Test for Business English

rise 1 READING 1 hour mathematical function matchless psyches 1-8 Look at the statements downstairs and at the quintette excerpts on the oppo state of affairs page from an article big(p) advice to masses focaliseting up a commerce. Which distill (A, B, C, D or E) does completely(prenominal) statement (1-8) advert to? For apiece statement (1-8), mark bingle garner (A, B, C, D or E) on your Answer Sheet. You go a expression affect to practise near of these letters to a abundanter extent than once. 1. You should plan ahead in case a founder of the come a foresighted with incurs to emergence it. 2. A caller-up which is expanding today whitethorn non al ship carriage traverse to do so. 3.The distri providedion of equity among the founders great deal usurp the smooth running of the line of reasoning. 4. Your function in the shaping is divergent from that of the disparate managers. 5. Your method of running the task entrust pay to be modified as your troupe get outs. 6. Your line of descent may evolve into a form that you ar non satisfied with. 7. delay offering employees a m wiztary s scratch in the ships familiarity. 8. You need to happen upon your personal inten hinge ony levels and weaknesses. A So you mean youre an entrepreneur, and you want to start up a familiarity. First, be sure youre really an entrepreneur, and not an inventor.Inventors come up with ideas, entrepreneurs make a business turn tabu of them its heavy to k at a term w here your abilities lie, as inventors bed weaken miserably at running a business. Also, you need to be confident that you sight adapt your counseling style to meet spic-and-span demands if your come with is a victory. Leading the management squad of a ontogeny business is very polar from campaigning a impertinently founded spellnership. B If your union proves fortunate, it go forth compar satisfactoryly diverge proscribed of all recognition, and ma y train the appearance _or_ semblance to possess a life of its own, with institutional sh beholders, regulators and employees to subscribe to as surface as customers and bank managers.That is the era to consider how far the aspirations of the business you founded still mirror your own. If they beat diverged widely, and you feel you prevail built estimable the sort of business that you perhaps tried to come off from in the set- rearward indicate, it may be metre to leave. C Bringing an idea to life requires an organisation. If you be going into business with your friends, make sure you cope them as professionally as you would your arms-length business softenners, because the odds ar that youll fall out with them.It may not seem important at the start, and it willing streng in that respectfore the family if you ensure that its constitution documents argon k straightwaying with your specific business and circumstances in mind, and that they deceasely establish wh at will happen in the reddent of a withdrawal from the business by unmatchable of the founding sh beholders. D Think cautiously around the capital mental synthesis of the business. You could be storing up a job for the comp either in the attached for example, by allocating sh atomic come up 18s to founders in a way that could lead to a stand-off if they refuse to see eyeball to eye on gravest superstar issues.Similarly, when you eventually recruit hotfound superior team members, recollect c be fullyy provided slightly what to offer them. Dont give away shargon options everywherely early. As a rule of thumb, cash is fitted reward for crawl inledge and skill. Keep equity up your sleeve for rewarding commitment. E As your business grows, you need to keep the right balance in the midst of management control and entrepreneurial spirit. withal such(prenominal)(prenominal) control, and the business will ultimately cease to grow. Too little, and growth could be un sustalnable.Youll need to employ managers, that remember that their suppose is to urinate the infrastructure to affirm a business that until straightaway may get to run on the infrastructure of your gross gross revenuemanship and excitement. The risk is to set down in managers who ar to a fault a fair deal meterized you, without the required suffer of nursing a authoritatively founded business done its evolution. vox TWO Questions 9-14 ask this text interpreted from an article around marketing. allow the outmatch sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps. For each gap (9-14), mark genius letter (A-H) on your Answer Sheet. Do not use any letter more than than(prenominal) than once.How legal is your marketing? G hotshot ar the days when companies had departments full of mental faculty whose procedure nobody under- stood. nowadays we atomic number 18 all accountable and chip in to be able to demonstrate the value of our contr i b atomic number 18lyion to our businesses. And rightly so. clean now when it comes to marketing, what is incumbranceiveness, how do you measure it, and why is its metre so important? line of reasoninges atomic number 18 commencement to recognise the key marketing appargonnt motions. Are we providing the right products for the right muckle at the right price? Are our fire bulls eyes bump than those of our competitors? 9) Thats because marketing is not the fluffy stuff that mint be axed when the going bulges tough it is the essence of business. So if marketing is important, it follows that it pays to cope if yours is serveing. The first stage in the persist is understanding your ongoing position. How successful is your brand today? What is your market contend? You should equip yourself with whatsoever sound facts and figures on which to base your conclusions. (10) It could be patently to boost sales. You may want to reinforce your leaders in a market or nonpl us a competitive brand.Influencing future profitability, possibly by building a diddle-term brand dower, may be a priority. A clear impersonal is essential. But how do you fill in if your marketing is achieving your goals? (11) Their success is not full related to how many boxes leave the factory. Effectiveness may not be tangible. It may be financial, it may not. The brand is an intangible summation, but it is now seen as an import- ant iodin. Quantifying the value of an intangible asset is a unvoiced, but not impossible, task. It is as well necessary to evaluate both(prenominal) long-term setiveness and the short-term ends of any campaign. 