Contents
Business Communication and Certificate in Advanced English - IELTS 6.5
Rationale
CAE is an exam for advanced users of English. This exam is aimed at people who can use written and spoken English for most professional and social purposes. It is widely recognised for work or study purposes.
The Certificate in Advanced English or CAE is the advanced general English exam provided by the University of Cambridge as part of the University of Cambridge ESOL examination.
Updated FCE and CAE from December 2008
In order to ensure our exams meet the needs of users, FCE and CAE have recently undergone a review and the examinations have been updated. The first session of the updated FCE and CAE exams will take place in December 2008.
Download the Handbook for Teachers for the updated CAE.
Bulletin 5, (PDF 134Kb) contains a summary of the updated FCE and CAE specifications together with an overview of the review process.
Bulletin 6, (PDF 117Kb) provides a more detailed description of the Reading papers, along with a rationale for the changes and advice on preparing students for the exams.
Bulletin 7, (PDF 121Kb) provides a more detailed description of the Writing papers, along with a rationale for the changes and advice on preparing students for the exams.
Bulletin 8, (PDF 121Kb) provides a more detailed description of the English in Use papers, along with a rationale for the changes, and advice on preparing students for the exams.
Bulletin 9, (PDF 934Kb) provides a more detailed description of the Listening papers, along with a rationale for the changes and advice on preparing students for the exams.
Bulletin 10, (PDF 938Kb) provides a more detailed description of the Speaking papers, along with a rationale for the changes and advice on preparing students for the exams.
Is CAE for you?
Can you...
- use English in an effective way for business or study purposes?
- use English confidently and flexibly?
- produce well-structured, clear pieces of writing on complex issues?
If this describes your skills now, or describes the level of skills you are working towards, then CAE is the right exam for you.
What will CAE do for you?
Cambridge ESOL is a department of the world-famous and historic University of Cambridge. Attaining one of its certificates is an achievement and a reward in itself. However, there are many other benefits to taking CAE:
- a CAE certificate is valid for life
- CAE is truly international, recognised around the world for business and study purposes
- hundreds of employers, universities and government departments officially recognise CAE as a qualification in advanced English
- passing CAE gives you the confidence to take on the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
- CAE's 'Can Do' skills give you the confidence to use English in real situations.
What will taking CAE help you do?
CAE is at Level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) - an internationally recognised benchmark of language ability. The framework uses six levels to describe language ability from A1 to C2. 'Can Do' statements have been used to describe these levels in terms of real skills with language.
For example, at C1 level, typical users can be expected to:
- read quickly enough to cope with an academic course
- understand complex opinions
- produce clear, well structured and detailed pieces of writing
- express themselves well with a good degree of fluency
- use English flexibly for social, professional and academic purposes.
Your preparation for CAE will give you these kinds of practical language skills.
What does CAE involve?
CAE has five papers:
Reading:
1 hour 15 minutes
You will need to be able to understand texts from publications
such as fiction and non-fiction books, journals, newspapers
and magazines.
Writing 1 hour 30 minutes
You will have to show you can produce two different pieces
of writing such as an article, a report, a proposal and a
review.
Use
of English Paper 1 hour
Your use of English will be tested by tasks which show how
well you can control your grammar and vocabulary.
Listening:
40 minutes
You need to show you can understand the meaning of a range
of spoken material, including lectures, radio broadcasts,
speeches and talks.
Speaking:
15 minutes
You will take the Speaking test with another candidate or
in a group of three, and you will be tested on your ability
to take part in different types of interaction: with the examiner,
with the other candidate and by yourself.
Supporting you
As with all of Cambridge ESOL's certificates, there is a lot of support to help you prepare for your exam.
Most candidates prefer to take the preparation courses run by language schools and universities.
You can access a variety of support materials from the Resources area of our website. These include a short booklet, Information for Candidates, and sample exam papers, which include sound files for the Listening test materials.
Many publishers have produced a wide choice of books and other aids to help you prepare for taking CAE. Ask your local bookshop for details.
