7/25/2019 Br Speaking Test

1/2

Business Result| Speaking test

How to use the Speaking test

Begin by asking the student questions at elementary level. If the student answers confidently,

move onto the questions or the role-play task at pre-intermediate level (you will need to

participate in the role-play tasks). Continue in this way until the student noticeably finds the

questions or the role-play difficult whichever level this is indicates which book the student

should be using, based on their spoken English.Level What a student can do at this level Questions / role-play tasks for this level

Elementary A student at this level can

answer questions about personal

and work-related information

(name, company, nationality, job-

title, department, products, services)

meet and greet a visitor

talk about basic topics (work, free-

time activities)

talk about events in the past and

future such as basic career history

and plans for future

deal with and share details related

to information on schedules,

projects, timetables, and

correspondence.

Whats your name?

Which country / Where are you

from?

Whats your job?

What does your company produce /

provide?

What time do you start work? Tell

me about your typical day.

When did you join the company?

What project are you working on atthe moment?

When is your next holiday? Where

are you going to go?

What do you do in your free time?

Tell me about your family / home /

interests.

Pre-

intermediate

A student at this level can

ask and answer questions about

personal and work-related

information

talk about a range of topics

including customers, products,services, and competition

present key information about his /

her company or area of business

ask a visitor information and make

general conversation

deal with basic telephone calls,

especially when initiating the call.

Whats your job title? What are your

responsibilities?

Tell me about your products /

services (price, quality). Who buys

them? Who are your competitors?

How big is your company? Tell meabout the companys history and

future plans.

Role-play task

Im a visitor at your company.

Introduce yourself to me and ask me

three questions.

Intermediate A student at this level can

explain and ask about recent events

and changes

talk about a range of topics

including technology, processes, and

performance

participate in meetings and give

reasons, opinions, and plans

make quite formal as well as

informal presentations and deal

with straight-forward questions

deal with a variety of situations on

the telephone, including answering

questions or dealing with problems.

Give a short presentation about

your company. For example, its

history, products, locations, etc.

What have been some of the big

changes at your company recently?What have been the results? Whats

your opinion on the changes?

How has technology changed your

life in recent years (at work and at

home)? Do you think its a good

thing?

Role-play task

Im a customer and I telephone you to

complain about a late delivery. I want

you to deal with my complaint.

Use this test to establish which

level of Business Resultto use

with your student(s). Note that

this test only indicates the

level of speaking and should

be administered in conjunction

with the written placementtest available on the teachers

website.

Oxford University Press 2009 Business Result

7/25/2019 Br Speaking Test

2/2

Business Result| Speaking test

Level What a student can do at this level Questions / role-play tasks for this level

Upper-

intermediate

A student at this level can

interact quite fluently and

spontaneously on a variety of

topics, e.g. ethics in business,

motivation, outsourcing, etc.

participate in meetings and

discussions where he / she will

give views, is able to state both

advantages and disadvantages, and

make recommendations

present complex information and

handle difficult questions

summarize key points based on

texts or documentation.

How important are teams where

you work? What are some ways to

motivate a team?

How much do you deal with

people from other countries (give

examples)? Do different cultures do

business in different ways?

Think of a problem you had to deal

with recently. What happened?

How did you solve it? Do you

think you could have approached it

differently?

Role-play task

Imagine Im a new customer.

Convince me to use your products

or services instead of your main

competitors.

Advanced A student at this level can

easily interact with both native and

non-native speakers on all topics

of conversation including quite

abstract topics

initiate repair strategies where

misunderstanding occurs

express him / herself fluently

without much searching for

expressions

formally negotiate aspects of

business, such as contracts

implement managerial initiatives

and leadership in English through

presentations or in meetings.

Note to examiner:

If a student has successfully answered

the questions and completed the tasks

at all previous levels with no difficulty,

then they can be placed at this level

for speaking.

Oxford University Press 2009 Business Result