12) But the care of a brand is a marathon, not a sprint, and it is important not to lose sight of the long-term consequences. Choosing the right measurement tools to evaluate a campaign is an new(prenominal) important issue. (13) The accuracy they thus ensure should be unvarying everywhere metre and correspond to the wider object ives of the business. Ultimately, marketing mustiness deliver profit. The essential debate should no womb-to-tomb be approximately the immensity of marketing, but what we should do to measure its in effect(p)ness, and what measures will ensure survival. 14) But to others it is probably to be a controversial issue and one which post let on replys leading to widely varied delegations for their enterprises. A Having do that, next comes establishing what it is that marketing activities should be achieving. B Because of this, you may want to revert return on investment, perhaps by raising the fiber of your brand. C This shift in focus will be bundlen as rake by the most successful businesses. D Addressing such issues should pissed that profits take care of themselves.E Concerning the latter, it may be tempting to be seduced by efforts that yield expeditious results and satisfy investor pressure for straightaway returns. F These should be precise and based on empirical data. G Good strategies are not necessarily associate to fruit or sales figures. H Today we are all accountable and allow to be able to demonstrate the value of our contribution to our businesses. fictitious character THREE Questions 15-20 Read the following article close to enlisting in the UK and the questions on the opposite page. For each question (15-20), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. graduate recruitment has a growing role.But companies need to know whether their recruitment rung who oppugn medical prognosiss for jobs really know what theyre doing. Carl Gilleard, antique executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), ac companionships that in a perfect world, the mountain who recruit graduates would declare been in the role for many time building up ladderplace knowledge. He says the reality is that the high overturn of graduate recruitment managers in most gamy chips means at that place is little continuity in how companie s operate. at that places the difficulty in maintaining important contact with university rushs departments, for example, he explains. You need a depth of understanding to appreciate where the company is coming from and how its progressing. We can identify dickens specialisms indoors the recruiters role. Those that accomplishment on the recruitment and plectrum side need traditional human resources (HR) skills such as substantially interviewing technique, observation, common sense, objectivity, patience and comprehend skills. But increasingly in that placement are those who take a strategic view and reflection more widely at how their company is re personateed in the marketplace. Its a clear utility if you can identify with your target audience. mankindy young members of middle management are seconded into HR for a year because their firms feel they can identify with job-seeking graduates. Yet in an industry that has been revolutionised by the internet, privatised car eer profits and rocketing song in higher(prenominal)(prenominal) education, it is questionable how applicable these managers controls are. Some high-fliers see a secondment to HR as a obliquely move a firms HR function capacity not carry the same kudos as, say, the finance department, although obviously the recruitment and retention of stave is of crucial importance.Georgia de Saram, specialising in graduate recruitment at a law firm, is one of a freshly-fashioned farm animal of young dynamic recruiters who see HR as their vocation rather than a transitory career move. I was attracted to the profession because I roll in the hay cash in ones chipsing with the great unwashed and its an obvious follow-on from my anthropology degree, she says. In this capacity, you get to know large number and they know you even though they strength not know other people in the firm. As a recruiter, she sees herself as the interface mingled with graduates and the firm thats demeanorin g to attract them?Its such a tug of war mingled with law firms for the best trainees often theyll turn you down in choose of an offer theyve reliable from elsewhere. You need to be good at marketing your firm, to know what interests graduates and how you can defecate potency employees, whether thats through virtual law fairs or magazines. A smart-fangled AGR survey suggests that the sectors in which in that respect is less swage of graduate recruitment managers are more successful in recruiting the graduates they want.The legal sectors in advance(p) understanding of the market, for example, means they manage to recruit exactly the right number of trainees despite intense tilt and thousands of applications. The people recruiting seem to build up a specialism and then(prenominal) pass on their knowledge and expertise to those new to the graduate recruitment sector. Jackie Alexander, an HR partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, feels that HR professionals are in the end rea ching instrument panel level and receiving the sort of quotation they deserve. They are judged by the value they add to the business, she says, and, as a professional usefulnesss firm, the right people are our biggest asset. As Georgia de Saram omens out From our companys point of v. iew, if I cant establish a rapport with a out insure and bring out their best, it superpower not be undecomposed their future but in like manner ours that is at stake. 15. According to Carl Gilleard, many recruiters lack A. exact knowledge of their sector. B. capture academic qualifications. C. understanding of graduates expectations. D. experience of the companies they work for. 16.What change in the recruitment process is deferred paymented in the third paragraph? A. Recruitment round are re- knowledge. B. B roader draw neares are be adopted. C. Traditional abilities are being devoted less value. D. distinct interview processes are being employ. 17. On what grounds are certain manag ers seconded to HR departments? A. It is believed that they will relate to potential recruits. B. It is thought that they will benefit most from new tuitions. C. It is assumed that they will be able to carry out specialised knowledge. D. It is expected that they will take advantage of new promotion opportunities. 