To help you prepare for CAE, we provide teachers with their own website so they can download sample exam papers, handbooks, and other teaching support material.
Resources available
- CAE Information for Candidates from December 2008 (PDF 964Kb)
- Order past papers
- Books for study
- CAE Exam details and timetables for 2009
- Summary regulations for candidates (PDF 59Kb)
- Exam FAQs
International English Language Testing System' (IELTS , pronounced /'aijelts/ ) is a test of English language proficiency. It is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, British Council and IDP Education Australia . Candidates may choose either the Academic Module or the General Training Module:
The Academic Module is intended for those who wish to enrol in universities and other institutions of higher education . The General Training Module is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes. IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand and South African academic institutions, by an increasing number of academic institutions in the USA, and by various professional organizations. It is also a requirement for migration to Australia and Canada.
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Individual Exams
These five exams are also known as the "Main Suite":
KET (Key English Test): elementary, IELTS 3.0
The test has three sections:
- Reading & Writing - 70 minutes
- Listening - 25 minutes
- Speaking - 8-10 minutes
- Vocabulary Test
- Grammar
Test
PET (Preliminary English Test): intermediate, IELTS 4.0
The test has three sections:
- Reading and Writing - 90 minutes
- Listening - 30 minutes
- Speaking - an interview, 10 minutes
- Reading Test
- Writing part 1
- Writing
part 3
FCE (First Certificate in English): upper intermediate, IELTS 5.5
The test has five sections:
- Reading - 75 minutes- free practice test! New
- Writing - 2 essays, 90 minutes - free practice test
- Use of English - 90 minutes - free practice test
- Listening - 40 minutes - free listening practice test
- Speaking - interview, normally with another candidate, 15 minute
- Reading test
- Use of English test
- Listening test
- Writing
test
CAE (Certificate in Advanced English): advanced, IELTS 6.5
The test has five sections:
- Reading - 75 minutes
- Writing - 2 or 3 tasks , 120 minutes
- English in Use - 6 tasks with 80 questions - 90 minutes - free Use of English tests
- Listening - 45 minutes - Click here for a free listening practice test
- Speaking - interview, normally with another candidate, 15 minutes
- Listening
- English In Use 1
- English in Use 2
- Use of English in Use 4
CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English): very advanced, IELTS 7.5
The test has five sections:
- Reading - 60 minutes
- Composition - 2 tasks, 2 hours
- Use of English - 90 minutes
- Listening - 3 or 4 recordings, 40 minutes
- Interview - normally with another candidate, 15 minutes
- Grammar Test
- Vocabulary Test
- Dictionary Test
For further details, click on Exam English Logos
Communication allows people to exchange information by one of several methods. There are auditory means, such as speaking or singing, and nonverbal, physical means, such as body language, sign language, paralanguage, touch or eye contact.
As developed below, communication happens at many levels (even for one single action), in many different ways, and for all beings, and some machines. Many or all, fields of study dedicate some attention to communication, so when speaking about communication it is very important to be sure about what kind of communication one is speaking about, mainly: what type of things are communicated, between what agents and with what kind of results.
- Purposes of Communication
- Communication as Information
- Communication media
- Language
- Mass media
- Metacommunication
- Animal communication
- Plant communication
- SOLER (Egan, 1986)
- Communication Strategies
- Communication in a broader sense
- References
- Chief Communications Officer
- Conversation
- Communications satellite
- Communication Studies
- Computer network
- Diffusion of innovations
- Ethernet
- Environmental communication
- Global telephone network also known as the Public Switched Telephone Network PSTN
- Health literacy
- History of communication
- Information theory
- Intercultural competence
- Internet
- Journalism
- Linguistics
- Mass media
- Media studies
- Nonverbal communication
- Nonviolent communication
- Sociology
Learning Outcomes
After completing the programme students should be able to improve his/her understanding and skills in:
1. Written English:
- Accurate spelling and punctuation. Range of vocabulary, correctly used
- Paragraphing
- Appropriateness of tone. Neatness
2. Correspondence:
- Letters, memos, advertisements. Addresses, headings, salutations
- Clarity in describing any situation
- Clarity in stating requests, opinions, etc.
