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You are here:

  1. Cambridge English
  2. Exams and tests
  3. Cambridge English: Business Certificates
  4. Research

Cambridge English: Business Certificates – Research

  • Cambridge English: Business Certificates
    • Why choose the exam?
    • Research
    • Contact us

Who accepts Cambridge English: Business Certificates?

Cambridge English: Business Certificates are trusted and globally accepted by leading employers, educational institutions and governments worldwide, including:

  • Casio
  • Procter & Gamble
  • Adidas
  • StudyPortals
  • Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS)
  • Berlin School of Economics and Law
  • London South Bank University
  • ICN Business School

Find out more

Related Links

  • UKVI visas and immigration
  • BULATS
Business Certificates (BEC)

How we ensure the exams offer high-quality, in-depth assessment of work-ready English language skills

We carry out detailed research and analysis to ensure Cambridge English: Business Certificates are accurate, relevant and fair.

Our Research and Validation team provides rigorous quality assurance at every stage of the assessment process. We do this by conducting analyses and research projects and through establishing and implementing standard procedures which are evaluated and refined in terms of theoretical, technological and business developments.

Our systems and processes meet the internationally recognised ISO 9001:2008 quality management standard.

Why is the exam such good preparation for business-related study and work?

Cambridge English: Business Certificates are high-quality, international exams specifically designed to develop work-focused English language skills.

The exams use authentic work-related tasks and activities for practical use in the workplace.

The Speaking test is face-to-face to create a more realistic test of communicating successfully in study and work.

How was the exam developed?

The following documents describe the development of the exam and our continuous quality programmes which have made the exam such good preparation for business-related study and work.

  • Studies in Language Testing 17
    Issues in Testing Business English: The revision of the Cambridge Business
    English Certificates
    , O’Sullivan, B (2006).

  • Research Notes 9
    Reviewing the retraining of BEC Oral Examiners (2002).

  • Research Notes 13
    Evaluating the success of the revised BEC (Business English Certificate) Speaking Tests, Booth, D (2003).

  • Research Notes 27
    Publishing vocabulary lists for BEC Preliminary, PET and KET examinations. Street, J and Ingham, K (2007).

  • Research Notes 30
    Developing revised assessment scales for Main Suite and BEC Speaking tests, Galaczi, E and ffrench, A (2007).

  • Research Notes 37
    Some evidence to support the alignment of an LSP Writing test to the CEFR, Bateman, H (2009).

  • Research Notes 40
    The use of BEC as a measurement instrument in Higher Education in China, Chen X, He, M and Bateman, H (2010).

  • Research Notes 42
    A study of the context and cognitive validity of a Cambridge English: BEC Vantage (BEC Vantage) test of Writing, Bateman, H (2010).

  • Research Notes 43
    Composition and revision in computer-based written assessment, Chambers, L (2011).

How is the exam aligned to the CEFR?

The following publications explain more about:

  • the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

  • our involvement in the early development of the framework

  • how Cambridge English exams relate to this internationally accepted method for describing language ability.

    • Research Notes: Issue 37
      This edition of Research Notes focuses on Cambridge English exams and the CEFR.

    • Studies in Language Testing 33
      Aligning Tests with the CEFR: Reflections on using the Council of Europe's draft Manual, Martyniuk, W. (ed) (2010).

    • The Council of Europe (2001), The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

    • Van Ek, J A and Trim, J L M (1998) Threshold 1990, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

    • Jones, N and Saville, N (2007) Scales and Frameworks, in Spolsky, B and Hult, F M (Eds) The Handbook of Educational Linguistics, Wiley-Blackwell: Chichester.

More about our research

Our Research and Validation team is the largest dedicated research team of any UK-based language assessment organisation. We have experts in fields as varied as:

  • applied linguistics
  • item response theory and item banking
  • psycholinguistics
  • second language acquisition
  • quality management systems.

We share much of our research with the wider language assessment community, through publications and by presenting at conferences and other events around the world.

Find out more about the work of our Research and Validation team

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