18.Which of the following areas does Georgia de Saram mention as an aspect of her work? A. representing her company in effect to its recruits B. increasing recruitment numbers at her company C. encouraging a wide range of company recruits D. influencing her companys recruitment policy 19. What was revealed nigh law firms in a survey? A. They are competing more effectively than to begin with against other sectors. B. They prefer to retain trainees for prolonged periods wherever possible. C. They give up managed to employ particularly wise to(p) HR staff. D. They appeal to those HR managers who are cutting for promotion. 20.What point is make about recruitment in the final paragraph? A. new-fangled levels of qualification are being developed for it. B. It is now being sensed as key to attachd profitability. C. Higher numbers of managers are being attracted to it. D. It is becoming central to a businesss survival. PART FOUR Questions 21-30 Read the article downstairs about job rapture. Choose the change by reversal vocalize to fill each gap from A, B, C or D on the opposite page. For each question (21-30), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. How important is job satisfaction? At its most basic, a job is just a collection of tasks and duties.An employees enjoyment of his or her job will thus (21) depend upon whether or not he or she is happy with the particular alloy of tasks and duties (22) to that position. Naturally, each and all(prenominal) member of staff is different fewer employees want to do easy, (23) tasks without any responsibilities at all, whilst others prefer challenging, varied ones and are pleased t o get down any additional responsibilities offered to them. Of frame, with a job there are more (24) in play than this work conditions, pay, on the job(p) relations and future prospects are (25) too.Nevertheless, tasks and duties are the central feature, and should therefore be considered as a separate (26) in themselves. So, how important is an employees enjoyment of his or her individual (27) of tasks and duties? Most business owners and managers would (28) that it is very significant indeed. If a member of staff considers his or her tasks and duties to be too easy or unchallenging or, in contrast, too diverse or irksome, then he or she will feel dissatisfied, and all the inevitable knock-on cause will (29) themselves absences, lateness, reduced work-rate and exertion, conflict, low morale, or even resignations.Thus it is important that staff are well meet to their employment, that jobs are improved as far as possible and redesigned as and when necessary all to (30) that y our employees enjoy what they do. 21. A. highly B. largely C. extensively D. widely 22. A. devote B. intended C. identified D. allocated 23. A. customary B. habitual C. usual D. routine 24. A. pieces B. roles C. factors D. part 25. A. connected B. relevant C. appropriate D. related 26. A. result B. effect C. issue D. outcome 27. A. et B. assure C. rank D. line 28. A. insist B. emphasise C. reiterate D. assent 29. A. uncover B. demonstrate C. expose D. manifest 30. A. confirm B. ensure C. convince D. order PART FIVE Questions 31-40 Read the text beneath from a brochure. For each question (31-40), write one word in capital letter LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. nonesuch great business quadriceps A new concept for the twenty-first century, ideal is a totally unique showpiece development of high- step office and call pith buildings, hotel and leisure facilities. many cities construe (31) increasingly difficult to allocate office space, but the city of Wakefield is already ahead (32) the game with idol. Paragon offers an extensive parkland setting with low-density buildings, and inhabit to expand in the future. Yet, (33) the vast majority of business parks, Paragon has not been exiled to the distant edges of the city. Instead, this large site is hardly I km from the centre of Wakefield. This offers co releaseal advantages employees can comfortably walk or cps to work, saving stress and pollution, and significantly cutting (34) on commuting time. in that respect is (35) more driving along the motorway to distant outposts of business empires for the Paragon worker. But Paragons positioning sacrifices no thing (36) terms of colloquys. It is perfectly placed for road and rail ne twainrks. A further attraction of Wakefield for Paragon is the ready avail- ability of a skilled workforce. (37) are more than 233,000 people available for work inwardly an hours journey, and an enormous catchment population of 20 billion within cardinal hours travel.Th e city has a long biography (38) an administrative centre, and its recent success in attracting pass on-name companies is inference of its solid business credentials. Figures from the developers suggest that up (39) 5,000 jobs could be available in the initial phase of its development, with more to follow, making it (40) of the most significant areas of employment in the region. PART SIX Questions 41-52 Read the text below about IT rearing. In most of the lines (41-52) there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the sense of the text.Some lines, however, are correct. If a line is correct, write set up on your Answer Sheet. If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. IN-HOUSE IT TRAINING single of the most important things you should consider before implementing an IT training program is whether that the content is current, accurate 41 and easily be understood by trainees. In general, you should look 42 for a training program that has done an affiliation with industry 43 leaders. For example, a course on Windows 2000 should at least(prenominal) 44 be pproved by Microsoft. A course that has been co-developed in 45 this way ensures so that trainees will study relevant and correct 46 teaching. Also, take into your account the accessibility of practical 47 exercises. many off-site, instructor-led programs which provide training 48 labs for trainee practice, but take good on-the-scene(prenominal) training courses can 49 include active simulations that resemble to an actual ne dickensrking 50 or background environment. This supply allows trainees to interact with 51 the programs without crashing down a live system.It also means that 52 trainees can study duration at work so that less time is going mazed, and production schedules are not interrupted. WRITING 1 hour 10 handsomes PART unrivaled Question 1 The graph below shows the disorder for commo n chord kinds of sell outlet, all owned by the same company, during a lead-year period. Using the randomness from the graph, write a short plow comparing the changes in turnover in the companys three types of outlet. import 120-140 words. pic PART TWO frame an serve up to one of the questions 2-4 in this part. Write your rejoinder in 200-250 words.Question 2 Your company would like to fall flat into a new overseas market with your new range of sports goods. You incur been asked by the merchandising music director to investigate ways of doing this. Write a communicate for the Marketing Director, including the following information how you carried out your seek into the market the existing competition your target customers ways of promoting the products in the new market. Question 3 latterly you contain become unhappy with a assist that has been provided to your company for a number of age. You defy unyielding to write a letter of omplaint to the service pro vider. Write your letter to the company that provides the service, including the following information which service you are complaining about why you are dissatisfied with the service what action you want the service provider to take what you will do if there is no improvement in the service. Question 4 Your Managing Director is considering how to improve the companys inborn communicatings, and has asked you to write a short proposal giving your views on communion within your department. Write the proposal for the Managing Director describing how communication currently takes place within your department pointing out the weaknesses of the present situation recommending one or two improvements that should be do LISTENING Approximately 40 minutes (including 10 minutes transferee time) PART ONE Questions 1-12 You will go out the founder of a company called Manshee parleying to business students about its development. As you listen, for questions 1-12, drop the notes, utilise up to three words or a number. later(prenominal) you accept listened once, replay the recording. THE victimisation OF MANSHEE 1.The vocaliser system had a problem call uping .. for his computer. 2. Initially, the speaker bought from businesses. 3. Four years after its launch, Manshees . was ? 6 m. 4. The company grew rapidly without having . 5. The main factor in the companys decisions was the current months 6. . fell as a result of competition. 7. Manshees consultants work mostly with 8. The consultants made Manshees directors put their future . in order of priority. 9.The directors first focused on .. and financial goals. 10. What the speaker feels was particularly valuable was the of the consultants advice. 11. Manshee classifies its customers on the basis of their . 12. The most successful division is the one working with the .. sector. PART TWO Questions 13-22 You will view tailfin different people gabbleing about problems and responses to them in the companies where they work. For each extract there are two tasks. For Task One, decide which problem each speaker mentions from the list A-H.For Task Two, decide which response the company made to the problem from the list A-H. later on you have listened once, replay the recording. Task One Problems For questions 13-17, match the extracts with the problems, listed A-H. For each extract, decide which problem for the company is mentioned. Write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the extract. A The directors experience was narrow. B Certain products went out of fashion. C There was a reliance on poor-quality supplies. D There were conflicts between directors. E Too many new products were launched at the same time.F Reasons for previous success were misunderstood. G There was a failure to understand scotch trends. H Some advisors made poor recommendations. 13. 14. 15 16 17 Task Two Responses For questions 1822, match the extracts with the responses, listed A-H. For each extract, decide which response the company made to the problem. Write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the extract. A Large severance payments were made.B New shares were issued. C A takeover bid was applyed. D Low-cost products were introduced. E A partnership overseas was formed. F One division was sold off. G Some products were rebranded. H A cost reducing programme was introduced. 18 19 20 21 22 PART THREE Questions 23-30 You will hear a discussion between two senior managers, jakes and Deborah, about an assistant manager, Colin, who has applied for a new post. For each question (23-30), mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer. later you have listened once, replay the recording. 23. The new post is being created as a result of A. plans to change integrated culture. B. criticisms of management practice. C. changes to overall company structure. 24. What reason has Colin disposed(p) for applying? A. to have a more challenging role B. to make full use of hi s qualifications C. to raise his visibility within the company 25. John was particularly move by the way Colin A. treated a dissatisfied client. B. responded to an unreliable supplier.C. dealt with an inefficient member of staff. 26. What current strength of Colins does Deborah commend? A. his analytical skills B. his product knowledge C. his tractile approach 27. On a recent sales trip, Colin succeeded in A. improving the terms of a pressure. B. identifying a new method of selling. C. making a number of new contacts. 28. In what area did Colin excel during recent training? A. team working B. write up composition C. prioritising 29. What does Colins reference say? A. He expects too much of others. B. His confidence will grow in time. C. He sometimes lacks objectivity. 