- Common abbreviations. Presentation
3. Principles of Communication:
- Structures within an organisation
- Purpose of communication
- Appropriate channels
- Spoken and written
- Barriers and how to overcome them
- Technical terms
- Presentation of self
4. Communications Technology:
- Computers and associated technology
- Use of satellites
- Telephones, pagers, networks
- Awareness of its effect on business
- Applications of technology
5. Graphs:
- Line graphs, histograms, pie charts
- Neatness and accuracy
- Clear labeling
- Use of colour
- Identifying
trends from data
Today's Videos
- Connect with us on http://www.youtube.com/finntrack
- Google's Playlists
Teaching and Learning Resources
Free English teaching and learning resources
For Students
ESLgold.com gives you the opportunity to practice your English language skills in many ways. If you're a beginner, you can start by checking out our vocabulary pages, where you can see, hear, and say new words in English. If you need some help with grammar, listening, or reading, you can look through hundreds of pages of explanations, examples, and exercises or browse through the quiz links section. If you want some conversation practice, you can find a study buddy, tutor, or teacher in our speaking partner program.
Need some help with TOEFL or TOEIC*? Check out our TOEFL / TOEIC section. How about pronunciation or idioms practice? Want to improve your Business English speaking and writing skills? We have an extensive list of useful expressions for business encounters as well as phrases for conversation along with situations and topics for pair and group discussion.
All materials on ESLgold.com are free of charge and organized by skill and level for quick and easy access. In addition to its free online resources, ESLgold provides you with recommendations for great textbooks, and even an online book exchange, where you can buy and sell used books.
Looking for a great place to study English? We have a huge list of schools in the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, and other areas, where you can find the perfect English course for yourself, your children, or your friends and colleagues.
Reading
Advanced Level English Reading Comprehension Skills - English reading comprehension skills and quizzes for advanced level learners includes reading comprehension practice, intensive, extensive, skimming and scanning reading techniques.
Writing
Advanced Level Writing in English - English advanced level writing help designed to help improve upper level English writing skills including essay and letter writing.
Use of English
Tutorials
Readings
| Test 1 (of 3) | Test 2 (of 3) | Test 3 (of 3) |
Listening
Tutorials
Readings
Listening Comprehension Exercises for Advanced Level English - English listening skills learning for advanced level learners includes English online listening comprehension exercises for advanced level self study or in class use.
Speaking
Tutorials
There is a system of symbols for writing the sounds of English. We have a guide to these symbols and also videos to show how to pronounce each of the sounds. There are also activities to practice identifying the difference between certain sounds which may sound similar.
Features
of English
Information about different
elements of English pronunciation,There
are also interactive and downloadable exercises to
help you build your understanding of these areas.
Quizzes
Interactive quizzes to test
your knowledge of and help you learn about English
pronunciation.
Programmes
Three radio programmes from
2005 on the topic of pronunciation. You can download
the full programmes along with the script and audio
examples.
Download introduction video (13.2 MB mp4)
Readings
English Pronunciation and Speaking Skills for Advanced Level - English pronunciation and speaking skills help for advanced level ESL EFL learners and classes including strategies for improving your accent.
Introduction to Communication
Business Communication: communication used to promote a product, service, or organization; relay information within the business; or deal with legal and similar issues. It is also a means of relying between a supply chain, for example the consumer and manufacturer.
Business Communication is known simply as "Communications." It encompasses a variety of topics, including Marketing, Branding, Customer relations, Consumer behaviour, Advertising, Public relations, Corporate communication, Community engagement, Research & Measurement, Reputation management, Interpersonal communication, Employee engagement, Online communication, and Event management. It is closely related to the fields of professional communication and technical communication.
In business, the term communications encompasses various channels of communication, including the Internet, Print (Publications), Radio, Television, Ambient media, Outdoor, and Word of mouth.
Business Communication can also refer to internal communication. A communications director will typically manage internal communication and craft messages sent to employees. It is vital that internal communications are managed properly because a poorly crafted or managed message could foster distrust or hostility from employees.[1]
Business Communication is a common topic included in the curricula of Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programs of many universities. AS well, many community colleges and universities offer degrees in Communications.
