~ Ee ae UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE Experts in Language Assessment @_P ESOL Examinations Business English Certificates BEC Vantage Past Examination Papers May 2008Contents Paper 1, Reading, Question paper and answer sheet Paper 2, Writing, Question paper Paper 3, Listening, Question paper, answer sheet and transcript Paper 4, Speaking, Sample test materials Papers 1 and 3, Answer keys Paper 2, Notes on assessment and sample scripts Paper 4, Assessment criteria Copyright: The contents ofthis publication are covered by international copyright law. All rights reserved; no part ofthis document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, ‘photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations. Individuals and institutions who do not observe these copyright restrictions will be liable to prosecution. ©UCLES 2008UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE ESOL EXAMINATIONS English for Speakers of Other Languages BUSINESS ENGLISH CERTIFICATE 0352/1 Vantage Test of Reading Test 082 ‘Saturday 31 MAY 2008 Morning 1 hour ‘Addtional materials “Answer Sheet ‘TIME (hour INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Do not open this paper until you are told to do so. Write your name, Centre number and candidate number on your Answer Sheet if they are not already there. Write all your answers in pencil on your Answer Sheet ~ no extra time is allowed for this. Read carefully the instructions for each part and the instructions for completing your Answer Sheet. Try to answer all the questions. ‘At the end of the examination hand in both this question paper and your Answer Sheet. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES ‘There are forty-five questions on this question paper. 7 paper consists of 10 printed pages and 2 blank pages. pve 1001209606 © UCLES 2008 Level 1 Certfcate in Business English (ESOL) Turn Over >PART ONE Questions 1-7 * Look at the statements below and the extract on the opposite page from a report to staff by the Davis Group, a human resources consultancy in the USA. ‘+ Which section (A, B, C or D) does each statement 1 ~ 7 refer to? + Foreach statement 4 7, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. © You will need to use some of these letters more than once. Example: 0 tis less expensive to maintain the current customer base than to increase it. olA 2 2D ooo mm 1 ‘The company has had limited success in convincing customers that it can offer a variety of human resources solutions. 2 Ithhas been necessary to monitor expenditure carefully. 3 Expertise in different cultures is 2 major selling point for the company. 4 The company's performance is strongly linked to its reputation, 5 ‘The company is confident of its ability to expand. 6 The company makes ongoing efforts to improve the standard of its service provision. 7 ‘Many consulting businesses have performed badly in this period. Mel be ek SOC LC LaReport for Staff It has been a challenging year, with the global economy contributing to increased market competition. However, the end results were fairly respectable, especially considering the industry's generally poor financial results. The Davis Group has always focused on growing revenue, solving client problems, identifying new opportunities and winning new clients. Although the company had to spend more time than usual this year on cost control, our people continued to listen to their clients and deliver appropriate consulting solutions. Although we have changed our name and introduced a new global brand, many clients still do not regard us as a broad-based human resources consultancy. We hope that our new international campaign, which explains to clients the wide range of services we offer, will help change that perception. tis significant that 50% of our revenue this year came from outside the USA, making Us a truly global player. We have enormous growth potential, especially in emerging markets such as Asia and Latin America. These days, most of our clients, even those with operations in only one country, compete in a global marketplace. As a result, they see the value of working with us. Our strength on the ground in many countries has allowed us to share knowledge to develop and deliver world-class solutions. For those clients who are global firms, our worldwide presence has allowed us to build international networks to address their special needs. They appreciate that our intellectual capital is based on a deep understanding of local needs and conditions. We continually aim to maximise our revenue and enhance professionalism across the solutions offered by the firm. Obviously, winning new clients is always important, but we should remember that it is often easier and more cost-effective to broaden relationships with existing clients. By providing a wider range of solutions, we add value, strengthen our clients’ view of us as a trusted advisor and build long-term partnerships. Our success is based on being known as the most professional and highest quality firm in the human resources consultancy business. Turn OverPART TWO. Questions 8 - 12 «Read the article below about the differences between chief executives and entrepreneurs. Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps. ‘* For each gap 8 - 12, mark one letter (A - G) on your Answer Sheet. © Donot use any letter more than once. © There is an example at the beginning, (0). The ever-increasing attraction of undergraduate courses in business studies demonstrates that many young people begin their working lives determined to be a success in business. Many of them will have ambitions of becoming bosses. (0) ......G...... . That should be the question which all ambitious young business people ask themselves. Some graduates learn how to run a business in someone else’s time and then in their early thirties start out on their own. That course of action is relatively common and straightforward. (8. . Often, however, their business flair comes at the expense of more mundane business skills such as team building and maintaining harmony. A recent study, in which seventeen successful entrepreneurs took part in in-depth interviews, as did a similar number of chief executives, concluded that honesty and strong moral principles are important characteristics of entrepreneurs who achieve lasting success. ‘According to the various tests and self- assessment questionnaires used in the interviews, 70 per cent of entrepreneurs have these characteristics, as opposed to only 28 per cent of chief executives. (9)... . It would seem that most entrepreneurs deserve more credit than people generally give them. This ethical style of leadership fosters a culture in which expectations are uncompromisingly high and in which people believe they will be properly rewarded for their individual contribution. (10)... Employees often complain that the worst kind of bosses are the ‘ones who own the business, as they can be very intolerant of others who make mistakes. Entrepreneurs are passionate about their work but they have not worked their way up through the organisation and tend to lack the people management qualities that chief executives have developed over long careers. (11). Of course, it could be argued that the single- minded approach of entrepreneurs is what makes them successful; it certainly enables them to put extraordinary effort into what they do. The study indicates that generally chief executives can match entrepreneurs in terms of drive and determination. There is one exception and that relates to taking risks. (12)..... The chief executive can, on the other hand, always move to another company. But in the end, if there are no entrepreneurs, there is no work for chief executives. It is the people that start businesses who are the original wealth creators.Example: AB CODE F Sood. A However, it can also result in entrepreneurs being profoundly disappointed when others {ail to live up to their high standards. B They need to have the confidence to make everyone in the organisation believe that this is no ordinary place and no ordinary job. © Given the common perception that entrepreneurs are only in business to make money, this very positive finding was perhaps the most surprising, D They are less likely to promote teamwork ‘and co-operation than chief executives who are much better at reading and understanding those around them. After all, if it is your own company, you cannot walk away, and you will do anything either to keep it afloat or to help it prosper. But true entrepreneurs do not necessarily wait until their business knowledge has improved or until the time is right ~ they have always been driven to achieve But is it best for them to become ‘entrepreneurs and start their own business ‘or work towards running someone else's? Turn Over >PART THREE Questions 13-18 ‘* Read the magazine article below about Andy Seymour, the Chief Executive of a chain of book stores called Bookroom, and the questions on the opposite page. © For each question 13 — 18, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose. Challeng ing times at Bookroom Bookroom isn't a very successful company at the moment. I's heavily in debt, and i's rumoured that its ‘owner, P&K, wouldn't turn down a suitable offer. Even its own store managers are said to be unhappy — those who haven't left, that is. A recent change in strategy is proving too much for many of them: they've been told to concentrate on giving more space to a limited number of bestsellers, advertised nationally by the company, and not to titles which sit Con the shelves for weeks. ‘The challenge of taking Bookroom back into profit falls to the Chief Executive, Andy Seymour, who was moved a year ago from P&K's music chain, ‘MusicWorld, with an impressive record of efficiency improvements. He increased the floor space of the ‘more successful MusicWorld stores and closed down the loss-making ones. New computer systems gave hhim better stock control, and allowed him to produce up-to-date charts of the top CDs for display in the stores, with a positive impact on turnover and profits. In addition, he negotiated a pay and productivity deal with the employees. All in all, it was a period which saw the chain reach its peak. Seymour, * though, doesn't take any credit for ‘MusicWorld's success. ‘Even before | became Chief Executive, all the stores were run by top quality people doing everything they could, at a time when the public weren't spending much on leisure,’ he says. ‘They all stayed on, and that was the decisive factor. The only things | did were to change the advertising agency — they weren't keeping up with developments in the music industry ~ and make some minor innovations in the stores. Customers were coming into the shops, and it was up to us to make the most of this.” Luck had been against him in his previous job, though, as operations director of Clarkson's, the do-it-yourself retailer which P&K had just acquired. Soon after his move to the company, there was a recession, which ‘meant that the market for home improvement products collapsed. Seymour was involved in endless consultations with the board, discussing ways to tum the company round. They were in a high-risk situation and, despite his efforts, Clarkson's lost millions. But ‘even when things were at their worst, Seymour didn’t resign, as most would have done, and he was highly thought of for that. He has a reasonable track record, certainly, but some would say not brilliant. And will he succeed at Bookroom? His first year has been disappointing, but there are signs of improvement. He's continued the strategy of opening new shops, and although many store managers have gone, their replacements have been picked carefully. He's also done something about one of the main reasons for the present difficulties, reducing targets to allow for the fact that the book market is stil flat. Seymour is an experienced retail manager. At MusicWorld he proved himself a good manager of people with a particular git for motivating his staff. But he's also strong on detail, and has already improved Bookroom's financial control. It looks as though his, strategy will pay off in the long term. The only thing ‘you could blame him for is not being strong enough in opposing all the negative talk about Bookroom, because that is what is damaging the company. And unless Seymour does something about that, he may find himself looking for a new job.13 14 15 16 7 18 According to the first paragraph, what are Bookroom store managers not pleased about? ‘A the number of recent staff redundancies B the reduction in the range of books on sale © P&K's current plans to sell the company D _ P&K’s approach towards advertising different titles Which of the following contributed to Andy Seymour's success at MusicWorld? ‘A. investing more time in researching music trends B training staff to use the computerised order system © offering staff a greater incentive to sell more items, D___ bringing new stock into the poorly performing stores ‘Seymour says that MusicWorld was successful because ‘A sales of music products were booming. B the store managers were very capable. C its advertising had been highly effective. D__ his innovations attracted a wider target group. While Seymour worked for Clarkson’s he was respected because he ‘A was willing to take certain risks in order to stay in business. B had predicted the downturn in the home improvements industry. kept the store managers informed about the company's situation. D continued as director despite the company experiencing difficulties. According to the writer, Bookroom had problems during Seymour's first year because he had been too cautious about the location of new stores. he failed to recognise what consumers were looking for. there was a shortage of suitable staff to take over managers’ jobs. the expected volume of book sales had been unrealistic. vom>r In the last paragraph, the writer suggests that in his present role, Seymour needs to ‘A take action to improve the company's reputation. B pay more attention to every aspect of his strategy. © make sure there are sufficient funds for his expansion plans. encourage loyalty by strengthening staff-management relationships. Turn Over >PART FOUR Questions 19 - 33 ‘* Read the article below about goods returned by customers to mail order companies. '* Choose the best word or phrase to fill each gap from A, B, C or D on the opposite page. ‘© For each question 19 ~ 33, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. * There is an example at the beginning, (0). Unwanted Goods Increased sales is always good news for mail order companies. But more sales aiso (0). . more items are retumed. Most companies have a full returns policy, but as Meg Powell, Managing Director of mail order company Go First, explains, this usually (19)........... @ lot of extra work. ‘If an item comes back, we have to (20). with refunds, apology mailings and stock control. This is a complex process and each retumed item undergoes close (21)..........