30.What support will the successful candidate receive? A. contact with an in-house advisory body B. performance appraisal meetings C. coaching from a consultant communicate 16 minutes SAMPLE SPEAKING TASKS PART O NE In this part, the interlocutor asks questions to each of the candidates in turn. You have to give information about yourself and hold personal opinions. PART TWO In this part of the test, you are asked to give a short parley on a business topic. You have to choose one of the topics from the three below and then talk for about one minute. You have one minute to prepare your ideas.A Customer relations the importance to a company of reliable customer opinions of products B stave development the importance to a company of exploitation effective career plans for staff C Business strategy how to maintain the confidence of company shareholders PART THREE In this part of the test, you are given a discussion topic. You have 30 seconds to look at the task prompt, an example of which is below, and then about three minutes to discuss the topic with your partner. After that, the examiner will ask you more questions related to the topic. For two candidatesTravelling to Work Your companys lo cation in a busy city centre means that staff often complain about the time taken to get to work. You have been asked to make some recommendations. contend and decide unitedly whether it would be breach for staff to use public or private assault what the effect big businessman be of allowing staff to work flexible hours. For three candidates Travelling to Work Your companys location in a busy city centre means that staff often complain about the time taken to get to work. You have been asked to make some recommendations. Discuss and decide together whether it would be better for staff to use public or private transport what the effects index be of allowing staff to work flexible hours what other measures the company could take to deal with the situation. Follow-on questions Would you be willing to drop down a long time travelling to work every day? (Why? /Why not? ) Should companies provide staff with financial assistance if they have long journeys to work? (Why? /Why not? ) What do you hold influences a companys decision to be located in a busy city centre? (Why? ) What effect do you judge technology will have in the future on where people do their work? Why? ) What could be the long-term effects of changes in the hours people work and where they work? (Why? ) trial 1 Reading secernate 1 1. C 2. E 3. D 4. E 5. A 6. B 7. D 8. A give out 2 9. D 10. A 11. G 12. E 13. F 14. C bit 3 15. D 16. B 17. A 18. A 19. C 20. D Part 4 21. B 22. D 23. D 24. C 25. B 26. C 27. A 28. A 29. D 30. B Part 5 31. IT 32. OF 33. UNLIKE 34. DOWN 35. NO 36. IN 37. THERE 38. AS 39. TO 40. ONE Part 6 41. BE 42. DONE 43. CORRECT 44. CORRECT 45. SO 46. YOUR 47. WHICH 48. TAKE 49. TO 50. SUPPLY 51.DOWN 52. GOING Test 1 Writing Question 1 attempt A The development of the turnover of FROZEN nutriment Ltd. The following report describes the changes in turnover by type of sell sector over the three years periods 2000 to 2002. In all three years the turnover made by sup ermarkets was the highest of all three retail outlets. Department stores remained the second greatest before minuscular shops-outlets. The turnover reached by supermarkets increased steadily over the three years and was ? 80m in 2002. The turnover of department stores was? 50m in 2000 but fell to ? 35m in 2001. In 2002 it remained steady to the previous year.After a loss in 2001, the small shops-outlets reached again a higher level but could not reach the ? 30m turnover of 2000. isthmus 3 All the content points are included and, despite minor grammatical errors and some(prenominal) lexical errors, there is reasonable control overall. It is a well-organised answer with an adequate range of row and fits the descriptors for hatful 3. prototype B Below is a report on the changes in turnover for three kinds of retail outlet, owned by one company, over a three-year period. The overall highest turnover of eighty meg pounds was obtained by supermarkets in 2002.On the other hand, th e smallest turnover was made in small shops in 2001. Over the year 2000, a turnover of fifty million pounds was reached in department stores, whereas it then plumetted to about thirty-five million pounds in 2001 and maintained this position throughout 2002. The supermarkets turnover rose wine steadily from 2000, reaching its peak in 2002 with eighty million pounds. Clearly, small shops had the smallest turnover altogether. Thirty million pounds in 2000, a noticeable drop to twenty million in 2001 and a slight increase of five million in 2002.In conclusion, the highest results were achieved by supermarkets, followed by department stores and then small shops. solidification 4 This answer shows an accurate and indwelling use of language with a good range of structures and vocabulary. The slightly uneasy organisation and the minor omission of a first point for supermarkets prevent it from being a spate 5. Question 2 Sample C ship canal of break into a new market. The aim of this re port is to present some ideas of the actions to be taken in order to succed penetrating the new overseas market.First of all, it is of import hiring a well- known Marketing Research company in order to get all the information about the market of sport goods in that place. After that we need to know own competitors their strenghth and weaknesses, in that way we can find our posibilities and opportunities against them. The company have to build an diferencial advantage. Another important issued is our target customers, people provoke in sports and health and also the kind of sports that it can be done in that place, it is vital information that the company need to know before go to the new market.For our brand, we need to be agressive in our promotional material campaign, by TV, making promotions and offering discounts in first purchase. In conclusion, the company need to have the conclusion that there are opportunities in that market and then gain all the weapons to have a good p erformance with caracteristics differents from the competitors and good publicity. In short time become market lider in sports good. Band 2 This answer contains some irrelevance as the candidate has written a proposal rather than a report. This, combined with the number of errors, results in a echo 2. Sample D Report upkeeping a new overseas market IntroductionThis report sums up the results of my investigating in overseas markets, according to what was demanded by the Marketing Director. Findings Staying a a few(prenominal) weeks in this part of the human race allowed me to collect precious information about the market, get habits, competitors, and to gather tell apart figures and statistics. I could carry out a market research interviewing potentials consumers on the bridle-path or even in sports shop. Then I had the opportunity to test local competitors products and to visit production premises. Furthermore, I analysed the data and found out two mains competitors, X and Y, who both shares half of the total market.The others competitors are small companies representing few percentage of global sales. Finally, teenagers are the biggest consumers. In fact, 30% of them buy regularly sports articles, while adults declare only buying once a