There are several methods of business communication, including:
1. Web-based communication - for better and improved communication, anytime anywhere ...
2. e-mails, which provide an instantaneous medium of written communication worldwide;
3. Reports - important in documenting the activities of any department;
4. Presentations - very popular method of communication in all types of organizations, usually involving audiovisual material, like copies of reports, or material prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Flash;
5. telephoned meetings, which allow for long distance speech;
6. forum boards, which allow people to instantly post information at a centralized location; and
7. face-to-face meetings, which are personal and should be succeeded by a written followup.
Communication Fundamentals
- Understanding Business Communication
- Business Communication Foundations
- Structure
- People and Communication in Organisations
- Workplace Diversity
- Technological, Legal, and Ethical Considerations
Network Analysis is the analysis of networks through network theory (or more generally graph theory).
The networks may be social, transportation or virtual, such as the Internet.
Analysis includes descriptions of structure, such as small-world networks, social circles or scale-free networks, optimisation, such as Critical Path Analysis and PERT (Program Evaluation & Review Technique), and properties such as flow assignment.
Social network analysis maps relationships between individuals in social networks.
Network analysis, and its close cousin traffic analysis, has significant use in intelligence. By monitoring the communication patterns between the network nodes, its structure can be established. This can be used for uncovering insurgent networks of both hierarchical and leaderless nature. Link analysis is a subset of network analysis, exploring associations between objects. An example may be examining the addresses of suspects and victims, the telephone numbers they have dialled and financial transactions that they have partaken in during a given timeframe, and the familial relationships between these subjects as a part of police investigation. Link analysis here provides the crucial relationships and associations between very many objects of different types that are not apparent from isolated pieces of information. Computer-assisted or fully automatic computer-based link analysis is increasingly employed by banks and insurance agencies in fraud detection, by telecommunication operators in telecommunication network analysis, by medical sector in epidemiology and pharmacology, in law enforcement investigations, by search engines for relevance rating (and conversely by the spammers for spamdexing and by business owners for search engine optimization), and everywhere else where relationships between many objects have to be analysed. |
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See also
- Data mining
- Social network
- Link Analysis: An Information Science Approach (book)
- Data Mining Solutions (book)
Network Theory or diktyology is a subject within applied mathematics and physics, and coincides with graph theory. It has application in a varied range of disciplines including computer science, biology, economics, and sociology. Network theory concerns itself with the study of graphs as a representation of either symmetric relations or, more generally, of asymmetric relations between discrete objects. Typically, the graphs of concern in network theory are complex networks, examples of which include the World Wide Web, the Internet, gene regulatory networks, metabolic networks, social networks, epistemological networks, etc. See list of network theory topics for the scope of the area.
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See also
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A Social Network is a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by one or more specific types of relations, such as values, visions, idea, financial exchange, friends, kinship, dislike, trade, web links, sexual relations, disease transmission (epidemiology), or airline routes.
Social network analysis views social relationships in terms of nodes and ties. Nodes are the individual actors within the networks, and ties are the relationships between the actors. There can be many kinds of ties between the nodes. Research in a number of academic fields has shown that social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals succeed in achieving their goals.
In its simplest form, a social network is a map of all of the relevant ties between the nodes being studied. The network can also be used to determine the social capital of individual actors. These concepts are often displayed in a social network diagram, where nodes are the points and ties are the lines.
Effective Communication Development
Tutorials
Readings
Effective Communication Skills for Better Interpersonal Relationships
Interpersonal communications is usually defined by communication scholars in numerous ways, usually describing participants who are dependent upon one another and have a shared history. Communication channels, the conceptualization of mediums that carry messages from sender to receiver, take two distinct forms: direct and indirect.
Direct channels are obvious and easily recognized by the receiver. Both verbal and non-verbal information is completely controlled by the sender. Verbal channels rely on words, as in written or spoken communication. Non-verbal channels encompass facial expressions, controlled body movements (police present hand gestures to control traffic), color (red signals 'stop', green signals 'go'), and sound (warning sirens).
