BUSINESS ENGLISH
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
Classes are in English; students should ideally have receptive (reading, listening) and grammar / vocabulary skills at CEF B2 level.
Candidates may only access the final exam after submitting the Past paper assigned as 'coursework' (formative assessment) by the given deadline. Coursework assessment is not factored in the average for the final mark.
1. Coursework component: 1 Exam paper (Cambridge Business Higher, C1)
The candidate completes a C1-level formative paper, in preparation for the skills needed to tackle the final exam. Paper samples are assigned on the Teams platform under "Attività". No other submission methods are accepted. The chosen paper must be submitted by the deadline.
2. Final Test
The skills / competences resulting from class attendance, intensive reading, coursework completion and individual work are formally assessed in a final exam, consistent with course contents and activities. Lasting 2 hours and 15 minutes, the exam consists of 3 parts:
Part 1: Listening (Marks: 10 /30)
Listening comprehension (multiple-choice) of ESP recordings reflecting course contents; ability to extract essential information. The recording is played twice. Level B2-C1.
Part 2: Use of English (Marks: 8/30)
Competence in using C1-level Business English structures, vocabulary and collocations, consistent with course contents. This part of the test draws on the Personal Study Book, with multiple choice, insertion, word transformation in context, sentence transformation, open cloze.
Part 3: Reading Comprehension (Marks: 12/30)
Ability to understand advanced excerpts from C1-level ESP texts (informative and/or academic), consistent with course topics and language, through one of the methods taught in class (paragraph re-insertion / multiple matching / multiple choice).
The pass threshold for the exam is 18/30 for 3 ECTS (CFU).
Upon completing the Business English course, in line with the SUA guidelines and as a result of classroom learning and individual work, students will have:
• reviewed and mastered key grammar and lexis from previous English courses
• mastered new B2+ communication skills (syntax, lexis, dialogue, written and oral comprehension);
• familiarised themeselves with specialist preparation for ESP certifications (Cambridge Business - Vantage and Higher).
• learnt to research and interpret specific information from original sources (academic and general) in English
Building from all of the above skills, in line with the Global Scale of English (GSE) criteria, students:
Reading:
• understand a variety of intermediate-advanced industry-specific texts (expository, technical, case studies, specialized journal articles) from authentic sources;
• understand short introductory texts from economics and finance research (abstracts and introductions from the 'Journal of Financial Economics');
• interpret and comment on common visual / statistical data in English
• identify logical linking in specialized discourse (contrast, addition, example, explanation, conclusion, etc.) through key discourse markers (linkers); be able to use linking fpr more effective communication.
Listening:
• understand a variety of oral exchanges and audio / video contributions on economics and marketing topics - level B1+ / B2+ complexity
• complete notes through active listening techniques and Cambridge-Assessment informed practice
Writing
• can write short ESP-Business texts (proposal, report) using syntax, industry-specific language and suitable register depending on a given communicative / cultural setting;
• can briefly answer a selection of questions from official Cambridge Assessment - Business Vantage / Higher exam papers.
Speaking
• can describe a short scenario / case study, with fitting terminology (lexis and collocations) in use for economics specialists
• can describe common visual data and statistics
• can discuss their work in short Q&A sessions
• correctly pronounce standard English, with fewer phonetic ambiguities, enhancing their listening skills as a further result;
1. From the Reading Portfolio: academic journal (Journal of Financial Economics) or specialized press (The Economist) texts, allowing students to simultaneously master specialized contents in English along with relevant language structures. Topics are mainly centred around macro-economics.
2. From classroom activities. Five business management themes are developed alongside an analysis of language (vocabulary, syntax, listening, active production) and case studies:
• Competitive Advantage. Submitting tenders. Winning contracts. Pricing. Hypothesising on outcomes.
• Proposals. Extending the product range. Writing a proposal. Using the passive to sound impersonal.
• Sales Reports. Commenting on sales. Reporting on a sales event. Use of tenses in reporting data.
• Forecasts and results. Forecasting sales. Forecasting disaster. Reporting results. Conditionals.
• Corporate ethics. CSR tenets. Fair Trade. Proposals for ethical running of businesses.
All of the related materials are shared with students in the “Exam” folder on the Teams class.
Classroom activities aim to build solid language foundations through core ESP topics complete with an emphasis on employability skills (communication, team work, problem solving, initiative, planning and organizing, decision making, self-management).
3. from the Personal Study Book: the tutorial booklet (industry-specific vocabulary, advanced grammar, preparation for BEC Higher certification) fully reflects the classroom activities and provides round-up and self-assessment material during and after the course. The automated multiple-choice test (part 2 of the final exam) features structures and lexis related to the booklet.
4. from the mandatory 'Coursework' (to access the final exam) to be submitted by the deadline:
- A Business Higher exam paper: students will complete individual work (including the 'Writing' part) on 1 BEC Higher certification exam paper, uploaded under section "Attività” / “Assignments" in the Teams class. No other channels are accepted and the system does not allow for any late submissions. This assessment is formative and is not factored in the average with the final mark.
5. material from test files; from other additional resources in the “Exam” folder; Course presentation ppoint with links to the resources.
-Reading Portfolio: Students read a selection of articles in the specified sections, with a view to exploring grammar and lexis while acquiring industry-specific content from authentic sources. Wide reading also helps them formulate meaningful responses to past exam papers and to discuss content in the classroom.
-In the classroom:
a. dialogic lecture, or flipped mode activities; presentation and discussion of core topics, language structures, specialized lexis, false cognates, pronunciation / phonetics, guided listening, administration of training tests on ICT platforms, completion of past Cambridge Business Higher paper sections.
b. interactive activities (speaking, listening, specialized translation, case studies);
-Coursework: students complete (independently) the work assigned (1 Exam Paper, to be chosen from a set of uploaded papers) and deliver it under Teams section 'Attività'. Though assessed informally, this is essential to access the final exam.
-Training tests: Entry test (1 ), Mid-course test (+ any other): the online test files (complete with results and scores), are to be kept for study, revision and advancement.
Active attendance, classroom activities, intensive reading, practice with the booklet and coursework all contribute to mastering the language skills needed for the final exam.
Classes are in English with a mother tongue instructor. Participation is recommended (in-presence only, with exceptions as per relevant provisions in force). The Teams platform is meant to be used as follow-up to classroom sessions, as resource repository and as communication channel for queries / further insights.
Students’ attitudes should focus on building long-term language and communication skills, to be capitalized on for further academic and professional development.
The Teams chat is the preferred channel for further questions and info; prompter replies will be given through this channel.
The link to the Teams class can be found in an early notice (avviso) on the college e-learning portal.
Students must activate notifications and check the Teams class on a daily /weekly basis, as the platform serves as a follow-up to in-person sessions, as repository for all course materials, and as communication channel for alerts, assignments and reminders.