B1 Business Preliminary

B1 Business Preliminary, formerly known as Cambridge English: Business Preliminary (BEC Preliminary), is one of our Cambridge English Qualifications. It helps you to get the practical language skills you need to start doing business in English.

A B1 Business Preliminary certificate shows that you can:

talk about business subjects
understand charts and graphs
write a short business email
follow short telephone conversations.

Key facts

Scale score	140 – 159
Test format	computer or paperbased
Exam length	approx. 2 hours 20 minutes
Exam costs	CHF 255

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Reasons to choose B1 Business Preliminary

Succeed in business-related studies with English language skills you can prove.

Improve your career opportunities – get the English language skills you need to be successful.

Accepted globally by top international companies like Procter & Gamble, HSBC and AstraZeneca, as well as education institutions and business schools.

Exam Format – Overview

Paper	Content	Purpose
Reading and Writing (1 hour 30 minutes)	Reading: 7 Parts Writing: 2 Parts	Shows you can read and understand the main points from graphs or charts, messages and emails, and can use vocabulary and structure correctly. You are also required to be able to produce two short pieces of writing: an internal communication, such as a note or a message, and some business correspondence, such as an email or a letter.
Listening (40 minutes, including trasfer time)	4 parts	Requires you to be able to follow and understand a range of spoken materials including interviews and discussions about everyday life.
Speaking (12 minutes per pair of candidates)	4 parts / 30 questions	Shows your spoken English as you take part in conversation, asking and answering questions, and talking freely about your opinions, for example, when discussing business-related topics. Your Speaking test will be face-to-face with one or two other candidates. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable.

Paper

Content

Purpose

Reading and Writing
(1 hour 30 minutes)

Reading: 7 Parts

Writing: 2 Parts

Shows you can read and understand the main points from graphs or charts, messages and emails, and can use vocabulary and structure correctly. You are also required to be able to produce two short pieces of writing: an internal communication, such as a note or a message, and some business correspondence, such as an email or a letter.

Listening
(40 minutes, including trasfer time)

4 parts

Requires you to be able to follow and understand a range of spoken materials including interviews and discussions about everyday life.

Speaking
(12 minutes per pair of candidates)

4 parts / 30 questions

Shows your spoken English as you take part in conversation, asking and answering questions, and talking freely about your opinions, for example, when discussing business-related topics. Your Speaking test will be face-to-face with one or two other candidates. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable.