presentation

Suggested ideas

e The ‘look’ of the website needs to be attractive

e It needs to be easy to navigate around (user-friendly)

se It needs to have all the necessary information about the company, but should not overload the user

Students can now practise doing this task as described in Task One, exercise 4 (opposite)

Task Two: focus on a Part 3 task (40 minutes)

Tell students you are going to review Part 3 of the test Give them the Task Card for Part 3 (DVD Sample), ‘In-house Newsletter’, to remind them what the task looks like Ask them what they can remember about what they have to do for this task

Answers

Students talk together for 3 minutes; there is no choice; they have 30 seconds’ preparation

time; after they finish the task, the interlocutor will ask them each some questions

Divide the class into pairs or small groups and ask the students to discuss what they understand by the four business philosophies on the worksheet They could also compare any experiences they may have had in these areas of improving efficiency

Answers

e Total quality management

The objective of TQM is quality control, where products conform to exact specifications, with zero defects Things should be done right the first time so that companies don’t have to correct mistakes later It is usual to have spot checks during the production process and quality circles, where groups of employees meet regularly to suggest improvements

e¢ Continuous improvement

This is where companies make small improvements or enhancements all the time It is originally a Japanese idea (kaizen) Often, ‘mystery shoppers’ are used to report on the level of service to

customers ¢ Benchmarking

This system compares one company’s performance to other similar organisations It is based on the idea of identifying and copying ‘best practice’

e Business process re-engineering

BPR applies in service industries as well as in manufacturing This is where a company completely redesigns all their processes in, for example, management, administration, manufacturing and customer service

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3 32

Ask the students to write some example sentences to show the usage and meaning of these

key words: efficient, inefficient, efficiency, effective, ineffective, effectiveness

Suggested answers

Efficiency refers to using time and energy well, without any waste Effectiveness refers to success in achieving the results you want

efficient _ | An efficient company uses its resources carefully inefficient o inefficient machines are very expensive to run efficiency | Ahigh levelof efficiency is needed in the workshop

effective The marketing campaign was effective, and achieved excellent results ineffective The CEO is ineffective — no one listens to him

ee The effectiveness of the manager’s speech was ruined because he spoke for too long

Ask the students to work in pairs and do the task ‘Efficient Production’ together The Task Card (Additional Task) can be found at the back of the book Make sure that they spend 3 minutes discussing both bullet points on the card (you may wish to time them doing this) Ask the students to discuss the questions on the worksheet with their partner:

e Did you have time to discuss and make decisions about both parts of the task on the card?

e Did you find enough to say about this topic?

e Did you find one part of the task easier than the other?

e Did you manage to talk for 3 minutes or did you reach your decisions too soon?

Collect some feedback from the class to see how the students felt about doing this task, and answer any general questions they may have

Divide the students into groups of three, and ask them to ask and answer the questions related to the topic of improving efficiency on the worksheet One of them should be the ‘interlocutor’ and ask the questions while the others should discuss each one in turn Make sure everyone participates in the discussion

e How important do you think it is for companies to look for ways to improve efficiency? e Do you think that forming staff into teams always increases efficiency?

e How easy do you think it is for a company to bring about changes in work practices? e How could a company monitor the effectiveness of changes in work practices? e Why do you think some people dislike change at work?

Take some feedback from different groups, and/or conduct a whole class discussion on the topic to round up this section

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WORKSHEET Teacher’s Notes This worksheet summarises the BEC Higher Speaking test and reviews the format and the tasks

Time needed: 25 minutes

Students should be able to complete this worksheet after watching the DVD and completing Worksheets 1 to 7 They can also find some of the information they need on the Candidate Support site at:

http://www.candidates.cambridgeesol.org/cs/Help_with_exams/Professional_English/

BEC_Higher

and in the Information for Candidates booklet, which they can download from the same web page

m Task One: general information about the Speaking test (5 minutes)

Ask students to fill in the missing information on the worksheet

Answers (in bold)

1 Length: 16 minutes

2 Normal format: two candidates and two examiners 3 Number of parts: three

4 The Speaking test is worth 25% of the whole BEC Higher exam (all papers)

a Task Two: what happens in the Speaking test (10 minutes)

Ask the students to complete the table on the worksheet with the missing information from the box below:

A leads a discussion E asks candidates to talk together B gives personal information F expresses personal opinions C organises ideas into a short talk G asks individual direct questions D comes to decisions H asks a follow-up question

Answers (in bold)

