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.