Indirect channels are usually recognized subconsciously by the receiver, and are not always under direct control of the sender. Body language, comprising most of the indirect channel, may inadvertently reveal one's true emotions, and thereby either unintentionally taint or bolster the believability of any intended verbal message. Subconscious reception and interpretation of these signals is often described with arbitrary terms like gut-feeling, hunch, or premonition.
Context refers to the conditions that precede or surround the communication. It consists of present or past events from which the meaning of the message is derived, though it may also, in the case of written communications, depend upon the statements preceding and following the quotation in question. Immediate surroundings may also color the perceived meaning of words; normally safe discourse may easily become contextually ambiguous or offensive in a restroom or shower hall. These influences do not constitute the message by themselves, but rather these extraneous nuances subtly change the message's effective meaning. Ultimately, context includes the entire world, but usually refers to salient factors such as the following:
Physical milieu: the season or weather, current physical location and environment
Situational milieu: classroom, military conflict, supermarket checkout
Cultural and linguistic backgrounds
Developmental progress (maturity) or emotional state
Complementary or contrasting roles: boss and employee; teacher and student; parent, child, and spouse; friend or enemy; partner or competitor
See also
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Correspondence Applications, Meetings, Presentations
Tutorials
- Positive and Neutral Messages
- Goodwill Messages
- Negative Messages
- Persuasive Messages
- Persuasive Messages
- Communication Technology
- Bad-News Messages
- Meetings
- Planning the Business Presentation
- Illustrating and Delivering the Business Presentation
Readings
Knowledge Visualization aims to facilitate the creation and communication of knowledge through the use of computer and non-computer-based, complementary, graphic representation techniques. Examples of such visual formats are information graphics, sketches, diagrams, images, mind maps, interactive visualizations, dynamic visuals (animations), imaginary visualizations, story boards or even physical objects for inspection.
While information visualization concentrates on the use of computer-supported tools to explore large amount of abstract data, knowledge visualization focuses on the transfer or creation of knowledge among people. Beyond the mere transfer of facts, knowledge visualization aims to further create or transfer insights, experiences, attitudes, values, expectations, perspectives, opinions, and predictions by using various complementary visualizations. Dynamic forms of visualisation such as educational animation have the potential to enhance understandings of systems that change over time.
Knowledge Visualization has its roots in Information Design, Instructional Message Design, Pedagogy, Cognitive Psychology, Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Communication Sciences and Knowledge Management, where it is a key-issue to make knowledge visible so that it can be better identified, accessed, shared, discussed, applied, or generally be managed.
Related Research Areas
- Information graphics
- Knowledge management
- Knowledge transfer
- Concept maps
- Scientific visualization
- Morphological analysis
- Formal concept analysis
- Conceptual graphs
External links
- Third International Symposium on Knowledge and Argument visualization Research Symposium
- Visualization Summit The chair for Information Architecture organizes the first int. Visualization Summit on 3rd of July 2007
- Software for information organisation A list of software for information organisation
- InfoVis:Wiki Information Visualization Wiki
- Ray Uzwyshyn Human Knowledge Seeking and Information Visualization 2006 Samuel Lazerow Thompson ISI Memorial Lecture
Presentation is the process of presenting the content of a topic to an audience. Presentation software, such as OpenOffice.org Impress, Apple Keynote or Microsoft Power Point, is often used to generate the presentation content.
- Academic conference
- Lecture
- Persuasion technology
- Presentation program
- Knowledge visualization
- Pecha Kucha Rapid-display format for creative presentations
- Art of Speaking (A list of links related to speaking and presentation)
- Example of Evaluating Student Presentations
- RecruitIreland.com - Tips for an internal presentation
- EServer TC Library: Presentations
- Guy Kawasaki's tips on making a presentation
- A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods
- Presentation Tips for Public Speaking
- Visual Presentation Principles
- Principles of Visual Presentations
- Good visual presentation critical to first-rate Web sites
- Using Presentation Software to Enhance Language Learning
Persuasion Technology is technology that can be used for presenting or promoting a point of view. Any technology designed and deployed for those purposes can be considered a persuasion technology. Such aids are regularly used in sales, diplomacy, politics, religion, military training and management, and may potentially be used in any area of human interaction. Persuasion technology is related but not identical to "persuasive technology," which focuses on the use of computers to change attitudes and behaviours.