Parts Timing What the interlocutor does What a candidate does

1 Conversation 3 minutes 1.G asks individual direct 2.B gives personal information questions

3 F expresses personal opinions

2 A‘mini-presentation’ | 6 minutes Asks each candidate to talk for 4.C organises ideas into a short by each candidate 1 minute on a business-related talk

topic

Asks the ‘listening’ candidate 5.H asks a follow-up question to ask a follow-up question

3 Collaborative task, 7 minutes 6 E asks candidates to talk Exchanges ideas and opinions,

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= Task Three: about the Speaking test (10 minutes)

Ask the students to read the statements and write ‘True’ or ‘False’ next to each one Answers

1

10

34

In Part 1 of the test, you will be asked questions just about yourself and your experiences of working and/or studying — FALSE You will also be asked about general work practices in your country

You will have two topics to choose from for the mini-presentation in Part 2.— FALSE You will have three topics to choose from

You should only write brief notes in the preparation time —- TRUE You will have only 1 minute to make notes, so they need to be very brief

You are not allowed to make notes while your partner is talking in the mini-presentation — FALSE You can make notes if you want to

Topic A in Part 2 is easier than topics B and C - FALSE Topic A is a more general topic than B or C, and so more suitable for students of business with no working experience

Always try to structure your mini-presentation and use ‘sequencing’ words to show this - TRUE You should approach the task as if giving a presentation in a business context

You need to start speaking as soon as possible in the Part 3 discussion task - FALSE You will have 30 seconds to read the task and think about it

It’s best to try and imagine yourself in a work situation when discussing the collaborative task in Part 3.— TRUE You need to approach the task as a simulation, as if you and your partner are faced with a real situation to discuss

You will need to give your own opinions in the Part 3 discussion task - TRUE Although the situation is imaginary, you should not make up opinions or attitudes as you would in a role play In the final part of the test, you should not comment on your partner’s answer to a question, but wait for your own question - FALSE The questions are discussion questions, and you should feel free to comment and add to your partner’s comments or ask them what they think

SPEAKING TEST PREPARATION PACK FOR BEC HIGHER

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BEC Higher Speaking test

Student Worksheets

This section contains the nine Student Worksheets for BEC Higher: e Introductory Worksheet ~— provides an introduction to the

BEC Higher Speaking test as a whole

e Worksheet 1 - based on Part 1 of the Speaking test e Worksheet 2 - based on Part 1 of the Speaking test ¢ Worksheet 3 —- based on Part 2 of the Speaking test e Worksheet 4 ~ based on Part 2 of the Speaking test e Worksheet 5 - based on Part 3 of the Speaking test e Worksheet 6 — based on Part 3 of the Speaking test

e Worksheet 7 — further practice of Parts 2 and 3 of the Speaking test e Worksheet 8 —- provides a summary of the BEC Higher Speaking test

and reviews its format and tasks

The Student Worksheet pages of this book are photocopiable and you can also print copies from the Student Worksheets file on the DVD For your class you will also need:

e the DVD

e for Parts 2 and 3, the candidate materials You can find one set of these inside the front and

back covers of this book There is also a file on the DVD of these materials

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j UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE BEC Higher Speaking test

ESOL Examinations Student Worksheets TROD WORKSHEET UC TORY

& Aims of the DVD and worksheets

e to raise your awareness of the format of the BEC Higher Speaking test e to focus your attention on techniques that will improve your performance

e to provide opportunities for you to practise the language used in the different parts of the

test

@ Task One

This worksheet focuses on general information about a Speaking test, and what to expect as a candidate There are twelve true/false statements You can find the answers on the Cambridge ESOL Candidate Support site:

http://www.candidates.cambridgeesol.org/cs/Help_with_exams/Professional_English/ BEC_Higher

Go to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page of the Speaking section and tick ‘True’ or

‘False’ next to each statement below If the statement is false, correct it True False 1 The test has four parts

2 There are two examiners — an interlocutor and an assessor 3 The interlocutor asks me questions and the assessor listens to me 4 The test always lasts 12 minutes

5 | will always take the test with one other candidate

6 The Speaking test is worth 25% of the total marks for the BEC Higher exam 7 In the test | have to talk with the examiner, but not to my partner

8 | need to have specialist knowledge about business to take the BEC Higher exam 9 If my partner is very shy, | need to talk more

10 If | don’t understand a question, | can ask 11 | will be not be compared to my partner

12 If | don’t pass the Speaking test, | will fail the BEC Higher exam

© UCLES 2009 SPEAKING TEST PREPARATION PACK FOR BEC HIGHER: STUDENT INTRODUCTORY WORKSHEET PAGE 1 OF 1

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