B1 Business Preliminary

Cambridge English

See all dates for B1 Business Preliminary

Exam information

What is Business English? 

The Business English Certificates are designed for the purpose of international business and trade.

There are three different levels of Business English:

  • B1 Business Preliminary
  • B2 Business Vantage
  • C1 Business Higher

They are aligned with Levels B1 to C1 of the CEFR an internationally recognised benchmark of language ability.

 

Who is this Business English exam for and why should I take it?

  • B1 Business Preliminary is an Intermediate level business exam and suitable for people who are preparing for a career in business.
  • It can help you show that you have learned English to an appropriate standard and can use it in a business context.
  • The Business English exams are suitable for adults (aged 16 and over).

 

What is the format of the exam?

Preliminary
Reading 1 hour 30 min
Writing 1 hour 30 min
Listening 40 min approx
Speaking 12 min approx

 

Your result

Each component of the exam carries 25% of the total marks.

  • Candidates can access their results on Candidate Result website.
  • For paper-based exams, these will be available after 4 to 6 weeks.
  • For computer-based exams, they will be available after 2 to 3 weeks.
  • Results are reported using Cambridge Assessment English Scale.
  • You will receive a separate score for each of the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking).
  • These scores are averaged to give you an overall result for the exam.

 

B1 Business Preliminary

For B1 Business Preliminary, there are three Pass grades:

  • Pass with Distinction (score between 160 and 170)
  • Pass with Merit (score between 153 and 159)
  • Pass (score between 140 and 152)

and two Fail grades:

  • Council of Europe Level A2 (score between 120 and 139)
  • Not Reported (119 and below)

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 score 120 and above and are despatched approximately 10 days after the results release window has ended.

 

What to expect on exam day:

 

In case you want to check your level you can do a Cambridge English Placement Test with us.

Next available exams

BookExamMain exam dateFeeClosing dateSpeaking testFee after closing dateAvailable placesPB/CB
No available exams at present

See all dates for B1 Business Preliminary

Other available exam boards

Need more information about a particular exam?

Contact us