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English for Business
Second Level
The Second Level written examination takes 150 minutes and consists
of
3 sections:
- Question 1 involves an extended writing task requiring candidates to
produce: a memorandum, an article, a report, etc, on a choice of
role-related topics drawn from business and economic life. Candidates
have to answer 1 question from a choice of 3. - Question 2 involves
a letter writing task, where the stimulus and
information needed to reply to it will be provided in the form of an
in-coming business letter. - Question 3 is a reformulation task requiring
candidates to expand,
reduce or selectively rewrite a passage of English for some defined
purpose within a given role. Candidates will be offered tasks that will
draw on their ability to make notes, or reassemble elements of a text
for a specific purpose, which will be stated.
SAMPLE QUESTION 1 (40 marks)
Situation:You are employed at RRC Engineering, Albert Street, Melbourne
3001,
Victoria, Australia. Mr Neil Hammond, the General Manager, asks you
to write a memo to all members of the Sales Development
Committee telling them of a change of location for the next meeting
of the Committee.
He adds, “Make sure you send the memo
in my name … They were told at last month’s meeting about
the
change but some of them will have forgotten … I am sorry to ask
but can you find out if the new room has a television and a video?
… I think you know the sort of information to give them; remind the
members that at the meeting I shall want their answers to the
questionnaire on sales training.”
You make the following additional
notes of what to include in the memo:
Meeting – Room 27 (West Building) The agenda will include a discussion on the
proposals |
Write the memo
SAMPLE QUESTION 2 (30 marks)
You work at Crescent Finance Company, 71 – 75 Langan Road,
Dublin 11, Ireland (telephone 870 3269).
Mrs Colette Doherty, the owner of the firm, hands you the following
letter which she has received and
asks you to draft a letter in reply ready for her signature. She
says, “I remember Sunil very
well; I was sorry that he left us. He was a good worker and got on
well with his colleagues.”
Shamrock Bank 6 June 2000 Mrs Colette Doherty
Mr Sunil Cheema (date of birth 15 March 1970) Mr Cheema has applied for the a job in our Accounts Department. He has given your name as a referee and states
that he worked for your firm for 3 years in the Sales I shall be grateful for any comments which may help us in considering the application. I thank you for your co-operation. Yours sincerely Maeve Nolan Maeve Nolan (Mrs) |
You check in the personal files and find the following information:
| Surname CHEEMA | Forename Sunil |
| Date of birth | 15 March 1970 |
| Date of appointment | 6 September 1994 |
| Date of leaving | 12 August 1997 |
| Reasons for leaving | to attend Cork University to follow a 3-year course leading to
the degree of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and Accounts |
| Career at Crescent | September 1994-December 1994 January 1995 – August 1997 offered promotion August 1997 |
| Training | short courses in
|
| Comments | pleasant personality intelligent never late absent from work 10 days (illness) |
SAMPLE QUESTION 3 (30 marks)
The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce has moved to a new, much larger
site at
Seal Sands, Middlesborough, TS2 3UG. Mrs Marie Robbe-Feuillet, a
successful businesswoman, has been
invited to perform
the official opening on 21 September 2000. You have been asked
to write a short article about her for inclusion
in the souvenir programme which will be on
sale at the opening ceremony.
You make the following notes;
She now lives in England – married to Henri Feuillet, professor of Art History at Clevedale University. Mrs Robbe-Feuillet went to Sorbonne University in Paris (studied Mathematics 1962 – 1966). Husband is a television presenter as well as
professor. Mrs Robbe-Feuillet was born in Paris She worked in banks in France, UK, Singapore and Australia from 1966 – 1976. Her autobiography “The Colour of My Money” has
just been published; it will be on |
Write the article.