zorica kovacevic: business & general english cefr speaking samples

Eaquals International Conference, 16 – 18 April 2015

Business English and General English CEFR speaking samples – same or different?

Zorica Kovačević

IH Belgrade Syllabus

Serbia

www.eaquals.org

Presentation

• Reasons for making Business

English samples

• Presentation of a BE sample

• Writing spoken performance

descriptors for the sample

• Future/usability

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Task

• Who could use Business English

spoken performance samples?

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Reasons for making Business English samples

• Client/HR department

• Students

• Responding to the real needs of

the client

• School

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Client & HR Department

• Performance per level

• Tangible results

• Reason to invest in language

training

• HR departments

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Students

• Can see and understand end

performance

• Self assessment learning tool

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Responding to the real needs of the client

• Real life element

• Sample made for the needs of the client ( meetings with concrete purpose, presentation of products)

• They can also use the samples out of classroom situation.

• School is the client’s partner.

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School

• Samples of performance per level/communication activity.

• Usable in future courses.

• Teacher training- calibration for the levels & training how to make them for different purposes/activities.

• Assessment

• Marketing

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BE sample- Business Meeting

• Domain: Occupational

• Organisation: multinational

corporation NIS GAZPROM NEFT

Belgrade, Serbia ( energy sector)

• Location: office

• Persons : colleagues from energy

projects sector.

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Business Meeting

• Language needs: to use English

for professional purposes

( meetings, presentations-

company & products,

negotiations, sales)

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Business Meeting

• Spoken interaction task: meeting

• Topic: Meeting on obtaining

energy project funds from the

World Bank.

• Real life element

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Tools

• CEFR

• CEFR Table 3

• EAQUALS Bank of descriptors as scales

• EAQUALS Bank of descriptors as levels

• Core Inventory for General English ( British Council- EAQUALS)

• EAQUALS spoken performance descriptors- General English

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C1+ salient features(EAQUALS Bank of descriptors as levels)

• Discussion- I can formulate a

convincing argument and respond

to questions, comments and

complex counter arguments fluently,

spontaneously and appropriately

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C1+ salient features(EAQUALS Bank of descriptors as levels)

• Arguing a case - I can confidently

put forward a systematically

developed argument, taking account

of the audience’s perspective,

evaluating areas of ambiguity and

selecting appropriate supporting

examples.

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C1+ salient features(EAQUALS Bank of descriptors as levels)

• Interaction - I can use fluently a

variety of appropriate expressions to

introduce my remarks in order to get

the floor, or to gain time and keep

the floor while thinking.

• I can relate my contribution skilfully

to those of other speakers.

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Writing BE descriptors

• CEFR Table 3- qualitative aspects of spoken language use(range, accuracy, fluency, interaction, coherence)

• Easy for the client to understand

• With elements of concrete professional communication activity

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Writing BE descriptors –Range C1+

• Miodrag has a good command of a broad

range of language allowing him to select a

formulation to express himself clearly in an

appropriate style on a wide range of topics

related to his profession without having to

restrict what he wants to say and express

viewpoints.

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Writing BE descriptors –Range C1+

• He is able to discuss complex issues related to the topic of getting a project loan and clearly gets his message across when talking about the project proposal and project prospects.(for ex. “ Our position is that if you go in that direction the investment would not be repayable to us” or “ I can persuade my colleagues that we should invest”).

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Writing BE descriptors –Range C1+

• Miodrag uses wide range of vocabulary related to the topic (energy, financial terminology, business strategies), including collocations and idiomatic expressions ( for ex.”We want our hands on management” or …we do not want to stray off the course…”)

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Writing BE descriptors –Interaction C1+

• Miodrag can use fluently a variety of appropriate expressions to introduce his remarks in order to get the floor, or to gain time and keep the floor while thinking and to relate his own contributions skillfully to those of other speakers ( for ex. ”Can you tell me more…and then I can tell you…”)

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Writing BE descriptors –Interaction C1+

• He uses variety of communication strategies (clarification, cooperation) to keep the conversation going; follows up with ease with his contributions (for ex. “ Yes, as you may know...”,” I’m glad to hear that….I think” ,” That is the direction we would like to go “, “ Can you tell me more about your… and I will tell you more” or “ Let’s leave it for..).

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Coherence

• Miodrag can produce clear, smoothly flowing, well-structured speech, showing control over ways of developing what he wants to say in order to link his ideas into smoothly-flowing, coherent text. (for ex. “ As you know World Bank is…”, “ Maybe you can.. and then we will be able”, “ First you can tell me about so that I can tell you more”) or use more complex linkers to clearly mark relationship between ideas ( for ex. “In that case…,…as you may know…).

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Fluency

• Miodrag can express himself fluently and spontaneously, almost effortlessly (for ex.” As you may know, so far our company invested in many fossil fuel projects and our experience by now is not so good”) and expresses his ideas with ease in long turns when giving his arguments. Only a conceptually difficult subject can hinder a natural, smooth flow of language and then occasional hesitation occurs, which he easily overcomes by circumlocution ( for ex. ”local people…people that are governing the region...”)

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Descriptors

• General English

• Business English- general

type(meetings, product

presentations) and specific

communication activities.

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Competences( CEFR&Core Inventory of English)-teachers

• Strategic

• Pragmatic ( functional;

discourse)

• Linguistic ( grammatical,

lexical,phonological)

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Future

• Mobility

• Transfer of skills

• Clients

• Schools

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Future

• Bank of descriptors and videos:

National Employment

Agency,employers, institutions,

schools, universities.

• Project?

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BE & GE samples

zorica@ihbelgrade.co.rs

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