Egzamin Spoken English for Industry and Commerce (SEFIC)
'Spoken English for Industry and Commerce' (SEFIC) examinations are designed to meet the
spoken business language requirements of candidates whose mother-tongue is not English. SEFIC
examinations are highly practical one-to-one interviews that assess a candidate's ability to
communicate in both a social and work environment. The exam is offered at 5 levels; Preliminary Level,
First Level, Second Level, Third Level and Fourth Level.
Overview of the SEFIC tests
|
Level
|
Length
|
Tasks
|
Availability
|
| Preliminary |
20 mins |
conversation, comprehension, description, roleplay |
on demand |
| First |
25 mins |
conversation, comprehension, description, roleplay |
on demand |
| Second |
30 mins |
conversation, description, comprehension, discussion |
on demand |
| Third |
35 mins |
conversation, comprehension, roleplay |
on demand |
| Fourth |
40 mins |
conversation, presentation, comprehension |
on demand |
|
|
|
Preliminary level
The Preliminary Level examination takes 20 minutes and is an ideal target for beginners
and a test of a candidates ability to survive in business English. The examination consists of 4
sections:
-
Section A
(5 minutes)
general conversation eg personal history, work, interests.
-
Section B
(5 minutes)
listening comprehension eg responding to instructions and
directions given by the examiner.
-
Section C
(5 minutes)
picture description eg describing an unseen, drawn picture
(with a business context) supplied by the examiner.
-
Section D
(5 minutes)
brief, structured dialogue continuing within the business
context established in Section C. The dialogue will be led by the examiner and the candidate will be
given a cue card.
|
|
|
First level
The First Level examination takes 25 minutes. This level is a test of a
candidate's ability to perform basic tasks and discuss routine work matters in business English.
The examination consists of 5 sections:
-
Section A
(5 minutes)
introductory conversation eg general work-related topics.
-
Section B
(5 minutes)
listening comprehension eg responding to spoken
instructions/questions given by the examiner.
-
Section C
(5 minutes)
will deal with the world of work eg the candidate will
provide information about his/her job and place of work. For candidates not in employment a drawn
picture (supplied by the examiner) depicting characters in a range of fields of work will be used. The
candidate will choose one of the characters and be asked to talk about their job and place of work.
-
Section D
(5 minutes)
picture description eg the candidate will answer questions on
a previously unseen, drawn picture (within a business setting).
-
Section E
(5 minutes)
role play, building on the situation depicted in the picture
for Section D. The candidate will be given a cue card outlining the task.
|
|
|
Second level
The Second Level (or Threshold Level) examination takes 30 minutes. This level is a test
of candidates ability to discuss a variety of common work-related topics in business English. The
examination consists of 5 sections:
-
Section A
(5 minutes)
introductory conversation, including work-related topics.
-
Section B
(5 minutes)
describing a sequence of drawn pictures (supplied by the
examiner) depicting 'a problem'.
-
Section C
(5 minutes)
listening comprehension eg listening to a recorded
announcement and relating the information to a given map or diagram.
-
Section D
(5 minutes)
reading comprehension eg an advertisement or a short article.
-
Section E
(5 minutes)
discussion, based on the document for Section D, eg
expressing preferences, opinions, agreement/disagreement and evaluation.
|
|
|
Third level
The Third Level (or Intermediate Level) examination takes 35 minutes. This level is a
test of a candidate's ability to discuss familiar business or professional topics in depth. The
examination consists of 5 sections:
-
Section A
(5 minutes)
introductory conversation, eg work-related topics.
-
Section B
(5 minutes)
comprehension exercise based on an item of work-related
information or realia. The candidate will be asked to study this briefly and then answer questions.
-
Section C
(5 minutes)
listening comprehension task, eg the candidate will listen
once to a taped dialogue, take notes, relate the main points and suggest remedies or predict outcomes
for the situation outlined in the dialogue.
-
Section D
(5 minutes)
reading comprehension eg the candidate will study a business
letter or report, relate the main points and explain certain expressions selected by the examiner.
-
Section E
(5 minutes)
role play eg a business problem outlined on a cue card
supplied by the examiner.
|
|
|
Fourth level
The Fourth Level (or Advanced Level) examination takes 40 minutes. This level is a test
of a candidate's ability to display a high degree of fluency in discussing a range of business
issues in English. The examination consists of 4 sections:
-
Section A
(5 minutes)
introductory conversation eg business-related topics
including one of current interest. (The candidate's special topic will be excluded).
-
Section B
(5 minutes)
business presentation on the candidate's prepared
topic. The candidate will provide the examiner with a written synopsis (about 200 words). The examiner
will ask follow-up questions leading into the discussion phase.
-
Section C
(5 minutes)
listening comprehension task eg the candidate will listen
once to a taped dialogue, take notes, relate the main points and suggest a solution to the situation
outlined in the dialogue.
-
Section D
(5 minutes)
reading comprehension eg the candidate will study two or more
sources of information (a report, a graph or a chart) and answer questions posed by the examiner.
|
|
|
Special topics (10 minutes)
Candidates may elect to speak on a Special Topic of their own choice at Third Level.
This option provides candidates with an opportunity to practise the language of their specialism or
range of interests and thus reinforce the professional or business element in the examination.
Telephone Test (5-7 minutes)
Optional Telephone Tests are available at Second, Third and Fourth Levels. This option
is designed to test the ability of candidates to convey telephoned information within a specified role
and scenario and to understand the replies received, negotiating details where necessary.
Liaison Interpreting (5-7 minutes)
A Liaison Interpreting option is offered at Fourth Level which is designed to test the
ability of candidates to interpret and mediate a business conversation between 2 speakers using their
respective languages.
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