Generally, persuasion technology is used to augment a human face-to-face or voice interaction, particularly in a selling or other situation where the persuader or 'seller' seeks to gain an edge on the recruit or 'buyer'. In this general sense, 'sellers' can be those promoting any particular , and 'buyers' anyone they attempt to recruit. Political or religious views can be (and often are) promoted using the same general methods and technologies.
Other subjects that are not normally considered part of persuasion technology but which have some overlap or features in common with it include:
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Written Report and Applications
Tutorials
- Business Research and Report Writing
- Collecting and Analysing Data
- Interpersonal Communication and Teamwork
- Planning the Report
- The Process of Writing
- Proposals, Business Plans, and Special Reports
- Visual Aids
- Work-team Communication
- Writing the Report
- Writing with Style: Individual Elements
- Writing with Style: Overall Tone and Readability
Readings
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Research Reports are business reports produced by business research firms (and commercial and investment banks) by their financial analysts. The reports are designed to dig out the important pieces of companies operational and financial reporting to paint a picture of the future of companies to assist debt and equity investing. The "estimated" quarterly earnings numbers of publicly owned companies are spelled out in these reports to the investment community.
The purpose of a Business report is to communicate information to assist in the business decision making process. Some reports might propose solutions for business problems or might present relevant information to assist in the problem solving process. A Business plan is a kind of report which serves to communicate the Business model, Business management model and the commercial objectives of a business.
In general when writing a business report the following steps have to be followed
1. Preparing to write the business report
2. Determining the scope of the report
3. Understanding the Target Audience
4. research to collect supporting information
5. formatting and organizing the report
- Preparing to write the business report
- Determining the scope of the report
- Understanding the Target Audience
- Collection of Information
- Formatting and organizing the report
- Further Information
- References
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Oral and Nonverbal Communication
Tutorials
English Fluency Tips:
Readings
Body Language is a broad term for forms of communication using body movements or gestures instead of, or in addition to, sounds, verbal language, or other forms of communication. It forms part of the category of paralanguage, which describes all forms of human communication that are not verbal language. This includes the most subtle of movements that many people are not aware of, including winking and slight movement of the eyebrows. In addition body language can also incorporate the use of facial expressions.
Paralanguage, including body language, has been extensively studied in social psychology. In common parlance and popular psychology, the term is most often applied to body language that is considered involuntary, even though the distinction between voluntary and involuntary body language is often controversial. For example, a smile may be produced either consciously or unconsciously.
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Stress: shaking of legs Lying: Face turned away, no eye contact, or looking to the left (fabricating information). Also wiping hands on trousers to get rid of sweat or fidgeting with hands Aggression: Clenched fists, squaring of shoulders, stiffening of posture, tensing of muscles Anxiety: Massaging temples, different than normal breathing rates, hunched shoulders, nervous head movements |
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Teach
Yourself Body Language
Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Employment Communication
Tutorials
Readings
Equal Opportunity is a descriptive term for an approach intended to provide a certain social environment in which people are not excluded from the activities of society, such as education, employment, or health care, on the basis of immutable traits. Equal opportunity practices include measures taken by organizations to ensure fairness in the employment process.
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Equality of Opportunity
- Weaver v NATFHE (now part of the UCU) race discrimination case.
Business Tutorials
Activities
Images: Had enough? All too much? Stressed out? Relaxed and enjoying a break? Disgusted? Pity? The messages we send out with our bodies as well as in traditional types of medium can make a difference how that message is received and interpreted. Copyright: Margaret Rutkaliska, stock.xchng and Glenn Jenkinson, stock.xchng
Essential Texts
Recommended Texts
Resources
Case Studies
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