Skip to main content
Cambridge
  • Products and Services

    Products and Services

    • Products and Services

      Our innovative products and services for learners, authors and customers are based on world-class research and are relevant, exciting and inspiring.

    • Academic Research
    • English Language Learning
    • English Language Assessment
    • Educational resources for schools
    • Bibles
    • Educational Research & Network
    • Assessment Research
    • Cambridge Assessment International Education
    • OCR
    • Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
    • Cambridge Assessment Network
    • Cambridge CEM
    • Cambridge Partnership for Education
    • Cambridge Dictionary
    • The Cambridge Mathematics Project
    • CogBooks
    • Bookshop
  • About Us

    About Us

    • About Us

      We unlock the potential of millions of people worldwide. Our assessments, publications and research spread knowledge, spark enquiry and aid understanding around the world.

    • What we do
    • Our story
    • People and planet
    • Governance
    • News and insights
    • Legal
    • Accessibility
    • Rights and permissions
    • Annual Report
    • Contact us
  • Careers

    Careers

    • Careers

      No matter who you are, what you do, or where you come from, you’ll feel proud to work here.

    • Careers
    • Jobs
    • Benefits
Change Language

Cambridge English Language Assessment

Main navigation

  • Products and Services

    Products and Services

    • Products and Services

      Our innovative products and services for learners, authors and customers are based on world-class research and are relevant, exciting and inspiring.

    • Academic Research
    • English Language Learning
    • English Language Assessment
    • Educational resources for schools
    • Bibles
    • Educational Research & Network
    • Assessment Research
    • Cambridge Assessment International Education
    • OCR
    • Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
    • Cambridge Assessment Network
    • Cambridge CEM
    • Cambridge Partnership for Education
    • Cambridge Dictionary
    • The Cambridge Mathematics Project
    • CogBooks
    • Bookshop
  • About Us

    About Us

    • About Us

      We unlock the potential of millions of people worldwide. Our assessments, publications and research spread knowledge, spark enquiry and aid understanding around the world.

    • What we do
    • Our story
    • People and planet
    • Governance
    • News and insights
    • Legal
    • Accessibility
    • Rights and permissions
    • Annual Report
    • Contact us
  • Careers

    Careers

    • Careers

      No matter who you are, what you do, or where you come from, you’ll feel proud to work here.

    • Careers
    • Jobs
    • Benefits
Change Language
English Language Assessment
  • Home
  • Why choose us?

    Why choose us?

    • Learners

    • Who accepts our exams?
    • Visas and immigration
    • Study abroad
    • Cambridge English journeys
    • Organisations

    • English for higher education institutions
    • Our exams and tests
    • Verify results online
    • Setting your requirements
    • Exam security and quality
    • Employers
    • Research and Consultancy

    • English Research Group
    • English language consultancy
    • Impact monitoring and evaluation
  • Exams and tests

    Exams and tests

    • Cambridge English Qualifications Cambridge English Qualifications
    • Schools
    • General and higher education
    • Business
    • Pre A1 Starters (YLE Starters)
    • A1 Movers (YLE Movers)
    • A2 Flyers (YLE Flyers)
    • A2 Key for Schools (KET)
    • B1 Preliminary for Schools (PET)
    • B2 First for Schools (FCE)
    • A2 Key (KET)
    • B1 Preliminary (PET)
    • B2 First (FCE)
    • C1 Advanced (CAE)
    • C2 Proficiency (CPE)
    • B1 Business Preliminary (BEC Preliminary)
    • B2 Business Vantage (BEC Vantage)
    • C1 Business Higher (BEC Higher)
    • Linguaskill Linguaskill
    • IELTS IELTS
    • OET OET
    • Useful links

    • Test your English
    • Cambridge English Placement Test
    • How to register
    • Find an exam centre
    • What to expect on exam day
    • Study English in the UK
    • See exam results online
    • Cambridge English Scale
    • International language standards explained
    • Information for preparation centres
  • Learning English

    Learning English

    • Free activities
    • Exam preparation
    • Test your English
    • Parents and children
    • Games and social media
    • More resources
  • Teaching English

    Teaching English

    • Teaching qualifications
    • CELTA
    • DELTA
    • TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test)
    • Professional development
    • Cambridge English Teaching Framework
    • Cambridge English Trainer Framework
    • Become a Cambridge English Assessment Specialist
    • Resources for teachers
    • Webinars for teachers
    • Information for preparation centres
  • Blog
  • News
  • Events
  • Help

    Help

    • Lost certificates
    • Enquiries and appeals
    • Special requirements
    • Special considerations
    • Malpractice
    • Complaints
    • Corporate social responsibility
  • Test your English
  • Find an exam centre
  • Who accepts our exams?
English Language Assessment

You are here:

  1. Cambridge English
  2. Exams and tests
  3. C1 Business Higher
  4. Exam format

C1 Business Higher exam format

  • C1 Business Higher
    • Exam format
    • Preparation
    • Exam dates
    • Results

Who accepts C1 Business Higher?