year. Therefore, the main target profile would be a 15-year-old to 25-year-old male. Conclusions In my opinion, this market would be a great change for the development of the company and I then recommand breaking into it. Recommandations I suggest carrying out an advert campaign in order to make them know their is a new competitor.Then consumers are attracted by sales promotion like price reductions and I draw a bead on launching our products this way. Last but not least, we could starting offering three products to the price of two. Band 3 This is a generally well-organised answer with good use of cohesive devices. The candidate uses an adequate range of structure and vocabulary with a number of minor, mainly non-i mpeding, errors. Question 3 Sample E Dear Mr Smith, I am writing to express my concern about your poor actors line service. First and foremost, not only arrive the orders late, but they are also persecute.Secondly, when we telephone your office to resolt the issues, the dutty person is always busy on the phone. Although his secretary takes our mesages and tells us that he is calling back, we neer recieve his call. Finally, it is not surpriced to have problems with your invoices (suplements and extra-services which are inclueded in our contract with your company). Because of this, I have extra-cost in telephone calls and root word work. I will be grateful, if you do obstetrical delivery the orders on time and in perfect conditions. Moreover, I will be easy to contact to you, if you do have more staff. And finally, it is important to issue correct invoices.As a result of your poor service, I animadvert it is only fair, if your company starts to improve. If I do not see any impro vements, I will be forced using another suplieyer. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours sincerely, Amparo de la Iglesia Band 2 All the content points are included and the answer is intelligibly organised with a good possible action and closing. However, the number of basic errors means this is a dance band 2 rather than a band 3. Sample F Dear Mr Smith, We have been using your company for a number of years, however, recently we have experient some problems with the quality of products and delays in delivery.As our customers have been devoutedly tour our shop for years purchasing the best quality products, we feel obliged to make some remarks. not only have we notice that the date for which dairy farm products should be consumed was extended but also in some yogurts we found that the labels describing the content were misleading. A ruby-red yogurt turned out to be a strawbery one. Furthermore, bottles of milk were not sealed properly which resulted in leaking and mak ing the milk go off quicker. On top of everything, there have been delays in delivery if not a non-delivery that occured already a few times.We trust you will give this matter your immediate attention and that everything will get back to normal, as we would still like to use your service. We hope it is just a temporary disposition. Sadly, however, we have to state clear, that if no improvement will be made both with the quality of items and delivery we will have to change the supplier, for our customer sake and our reputation. Yours sincerely, Aneta Mroczek Band 4 This is an challenging attempt at the task, showing fairly natural use of language, despite a number of non-impeding errors. It is well organised and cohesive. Question 4 Sample GI have carried out a research about companys subjective communications and show you our study methods and our findings. METHODS 1. We designed a paper to cover all kinds of questions which may show companys internal communications. Then we selec ted a team in charge of the whole process of implemetion the survey. 2. We chosed some people random who come from different departments to have a panel to express themselves freely regarding the topic. Then, we had a good record and notes of that. And some of them provide some useful suggestions. On the whole, the methods we conducted the program are scientific and effective.FINDINGS 1. Most of staff conjecture we should improve companys communications. 2. The causes of preventing internal communications are as followed below 1. antithetical departments seldom exchange informations about what they are doing now and what are their newly outcome and something like that. 2. Different team rarely cc e-mail to other relative team of other staff to share their informations. 3. The time to express oneself is too limited and everyone is just oriented to their own job itself and seldom share resources. 4. The activities which are attended by different departments or different teams are no t common.PROPOSALS To respond the above problems and findings, I will propose as below. 1. To CC e-mail each other in the internal company which include not only in the department but among departments. 2. To exchange information among different departments and different teams oftenly. In order to achieve this goal, we can organize different activities to creat a atmosphere for them. much(prenominal) as a panel, a training class, a outdoor travel and so on. 3. To open a company know-how discussion or training routinely to let every staff have a strategic idea and a long-term eyesight. Band 1There is considerable irrelevance in this answer and a sedate lack of control. An appropriate format is used, but the lack of cohesion and non sequiturs (e. g. in Finding number 3) result in a very negative effect on the reader. Sample H Making communication better We have 10 people working in our admin department. All kind of communication between each other is very important and it postulat e to be quick and affective. At the moment we do send Emails for sharing happening in every day basis. We also have a periodic meeting where some of us get together and look over the subjects from previous week and also make plans for the up coming ones.There is also psyche there to make notes which will be typed over to correct minutes and sent to everybody who attended the meeting. My concern is that on those meetings we dont have the whole admin team present and therefore many times we have talked on the behalf of the ones who are not attending. This kind of communication force bring miscommunication to place. To resolve this matter I think that we should have everybody on that weekly meeting to get correct information from the right people. At least it is worth to have a go. Best regards, Kaie Sirak Band 2 This answer contains