B2 Business Vantage (BEC Vantage) Speaking

12 Minutes. Three tasks.

25% of the exam.

 

A guide to help you understand each speaking task and what you need to say.

Introduction

This can be the hardest part of the exam for some people. Students are not sure what they have to do, they worry about making mistakes and don’t think they can prepare. Speaking can be stressful, but you do it a lot already don’t you?

There are two examiners during the speaking test, one will speak, the other will listen. There are usually two candidates (sometimes three). Two of the tasks are individual, in the final task, you will have to speak to the other candidate.

THE GOOD NEWS.

  • You don’t have to speak perfect English and you don’t have to speak with an English accent.

  • The test is 12 minutes long but you don’t speak all the time.

  • If you don’t understand a question that is okay. Ask the examiner to repeat the question.

Say:

Could you repeat that please?

Please could you say that again?

B2 Business Vantage (BEC Vantage)

Speaking Part One – The Interview

The Task

This part is for about three minutes, you answer questions about yourself, and give your opinion about a general business topic.

You can download the questions for all the Speaking Test here.

The examiner will also ask your partner questions so, in fact, this part is only really 90 seconds long for you.

General advice.

• Listen carefully to the question so that you can answer it!

• Give a short answer to the question and add one extra detail.

For example.

Q: What is your profession?

A: I’m an English teacher. I teach the English language to adults.

Q: Where do you work?

A: In a language school. We teach English and French and most of the students are adults.

• Copy the grammar in the question

For example…

Q: Do you prefer working in a team or alone?

A: I prefer working…

You can prepare for questions about yourself!

Read the article here which has 65 common speaking exam Part One questions. Check that you know the correct vocabulary to answer them and talk about your job, your daily tasks, and your company.

You can also check that you know the correct grammar.

Which one is correct?

I am working in a bank

I work in a bank.

It is the second sentence. Use the present simple to describe facts or routines in your normal life.

You can learn more about the correct grammar to use in this part of the Speaking Exam, in the B2 Business Vantage Preparation Guide, available here.

You can also make sure you know the correct prepositions for the correct situations. If you don’t know, check online.

To work for a company or organisation

To work in place

To be responsible for

To be in charge of

To work in a team.

You also have to give an opinion about a business topic. This topic is not usually too complicated or serious. Example topics are…

  • job satisfaction

  • staff training

  • technology at work

Now that you understand how to maximise your score for the B2 Vantage Speaking Part 1, you are now ready to start learning how to prepare to succeed in Parts 2 & 3.

If you prefer to focus on improving your score in a different part of the B2 Vantage exam, then go to Reading, Writing, or Listening.