These are just a few of the leading organisations that will accept your certificate:

  • 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

  • Test your English
  • See exam results online
  • Special Requirements
  • Lost certificates

C1 Business Higher is made up of four papers developed to test your English skills. You can see exactly what is in each paper below.

Paper Content Marks
(% of total)
Purpose
Reading
(1 hour)
See sample paper
6 parts 25% Shows you can deal confidently with different types of text.
Writing
(1 hour and 10 minutes)
See sample paper
2 parts
25% You need to be able to write a variety of different items such as memos, letters, emails, reports and proposals.
Listening
(about 40 minutes, including transfer time)
See sample paper
3 parts 25% You need to be able to follow and understand a range of spoken materials, such as presentations, interviews and discussions.
Speaking
(16 minutes per pair of candidates)
See sample paper
3 parts 25% Tests your ability to communicate effectively in face-to-face situations. Your Speaking test will be face-to-face with one or two other candidates. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable.

  • openbook
    Reading
  • compose
    Writing
  • playlist
    Listening
  • megaphone
    Speaking

openbook What’s in the Reading paper?

The C1 Business Higher Reading paper has six parts with different types of texts and questions. For each part, you have to read one long text or two or more shorter, related texts.

Summary
Time allowed: 1 hour
Number of parts: 6
Number of questions: 52
Marks: 25% of total
Length of texts: 150–600 words per text

Part 1 (Matching)
What's in Part 1? Either a single text which is divided into sections or five short, related texts and a series of statements. You have to match each statement to the section or text where you can find the information.
What do I have to practise? Reading for gist and global meaning.
How many questions are there? 8
How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

Part 2 (Matching)
What's in Part 2? A text with six numbered gaps, each of which represents a missing sentence, followed by some sentences (A–H). You have to read the text and the sentences and decide which sentence best fits each gap.
What do I have to practise? Understanding structure and reading for detail.
How many questions are there? 6
How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

Part 3 (Multiple choice)
What's in Part 3? A text followed by some multiple-choice questions. These may be either whole questions or incomplete sentences. For each one, there are four options and you have to choose A, B, C or D.
What do I have to practise? Understanding general points and specific details.
How many questions are there? 6
How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

Part 4 (Multiple-choice cloze)
What's in Part 4? A text with some numbered gaps, each of which represents a missing word. You have to choose the right word for each gap from four options (A, B, C or D).
What do I have to practise? Reading – vocabulary and structure.
How many questions are there? 10
How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

Part 5 (Open cloze)
What's in Part 5? A text with some numbered gaps, each of which represents a missing word. You have to identify the right word for each gap.
What do I have to practise? Reading – text structure and discourse features.
How many questions are there? 10
How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

Part 6 (Proofreading)
What's in Part 6? A text in which some lines are correct and some lines have an extra, unnecessary word. If the line is correct, you write 'CORRECT' on your answer sheet. If the line is not correct, you have to write the extra word down.
What do I have to practise? Reading – understanding sentence structure, error identification.
How many questions are there? 12
How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

compose What’s in the Writing paper?

In the two parts of the C1 Business Higher Writing paper, you have to show that you can write different types of text in English.

Summary
Time allowed: 1 hour 10 minutes
Number of parts: 2
Number of questions: Part 1: one compulsory question
Part 2: one question from a choice of three
Marks: 25% of total.

Part 1
What's in Part 1? A guided writing task. You have to write a short report (memo or email) based on some input in the form of graphs, bar charts or pie charts.
What do I have to practise? Analysing graphic information and expressing it in words: describing or comparing figures, making inferences.
How many questions are there? One compulsory question.
How much do I have to write? 120–140 words
How many marks do I get? This question has a total of 10 marks.

Part 2
What's in Part 2? A choice of three questions: a piece of business correspondence (letter, fax or email), a report (memo or email), or a proposal (memo or email). For the question you choose, you have to read some input material which describes a situation and write the specified response.
What do I have to practise? Writing a report (describing, summarising), correspondence (explaining, apologising, reassuring, complaining) or a proposal (describing, summarising, recommending, persuading).
How many questions are there? One question from a choice of three.
How much do I have to write? 200–250 words
How many marks do I get? This question has a total of 20 marks.

playlist What’s in the Listening paper?

The C1 Business Higher Listening paper has five parts. For each part you have to listen to a recorded text or texts and answer some questions. You hear each recording twice.

Summary
Time allowed: About 40 minutes, including time to transfer your answers onto the answer sheet.
Number of parts: 3
Number of questions: 30
Marks: 25% of total

Part 1 (Note completion)
What's in Part 1? A monologue of 2–3 minutes which contains some information. To answer the questions, you have to take notes or complete sentences using a word or a short phrase (up to three words).
What do I have to practise? Listening for and noting specific information.
How many questions are there? 12
How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

Part 2 (Matching)
What's in Part 2? Five short monologues linked by theme or topic, by five different speakers, followed by two tasks which relate to the content and purpose of the monologues. You listen to the recordings and you then have to match each speaker to one of the items (A–H) in Task 1 and one of the items (A–H) in Task 2.
What do I have to practise? Listening to identify topic, context, function, speaker’s opinion, etc.
How many questions are there? 10
How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

Part 3 (Multiple choice)
What's in Part 3? A conversation/interview/discussion between two or more people and some multiple-choice questions. You listen to the recording and then choose the correct answer from three options (A, B or C).
What do I have to practise? Listening for gist, specific information, attitudes, etc.
How many questions are there? 8
How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

megaphone What’s in the Speaking paper?

The C1 Business Higher Speaking test has three parts and you take it together with another candidate. There are two examiners. One of the examiners (the interlocutor) conducts the test and the other examiner (the assessor) listens to what you say and takes notes.

Summary
Time allowed: 16 minutes per pair of candidates
Number of parts: 3
Marks: 25% of total
You have to talk: with the examiner
with the other candidate
on your own

Part 1 (Interview)
What's in Part 1? Conversation with the interlocutor. The interlocutor asks you questions on a number of personal or work-related subjects.
What do I have to practise? Giving personal information and expressing opinions.
How long do we have to speak? About 3 minutes

Part 2 (Long turn)
What's in Part 2? A 'mini-presentation' on a business theme. The examiner gives you a choice of three topics (A, B or C). You have 1 minute to prepare to give a speech lasting approximately 1 minute. Listen carefully when your partner speaks as you have to ask a question when they have finished.
What do I have to practise? Talking on your own about something: giving information, and expressing and justifying opinions.
How long do we have to speak?

About 6 minutes


Part 3 (Collaborative task)
What's in Part 3? A discussion with the other candidate. The examiner gives you a business-related situation with two discussion points to talk about. You have to talk to the other candidate about the situation and decide together what to do. The examiner will then extend the discussion.
What do I have to practise? Turn-taking, negotiating, collaborating, exchanging information, expressing and justifying opinions, speculating, comparing and contrasting, agreeing and/or disagreeing, etc.
How long do we have to speak? About 7 minutes

On this site

  • Home
  • Why Cambridge English?
  • Exams and tests
  • Learning English
  • Teaching English
  • News
  • Events
  • Help
  • About us
  • Who accepts our exams?
  • Agents
  • Consultancy
  • Research
  • Contact us
  • ALTE logo
  • English Profile logo
  • Cambridge University Press & Assessment
  • BSI Logo

View Related Sites

  • Cambridge English main site
  • Cambridge English helpdesk
  • Cambridge English Schools
  • Cambridge English Online
  • Cambridge English for Centres
  • Preparation Centres Online
  • Results Verification Service
  • Occupational English Test
  • ALTE
  • English Profile
  • Cambridge University Press & Assessment
  • Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
  • Michigan Language Assessment
  • Cambridge Assessment Japan Foundation


© Cambridge University Press & Assessment

  • Terms & conditions
  • Data protection
  • Accessibility statement
  • Statement on modern slavery
  • Safeguarding policy
  • Sitemap
Back to top
We use cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving your consent for us to set cookies Dismiss