BEC
Business English Certificate
This Cambridge exam tests the level of English used in business areas, services, and administration. It is designed with three different variants according to the level – BEC Preliminary (Intermediate), BEC Vantage (Upper Intermediate) and BEC Higher (Advanced).
- BEC Preliminary (Intermediate)
This is an exam for learners with basic and pre-intermediate knowledge of English. This level
corresponds to Cambridge level 1 (PET).
This exam has three parts: 1. reading and writing - (1 hour and 30 minutes), 2. listening - (about
40 minutes), 3. speaking - (about 12 minutes for two candidates).
- BEC Vantage (Upper-Intermediate)
This exam is for learners with an intermediate level of English who work, or are preparing for work,
in business areas ranging from general occupations in the office to production and finances. This
level corresponds to Cambridge level 3 (FCE).
This exam has four parts: 1. reading - (1 hour), 2. writing -(45 minutes), 3. listening - (about 40 minutes),
4. speaking - (about 14 minutes for two candidates).
- BEC Higher (Advanced)
The BEC is focused on learners who have already gained or are gaining business or administration experience. Learners at this level should master more complicated sentence constructions and demonstrate a broad range of vocabulary knowledge. This exam for advanced students corresponds to Cambridge level 4 (CAE).
This exam has four parts: 1. reading - (1 hour), 2. writing - (1 hour and 10 minutes), 3. listening - about 40 minutes), 4. speaking - (about 14 minutes for two candidates).