- for defects. If goods are in a fit (22). .. for stock, they need repacking and putting back in the warehouse. If not, we'll look at why. Anything (23). to the quality of returned goods is (24)............ information. In some instances we can identify a fault in production and do something about it. Estimates of the number of returns for the sector (25)............. . In the (26).. which delivers 100 million packages a year, 26 million come back. Reducing this number is an important (27)............ for the company. One way it aims to do this is by making the initial order- taking process as accurate as possible, and by closely (28) the packing of goods (29). the reasons for retums also helps. Go First telephones a (30)...... of people returning goods to establish their reasons for doing so. of Go First, Clearly, a customer-focused returns process is essential for fostering trust in the company. ‘It is standard (31)... in this business,’ says Meg Powell. ‘It attracts customers, gives them a greater (32). of security and encourages them to buy. We realise that making the return of goods a smooth, fast process can only (33). .--,Customer satisfaction.”Example: © proposes D gives 1 20m 2A 22 A 230A 2m A 25: tA oak a7 A 2 A 2 A 30 A a1 32 A 3304«A contains handle attention condition ‘combining key alter place objective estimating Carrying out choice system perception boost includes: deal inquiry situation affecting main move state Purpose monitoring Looking into preference practice sense expand concerns treat inspection form influencing ceritral disagree direction researching Getting in selection operation belief push involves manage survey arrangement relating major vary position scheme measuring Seeing to pick method Instinct enlarge Turn Over >PART FIVE Questions 34-45 # Read the text below about information technology (IT) training In most of the lines 34 — 45 there is one extra word. Itis either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines, however, are correct. If the line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet. I there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. ‘© The exercise begins with two examples (0) and (00). Examples: Della oo] c}fo}jejfelje|| ci} r © The arrival of a sophisticated computer system is a such ig event in any 00. organisation but it is obviously difficult to make the most of this type of investment 34 without proper training. IT training can be expensive cost and, despite the good 35 intentions of the people are involved, a huge amount of training is wasted every year. 36 Quite frequently, until staff continue to struggle with computer systems that either 37 they do not understand or they can only exploit to a fraction of their true 38 potential. A common mistake is made to rush in and train people too soon. This is 39. to be expected. Quite reasonably, the logic is so that it is better to train people early 40. than not to do it at all. The difficulty, however, is that people’s memories are short, so it is 41. better to train people when the ‘go live’ date which is known. This way their knowledge 42. will still be fresh when they have to put it into practice. It may also be an error 43. to commission an external training organisation because of their standard materials 44 may not be suitable. An alternative one is to pilot the software with a team of capable 45 employees and once again they are familiar with its operation, they can then train other staff.en of CAMBRIDGE, Gs BED eso. Examinations : = \candae Mona Centre No. iret aay ped wt nae - “anata Me grt penl) - Candidate's Signature Candidate No. i - a |0.)e0,)-0.)e05, - ‘sxamination Title Examination =) — Contre Pant Pe cy |e ag Siashs Supervisor: epee) am ie candidates ABSENT or tas WITHDRAWN shade tere <= (7-7. - (86/8 |e. 2.fe - BEC Vantage Reading Answe! - Instructions a || Use a PENCIL (B or HB). = Rub out any answer you wish to change with an eraser. : U or Parts 4 to 4: | Mark one box for each answer. 7 { For example: : If you think C is the right answer to the question, mark your answer sheet like this: I / aq | For Parts: bla: Write your answer clearly in CAPITAL LETTERS. 