Business English

WHAT IS BEC?

The Business English Certificates are designed for the purpose of international business and trade. Thereare three different levels of BEC: BEC Preliminary, BEC Vantage and BEC Higher and they are aligned with Levels B1 to C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages  an internationally recognised benchmark of language ability.

WHO IS THE BEC EXAM FOR AND WHY SHOULD I TAKE IT?

BEC is an ideal English language exam if you are preparing for a career in business and it can help you show that you have learned English to an appropriate standard and can use it in a business context.

BEC Preliminary is an Intermediate level business exam  (Level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and suitable for people who are preparing for a career in business

BEC Vantage is a Higher Intermediate level business exam  (Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and suitable for people who are either preparing for a career in business or those who are already working in a lower-middle management or middle-senior clerical position.

BEC Higher is an Advanced level business exam  (LevelC1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and suitable for people preparing a career in business or those already working in middle-senior management positions.

The BEC exams are suitable for adults (aged 16 and over).

WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE EXAM?

BEC has 4 papers:

 
YOUR RESULT

Each component of the exam carries 25% of the total marks.
Candidates can access their results through the Cambridge ESOL Results Online website 8 weeks after the exam.
There are three Pass grades, A, B and C and two Fail grades D and E.
There is no minimum pass mark for individual papers. The grade is based on the total score of all 4 papers.
Certificates are awarded to candidates who achieve Pass grades and are despatch approximately 4 weeks after the results are issued