speaking test preparation pack for bec higher

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UNIVERS ITY of CAMBRIDGE Experts in Language Assessment ESOL Examinations

Speaking Test

Preparation Pack for

BEC Higher

Business Enslish Certificates

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BEC Higher Speaking test Part 2 (Candidate A)

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BEC Higher Speaking test Part 2 (Candidate B)

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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

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

Introductory Worksheet 0 ccc cen etn e nett nee e eee n ees 5

WOTksheeft7 ener en ence eben eee tb eee te tbe eben ees 29

Student Worksheets 35

Introductory Worksheet Worksheet 1

Worksheet 2 Worksheet 3 Worksheet 4 Worksheet 5 Worksheet 6 Worksheet 7

Worksheet 8

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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

not a live exam There are, therefore, no grades available

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ES UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE BEC Higher Speaking test

WORKSHEET

Time needed: 20 minutes

= Task One: general information about BEC Higher Speaking test

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

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Time needed: 1 hour-1 hour 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

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

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

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

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

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?

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?

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

on the stock exchange

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

OOO

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SOL Examinations Teacher’s Notes 2

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)

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

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

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

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 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

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 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

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

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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)

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

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)

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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

perfectly, sometimes just ‘good’ is enough!

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20 = SPEAKING TEST PREPARATION PACK FOR BEC HIGHER

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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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

thinking about the

newsletter

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

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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

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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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

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

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

Try to take it in turns to initiate the discussion — don’t just respond to what your partner says

You are not being assessed on what you say, but on the way you say it This is a language exam, not

a test of business knowledge

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

Time needed: 1 hour

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)

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)

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

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

employment employee to employ employable employed

@ e ~ °

unemployment employer employed

LA finance financier SỐ to finance & financial _@ , financed ộ

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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