2 | ‘Write one letter in each box. {era a (eEINIGILU : ea ie 1 tPA ee Sas Se eee ' A em |S 2 2 Be Ss 1 DETER TCL ae} -cuppl eM rne = 4 8 €& 2 1G] AS eS eee eS ' 4| [a Bees De Ae ee ee 1 5) (ES |e i oe ee 5 gavel aur chain Turn over for Parts 3-5 > ee 7 - #-af |{aq |] ap |ag || a0 jan |) a0 of [op |] of {fon |] of |fen|] of ol || op m)) |} cof || op <{) || <0 || <0 || <0 al} eam ed oe | ° | e eff || of || of || of || ef || of | oe |"! = 3 ot ci 5 8 3 = ? eo 3 g PART ONE « You have to change the date of a marketing meeting that was scheduled for next Friday. + Wiite an e-mail to all members of the marketing team: © giving the new date of the meeting ‘© explaining why the date of the meeting has been changed + providing details of an additional point for the agenda ‘© Write 40 ~ 50 words. ‘© Write on the opposite page. (amen ee ae APART TWO. + The company you work for is developing a new product and needs to finance this. A group of investors called Venture Enterprises has sent you some information. ‘+ Look at the information below, on which you have already made some handwritten notes. + Then, using all your handwritten notes, write a letter to George Rodich. + Write 120 - 140 words, ‘+ Write on the opposite page. | brietty describe our company DOES YOUR COMPANY _| NEED EXTRA FINANCE? A group of investors is looking for new business opportunities. give details of new product Do you have an exciting new product you believe will sell well? | Up to 5 milion euros available for ‘yes — give details investment, of market For further Hs | George Rodich ay how much Venture Enterprises. eae) In your letter explain why your company is a goqd investment opportunity say profits up last yearobama ’d Cost Candidate Centre Number__ Number Candidate Name UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE ESOL EXAMINATIONS. English for Speakers of Other Languages BUSINESS ENGLISH CERTIFICATE 0352/3 Vantage Test of Listening Test 082 Saturday 31 MAY 2008 Morning Approx. 40 minutes (including 10 minutes’ transfer time) ‘Additional materials Answer Sheet TIME — Approx. 40 minutes (including 10 minutes’ transfer time) INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Do not open this paper until you are told to do so. ‘Write your name, Centre number and candidate number in the spaces at the top of this page. Write these details in pencil on your Answer Sheet if these are not already printed. Listen to the instructions for each part carefully Try to answer all the questions. Write your answers on this question paper. ‘At the end of the test you will have 10 minutes to copy your answers onto your Answer Sheet. Read the instructions for completing your Answer Sheet carefully. Write all your answers in pencil. ‘At the end of the examination hand in both this question paper and your Answer Sheet. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES Instructions are given on the recording. ‘You will hear everything twice. ‘There are thirty questions on this paper. This question paper consists of 7 printed pages and 1 blank page. 100120366 Level t Certificate in Business English (ESOL) Turn Over pvit © UCLES 2008PART ONE Questions 1-12 * You will hear three telephone conversations or messages. + Write one or two words or a number in the numbered spaces on the notes or forms below. ‘* You will hear each recording twice. Conversation One (Questions 1 ~ 4) * Look at the note below. © You will hear a man calling a colleague about making changes to his schedule. JACKSON'S ASSOCIATES Telephone Message Call James Horrocks Date and time of call: 6"" April 9.45 a.m. Message RESCHEDULE MORNING: The meeting with John Row (APF) will need to be (1) .. The new time of the marketing meeting is: (2) .... Call Jim Davie to arrange a (3) Also, send (4) . ww. tO Freda Bell.Conversation Two (Questions 5-8) Look at the notes below. ‘You will hear a woman leaving a message for a colleague about his slides for a presentat Christine's comments on slides: © Remove the (5) we and put in some words. © The 6)... .. of the slides needs to be improved. © The(7) on slide 3 doesn't make sense. © There's a (8)... on slide 6. Turn OverConversation Three (Questions 9 - 12) Look at the notes below. ‘You will hear a woman giving instructions to a colleague about dealing with job applications, Applications for Publicity Co-ordinator Things to do: © Reject those without (9) . qualifications. «Select those who've done work in a (10) .. * Request (14) for people on shortlist. © Circulate applications to (12)PART TWO. Questions 13 - 22 Section One (Questions 13 - 17) + You will hear five short recordings. Five people are giving advice on how to give feedback to employees. ‘+ For each recording, decide what advice the speaker gives. ‘+ Write one letter (A —H) next to the number of the recording. + Donot use any letter more than once. + You will hear the five recordings twice. A Give feedback on a regular basis. B B Choose the right time and place. 14 © Focus on the consequences of the individual's behaviour. 