in-company prep courses for business english cambridge exams
TRANSCRIPT
© UCLES 2013
In-Company BEC Prep CoursesApproaches and challenges
© UCLES 2013
In-company BEC-prepWho
Middle managemen
t
Office workers
Apprentices
What for
External evaluation
Motivation
Benchmarking
Problems
“Political“:Test results
“Political“:Invest in
staff?
Syllabus vsneeds
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What teachers want to know
Exam level (exit)
Content, length
Materials Entry
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What’s in an exam course?
Language• Topics • Vocab• Grammar• Skills
Exam• Tasks• Strategies• Skills
Language Exam training
Exam training
Language
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Series1
Course components
Language training
Exam training
Self-study
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Language
Exam
Language
Language streamlined for exam
Exam focus
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90 hours 45 hours 60 hours 25 hours
65
15
35
0
2530
25 25
Length
Language training
Exam training
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Textbook
Practice tests
Workbook
Grammar / vocab
Skills books
Authentic mate-rials (internet)
Self-designed
What materials?
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Self-designed materials
Genre awareness Vocabulary learning:
what’s in a word Register awareness +
language choices Politeness / interaction /
the target reader or the interlocutor
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Problems, challenges?
Trainees work; time is moneyNot sufficient progress; fail, lower grade?Extra course feesExam logistics: when, where, who
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SummaryEntry: • trainee’s current level + exam training• next level + full training (language + exam)
Length: 25 – 90 hoursStructure: Language + Exam training• in parallel• exam training near the exam
Materials: textbook, practice tests + all you can get
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Potential challenges:
• With customer (business):• Is assessment wanted?• Are extra costs budgeted in?• Is exam admin problematic?
• In class (academic):• Is there sufficient time?• Is the right progress achievable?• Is it motivating?
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But don’t forget:
Exam prep is greatly
rewarding!Simona Petrescu
[email protected]@googlemail.com