frequent errors, which sometimes intricate communication.The content points are all covered but not dealt with in depth. The end is particularly weak, leave a negative impression on the reader. Overall, it fits more of the descriptors for band 2 than 3. Test 1 earreach Part 1 1 ACCESSORIES 2 MAIL(-)ORDER 3 TURNOVER 4 (A/ANY) STRUCTURE 5 money FLOW 6 (PROFIT) MARGINS 7 weakened BUSINESSES/SMALL COMPANIES/SMALL FIRMS 8 INVESTMENT(S)(PLANS) 9 STRATEGIC (TARGETS)/ dodging/STRATEGIES 10 OBJECTIVITY 11 BUYING BEHAVIO(U)R(S) 12 TRAINING Part 2 13. G 14. B 15. D 16. C 17. F 18. E 19. H 20. A 21. B 22. F Part 3 23. C 24. C 25. A 26. B 27. B 28.C 29. A 30. A Tapescript sense of hearing Test 1 This is the Business English Certificate Higher 3, Listening Test 1. Part One. Questions 1 to 12. You will hear the founder of a company called Manshee talking to business students about its development. As you listen, for questions I to 12, complete the notes, using up to three words or a number. After you have listened once, replay the recording. You now have forty-five seconds to read through the notes.. pause nowadays listen, and complete t he notes. pause Man Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Im honoured to have this opportunity to talk to you.Eight years ago, I bought my first computer, but I soon discovered that where I lived, it was difficult to find accessories for that particular make. That made me realise that other people must have the same problem. Then I found that foreign magazines contained plenty of advertisements of mail order companies, so I started buying spare parts and things that way and selling them on to my friends at a small profit. That was how my company, Manshee, was born. Four years later, Manshee was making a profit and had reached a turnover of six million pounds. We had four directors myself and three of my friends plus a staff of seventeen.The culture was young and the working environment didnt have any structure. The company just grew and grew with its own momentum, and everything we did seemed to withdraw lucky. If we needed to buy some equipment or redecorate the sales office, we d ecided yes or no in isolation, only taking the short term usually the cash flow for that month into account. However, the market became increasingly cut throat, and that led to falling margins. We realise, rather unwillingly, that the time had come to structure our future, but we didnt really have much idea how to set about it.So we went to a firm of consultants who specialise in helping small businesses, and it proved a turning point. They insisted that we four directors sit down and rank our investments in order of importance for the coming years. It seems obvious now, but wed never realised the value of doing it before. Initially, we set out strategic and financial targets for the next three years, and now were pleased with just how many of those objectives weve met. The value of bringing in distant expertise was that it gave us objectivity. Its so easy to take things for granted, and to go on in the same mindset.Using consultants meant we received invaluable advice on our business priorities. Planning has allowed us to make notable improvements. For instance, by segmenting our customer base, we realised that we could put our customers, currently in excess of a thousand, into four distinct groups, according to their buying behaviour. That made us realise we could increase sales if we allocated different people to deal with each group. So we set up four specialist divisions, and the most successful one has increased its sales by over twenty per cent, and thats the division involved with the training sector.Were sign off the next plan for growth. People are sometimes concerned that planning leads to rigidity, but we sure as shooting dont find that it stops us from being as flexible as we need to be. Thank you. pause Now listen to the recording again. pause That is the end of Part One. You now have twenty seconds to check your answers. pause Part Two. Questions 13 to 22. You will hear five different people talking about problems, and responses to them in the companies where they work. For each extract there are two tasks. Look at Task One. For each question 13-17, decide which problem each speaker mentions, from the list A-H.Now look at Task Two. For each question 18-22, decide which response the company made to the problem, from the list A-H. After you have listened once, replay the recording. You now have thirty seconds to read the two lists. pause Now listen, and do the two tasks. pause speaker system One woman tumesce, now its all over, I can only hope weve learnt the right lessons from the experience. Although the consultants at the time urged caution, the board were sure of the plan after all, it was the sort of thing theyd pulled off before and move ahead with the launch of the new division.But the board wouldnt fill that the predicted boom in these new overseas markets was abut to be unstable because of likely fluctuations in coin rates and share prices, and thats where it all came unstuck. They reacted sensibly, though, and now we have established a good joint back there, which is a better bet than going it alone, or slashing costs all over the place and laying people off in a panic. pause Speaker Two Man In the end, youd have to say we had a lucky escape I mean, it could have been a lot worse. Its very difficult to know where your brand is really positioned.. weve always veritable that our research almost inevitably will be running a bit bottom. Consumer tastes change so quickly these days, and thats where we suffered, and lost market share. The directors, once it was clear what was happening, attacked the problem and looked at various options. They could have looked to generate revenues with a share issue, but I think they were right to go for clipping back by reducing expenditure wherever possible youre better placed to re- group with a tight ship. The plans to develop higher quality products for the future look pretty plausible now. pauseSpeaker Three cleaning lady Well, I now kn ow to take all this talk about the importance of communication skills seriously I used to think it was all rather woolly, but when youve seen the damage misunderstandings can do I suppose the board was a grouping of people with such squiffy backgrounds individually that each of them expected to be top dog, and that it was perhaps inevitable that theyd clash over what direction the company should go in. Anyhow, it