15 D_ Ignore your own personal feelings. 16 E Be clear about what you're referring to. 7 F Praise the individual's strengths. G Offer people the chance to respond. H__ Give feedback immediately. Section Two (Questions 18 - 22) + You will hear another five recordings. Five people are talking about their reasons for joining a partic ‘company. ‘* For each recording, decide why the speaker chose to join the company. © Write one letter (A —H) next to the number of the recording. + Donotuse any letter more than once. ‘+ You will hear the five recordings twice. ‘A. Itwas close to home. 18 B The interview process was friendly. 19 © The workload was not too demanding. 20 D_ There was a wide variety of work on offer. 2 E The financial benefits were attractive. 22 ‘The management approach was dynamic. G There were relevant training opportunities. ‘The promotion prospects were good. Turn Over >PART THREE Questions 23 - 30 + You will hear the Chief Executive of Best Value, an American chain of convenience stores, talking about a change in the company’s working practices. ‘+ For each question 23 ~ 30, mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer. * You will hear the recording twice. 23. When the speaker became Chief Executive of Best Value, most employees A. were given little information about the company. B had no input into the decision-making process. © felt alack of commitment to the company. 24 Best Value introduced Performance Management in order to ‘A increase the employees’ job satisfaction. B speed up the expansion of the workforce. © improve pay and conditions for its staff. 25. Why did Best Value decide to introduce Performance Management into its distribution centres first? A _Itwould be less complicated to work with a small number of sites. B__ Improving the distribution centres would also benefit the stores. © _The distribution centres’ problems were easier to solve than those of the stores. 26 When introducing Performance Management, Best Value made a list of A positions that needed a change in responsibilities. B _ staff who needed to be given new positions. © the skills required for each position. 27 The speaker believes the main reason why Performance Management is effective is. ‘A the ease with which staff can reach targets. B the efficiency of the new work systems. © the attention that staff receive.28 29 30 Compared with the company’s other distribution centres, what was surprising about the new one in California? ‘A Itwas the only one providing training forall staf. B _Ithad the lowest level of absenteeism. © _Itrequired fewer staff than the others. What is unusual about the new distribution centre in Texas? ‘A the accuracy of its deliveries the number of supervisors it employs the high level of sales in the stores it services ° In the speaker's opinion, what is the greatest benefit of Performance Management? ‘A__Itallows more demanding objectives to be set. B _ It makes positive behaviour into a habit. _Itleads to a significant reduction in costs. You now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to your Answer Sheet.UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE ~ ESOL Examinations VERSE EEGELSECSELSE Candidate Name Centre No. etsy pinta ot name snc epi poreth . Candidate's Signature Candidate No. as Examination Title Examination Details Centre ‘Supervisor: re candidate ABSENT oc has WITHDRAWN shad BEC Vantage Listening Answer Sheet Instructions Use a PENCIL (B or HB). Rub out any answer you wish to change with an eraser. For Part 4: Write your answer clearly in CAPITAL LETTERS. ‘Write one letter or number in each box. Ifthe answer has more than one word, leave one box empty between words. Fes (=) [@IVETSIrInlOmy aA For Parts 2 and 3: Mark one box for each answer. HParaeo ne For example Ifyou think C is the right answer to the question, mark your answer sheet like this: plz 2 ¥ ete ceLeLid 1 l 2 o — — t 3 = oneal aeeeAl the 4 - re Continue on the other side of this sheet Beov-u eePart 1 - Conversation Two of Jol} of Jel} ol jo ol fol cof | of) | of | nf | cof | eof | cof | on} | | =| eo lf t D mo>on Part3 13 4 15, 16 7 18 >oosOD >emoOBDrOQUyO>OBO Pan's 35 36 37 38 39 40 4 42 45 cost ARE UNTIL. CORRECT MADE. so CORRECT WHICH CORRECT OF ONE AGAIN ‘One mark is given for each item answered correctly. The total score is then adjusted to give a score out of 30. Listening Part1 1 CANCELLED 2 12.30/12-30 (PMYHALF PAST TWELVE/TWELVE THIRTY LUNCH (VENUE) AVAN E(-)MAIL STATISTICS ‘THE DESIGN (BAR)(- )JCHART/ BARCHART. SPELLING ERRORIMISTAKE. 9 MEDIA (STUDIES) 10 (A) PROJECT TEAM 11 REFERENCES 12 SECTION HEADS Noose (One mark is given for each item answered correctly to give a score out of 30. Part2 13 14 15 16 17 19 24 omz7omo>en @>D00B8>0ASSESSMENT OF WRITING ‘An impression mark is awarded to each piece of writing. For each task, a General Impression Mark Scheme is used ~ in conjunction with a Task-specific Mark Scheme, which focuses on criteria specific to each particular task, such as content, organisation, register, format and target reader indicated in the task. The band scores awarded are translated to a mark out of 10 for Part 1 and a mark out of 20 for Part 2. A total of 30, marks is available for Writing, The General Impression Mark Scheme is interpreted at Council of Europe level B2. ‘A summary of the General Impression Mark Scheme is reproduced below. Examiners work with a more detailed version, which is subject to regular updating, Full realisation of the task set. Al content points included and expanded upon where the task allows. Controlled, natural use of language; minimal errors which are minor. Wide range of structure and vocabulary. Effectively organised, with appropriate use of cohesive devices. Register and format consistently appropriate. - Very positive effect on the reader. i Good realisation of the task set. ‘All content points adequately dealt with, - Generally accurate, errors when complex language is attempted. Good range of structure and vocabulary. v Generally well-organised, with attention paid to cohesion. Register and format on the whole appropriate. . Positive effect on the reader. Reasonable achievement of the task set. ‘All major content points included; some minor omissions. A number of errors will be present, but they do not impede communication. Adequate range of structure and vocabulary. Organisation and cohesion is satisfactory, on the whole. € Register and format reasonable, although not entirely successful. Satisfactory effect on the reader. Inadequate attempt at the task set. - ‘+ Some major content points omitted or inadequately dealt with; some irrelevance is likely. ‘+ Errors sometimes obscure communication, are numerous, and distract the reader. ‘+ Limited range of structure and vocabulary. * Content is not clearly organised or linked, causing some confusion + Inappropriate register and format. Negative effect on the reader. Poor attempt at the task set. ‘+ Notable content omissions and/or considerable irrelevance, possibly due to misinterpretation of the task set. Serious lack of control; frequent basic errors. Little evidence of structure and vocabulary required by task S Lack of organisation, causing a breakdown in communication. Little attempt at appropriate register and format. - Very negative effect on the reader. v Achieves nothing. Either fewer than 25% of the required number of words or totally illegible or totally irrelevant.Writing Sample Scripts Part 1 Script A ‘The marketing meeting that was scheduled for next Friday will take place on Monday. We had to change the date due to technical problems, with the computer equipment. Please note that there will be an extra presentation at the end of the meeting concerning teamwork. Script A The email is concise, and addresses all the content points clearly. The language used is natural sounding with minimal errors, and the overall effect on the reader is very positive. Band 5 Script B Dear colleagues Our meeting which should be held next Friday is going to be moved to Monday the following week, because the two members cannot leave work on that particular date at all I want to inform you as well that we have another point added to the agenda, it will be the planning of our trip to the marketing seminar. Claudia Script B ‘The candidate addresses all the content points clearly. The language used is generally accurate, with good cohesion and the register is appropriate. The overall effect on the reader is positive. Band 4 Script C To: Marketing Team From: Saiyin Subject: New date for Friday's meeting Im afraid that we have to change the date of a marking meeting that was scheduled for next Friday. The new date of the meeting will be 2pm next Thursday. Because next friday is the DuanWu Festival, If you attend the meeting, you should take the note and don't be late. Thank you!Script ¢ The candidate's answer is well organised and the language used is generally accurate. However, not all the content points are addressed and this results in marks being lost. L Band 2 Part 2 Soript D Dear Mister Rodick T read about your loan offer in the information brochure of your company. We are a young innovative company founded five years ago in 2003. Its name is Mattop: manufactoring and trading of plastic products, Our items are placed in the higher quality market, Our premises are in Zurich (Switzerland), we have actually 20 employees and a turnover about more than 2 millions Euro. After our successfull lounch of two products in 2005 our profits are steadly increasing each year on a level of 50%. The new product is a knife all in plastic with several functions like the well known Swiss-Army- Knife but even cheaper. The high costs of devellopment we estimate