Current status. Cambridge has discontinued the BEC exams in all countries except mainland China (where they run once a year). For Ukraine and Ukrainians abroad, BEC is effectively unavailable — its role is filled by Linguaskill Business.
The line had three exams, each named after its CEFR level: B1 Business Preliminary (Cambridge English Scale score 140–159), B2 Business Vantage (160–179) and C1 Business Higher (180–199). It could be taken on paper or on a computer.
BEC tested the same four skills as other Cambridge exams, but on business material. Each part was worth roughly 25% of the final score. Using Business Vantage (B2) as an example:
Reading. Five parts: understanding business texts — letters, notices, reports, articles. Writing. Two compulsory tasks of different types, for example a short internal message and a longer letter or report. Listening — about 40 minutes. Three parts, 30 questions on workplace dialogues and presentations. Speaking — 14 minutes. Three parts, taken in a pair with another candidate.
The official Cambridge replacement is Linguaskill Business: an adaptive online business-English test for levels B1–C2 with fast results. If you need a general proof of level instead, consider B2 First (FCE) or C1 Advanced.
In practice they measure your working English: meeting and negotiation vocabulary, typical business documents, and understanding workplace dialogue by ear. For detailed preparation tips and the adaptive format, see the Linguaskill Business page.
If you plan to sit BEC where it still runs, in mainland China, we coach you one-to-one online. We work on the business vocabulary of meetings, correspondence and negotiations, on the written formats and on Speaking in the paired format, with tasks at the relevant level (Preliminary, Vantage, Higher). If you do not plan to travel to China, we will point you to a fitting alternative — Linguaskill Business or B2 First — and prepare you for it.
Check the status and conditions on the official Cambridge pages: the Business (BEC) section and the Linguaskill overview.
We prepare for BEC for those who sit the exam in mainland China