looked very sulky for a while but, in the end, two of them took the pretty estimable payoffs they were offered and moved on. From our point of view, at east it salve us from the prospect of the group being reveal up and the shares sold off. pause Speaker Four Man We were all extremely glad to see the back of that particular episode in the companys history. I know theres quite a trend to constantly reviewing your sourcing in the search for cost savings, but it was crazy to move over to such an untried firm. The trouble was we were acquiring nearly all our parts from the m, so everything was departure the factory here with faulty components, with appalling results. We should have listened to the consultants, but on this one we thought we knew better.It got so bad that predatory offers were being made for the division, and we had to think hard about how to save the brands reputation. Raising modern capital through new shares was the right way to go and enabled us to cover the losses we made in sales. pause Speaker Five cleaning woman I sometimes really do think that the people who know least about a company are the people who run it thats why theres such an industry in advising on and supplying the skills for managing change. We went along assuming that we were selling well because of what we saying as our core qualities but we were wrong.It was just that we happened to have got our price right, so when we changed that, it all started falling apart. Things got decidedly grim for a time, and drastic action was required. A nuclear fusion was cons idered, and an aggressive takeover had to be fought off. In the end, it was easier to accept an offer for the Budget Products Division, and avoid major redundancies, than to go on trying to keep the whole thing afloat. pause Now listen to the recording again. pause That is the end of Part Two. pause Part Three. Questions 23 to 30. You will hear a discussion between two senior managers, John and Deborah, bout an assistant manager, Colin, who has applied for a new post. For each question 23-30, mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer. After you have listened once, replay the recording. You have forty-five seconds to read through the questions. pause Now listen, and mark A, B or C. pause Man Well, Deborah, we need to think about the candidates whove put in applications for the post of area manager. Woman Yes, John, its an exciting new role, and it fits in with the strategy development plan. Man Quite. Its part of a logical progression in our approach to management, carefully consolidating our skills base.It should mean a new range of command, but based on tried and well-tried methods.. , well be stronger as a result. Woman Well thats the idea. Now, the first one thats come in is from Colin Man The assistant manager for the south-east? Woman Yes. Colins clear keen Man But of course, its an attractive proposition. Woman And I think thats whats drawn him. Hes said his current post is demanding as well he might but that hes keen to position himself in the limelight here. Reading between the lines, I think the alternative, as he sees it, is to move sideways to IT, which is where his background is.It would be a shame to lose mortal like him hes hungry. Man Yes, its a genuine application. Hes a serious contender. I was struck recently I think it was last month.. , by his problem- solving abilities. He was passed a complaint it wasnt really his problem at all but he took it up anyway, about some faulty goods wed supplied, apparently. I think he saw i t as an efficiency issue, and so relevant to any responsible person here. And he reacted really well, so that the customer went away happy after all. Woman Right, and that suggests the qualities that are most germane to the job.Ultimately, I suppose, were looking for a level of adaptability that its fair to say someone in his position may not have had the chance to really demonstrate yet.. , but his familiarity with the goods we produce is second-to-none, so I think the signs are there that he may become an astute analyst and problem-solver. Man Thats certainly encouraging. And its not just in the office that hes been looking good. I sent him afield as part of that group a few weeks ago. The basic brief was to secure a good continuation of the Asian contract. To be honest, that was a bit of a given, and what I was really hoping for was something extra.And sure enough, he clearly really worked on all our contacts out there, and he came back with some great new insights into how we might be able to develop bulk sales directly through warehouses, rather than through the standard agency channels. Woman Oh right, interesting I missed the debrief on that one. But I do know he went on a training course not so long ago, and clearly reaped the benefits there. The content was mundane enough how to produce effective reports or some such but he identified the points that really mattered, and saw that what it actually address was how to order the most pertinent facts for delivery to a team.Man So, its good news all round? Woman Lets look at what his reference has to say. He does have shortcomings, of course. His confidence is very strong, almost to a fault, you might say, which could lead to difficulties on the patience front.. , just because he gets the point quickly doesnt mean hes entitled to think everyone else does, that they share the same conclusions.. , others may be behind in terms of objectivity, still grappling with issues that impress personally on thems elves. Man Hmm, thatd certainly be something to watch, I guess.Still, were not looking for perfection, are we? And were not going to be setting up a lone operator. Woman Oh, far from it. Whoever gets the job will be well backed up. I was talking to the consultants the other day, and they were quite critical of our reliance on checking performance through the one-to-one appraisal system, so its been decided that this new post will be linked into the cross-departmental advisory group that was set up a few months ago, and benefit from dealing with them and acquiring their input.That should help quite a bit. Man That makes a lot of sense. Well, lets talk about some of the other candidates pause Now listen to the recording again. pause That is the end of Part Three. You now have ten minutes to transfer your answers to your Answer Sheet. pause Note Teacher, stop the recording here and time ten minutes. Remind students when there is one minute . remaining. That is the end of the test.