about 1.5 million Euro. That's why T will ask you for a loan for this amount. The results of our recent market research are very motivating. The demand is high because there is no equal product available. We are sure that this product can be launched with high success. Thank you very much for your detailed of fer. Yours sincerely Sonja Krupp Script D The answer is clearly organised and covers all the content points, so that the target reader would be fully informed, The candidate used a wide range of vocabulary and structures and the language is controlled with minimal errors. The overall effect is very positive. Band 5 Script E ‘Mr Rodich: I'm very glad to receive the information of Venture Enterprises. Tt is our honor if we can cooperate with your company. Our company named TG which focus on developing digital product. we also have high reputation in this field with 50 years experience. We have developed a new MP3 player recently, the target consumer of this product is student. Tt can not only playing music but also searching on internet, which will attract many youngerpeople. The design of this MP3 player is very fashional and friendly-user. According to our market survey, 80% of the student in college would like to try this new product. Now, we are going to launch the new product in market, which will need 2 million eures in advertisement. ‘Our company must be a better choice for you. Our profits have increased 10% last year to 32 mnillion euros. We will try our best to do better in this year. Tt is grateful if you choose our company to invest. I am looking forward to hear from you. Su Wang TG Company Script E ‘The candidate addresses all the content points and has developed the handwritten notes using a satisfactory range of vocabulary and structures. The answer does contain a number of errors but these do not prevent the message from being communicated. The format is appropriate although ina business letter, the opening greeting ‘Dear’ is to be expected. Overall, the effect on the target reader is satisfactory. Band 3 Script F Dear Rodich ‘Thanks for your letter date 28 May 2008, in which contained some information about finance. Our company is a TT company, it is a leader in the industry. It ownes 1,000 staff, and in the last year, it make 2,000 million margin. We have a good new product. Tt is smaller than the original product, And it will be convenicelly to peoples life. ‘After our research, the market is very perspective. We are confidence in the market. Because of hi-tech skill, we need an investment about 4 million. We are greateful if you would like to invest to the product. I believe that it is a ideal choie to choose our product to invest. Please consider the things above I mentioned. T.am looking forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Seript F The candidate addresses some, but not alll, of the content points and so the target reader ‘would not be fully informed. Whilst the letter format is appropriate, the answer contains frequent errors, Some of which make the message difficult to understand and this creates a negative effect. Band 2[ASSESSMENT OF SPEAKING Candidates are assessed on thelr own performance and not in relation to each other, according to the following analytical criteria: Grammar and Vocabulary, Discourse Management, Pronunciation and interactive ‘Communication. These criteria are interpreted at Vantage level. Assessment is based on performance in the whole test and is not related to particular parts of the test. Both examiners assess the candidates. The Assessor applies detailed, analytical scales, and the Interlocutor applies a Global Achievement Scale which is based on the analytical scales. Grammar and Vocabulary This refers to range and accuracy as well as the appropriate use of grammatical and lexical forms. At BEC Vantage level, a range of grammar and vocabulary is needed to deal with the tasks. At accurate enough, and use sufficiently appropriate vocabulary, to convey thei Discourse Management This refers to the coherence, extent and relevance of each candidate's individual performance. Contributions should be adequate to deal with the BEC Vantage level tasks. At times, candidates’ utterances may be inappropriate in length. Pronunciation This refers to the candidate's ability to produce comprehensible utterances. At BEC Vantage level, meanings are conveyed through the appropriate use of stress, rhythm, intonation and clear individual sounds, although there may be occasional difficulty for the listener. Interactive Communication This refers to the candidate's ability to take an active part in the development of the discourse. At BEC Vantage level, candidates should be sensitive to turn-taking and sustain the interaction by initiating and responding appropriately. Hesitation may, at times, demand patience of the listener.