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Business English Full placement test

Name __________________________________ Date ___________

Section A: Grammar and Lexis


Complete the sentences with answer a, b, c or d. See the example.

5 How _____ do they play golf?


Example:
a usually
A: Are you Mr Jensen?
b every
B: Yes, I __.
c often
a am
d time
b ’m not
c do
6 Are there _____ messages for me?
d are
a got
b any
1 A: Is this the right place for British Airways?
c a
B: Yes, it _____.
d have
a isn’t
b are
7 I’m afraid I can’t _____ the meeting at
c is it
three.
d is
a to make
b made
2 Roger is _____ Switzerland.
c make
a with
d making
b from
c not
8 He _____ in when I rang.
d a
a wasn’t
b isn’t
3 A: Do you smoke?
c weren’t
B: No, I _____.
d didn’t
a don’t
b ’m not
9 Henry _____ school at fifteen.
c not
a has left
d doesn’t
b leave
c left
4 A: _____ does he work?
d leaved
B: In a hospital.
a Why
b When
c What
d Where

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Business English Full placement test

10 A: When _____ he phone? 16 I _____ a profit this year.


B: At around three. a set up
a was b made
b time c did
c did d ran
d do
17 A: Can I have extension 315?
11 How _____ time off do you get a year? B: I’ll just _____ you through.
a many a put
b much b connect
c any c call
d some d play

12 It’s hotter today _____ yesterday. 18 Could I _____ a message?


a as a speak
b the b leave
c more c tell
d than d say

13 I go to work _____ foot. 19 A: What’s he like?


a by B: He _____
b to a works for the National Bank of Poland.
c on b ’s the Public Relations Manager.
d from c ’s a nice man.
d plays golf.
14 I _____ on an important project at the
moment. 20 A: How do you do?
a going to work B: _____
b worked a Pleased to meet you.
c work b I’m pleased too.
d ’m working c Nice to have met you.
d Good to see you too.
15 I _____ the report yet. I need a couple more
hours. 21 Who _____ the first e-mail?
a didn’t finish a did send
b don’t finish b did happen
c haven’t finished c sent
d ’m not finishing d was sent

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Business English Full placement test

22 I’ll _____ with the e-mail straight away. 28 It cost one hundred euros! What a complete
a send _____ of money.
b deal a invest
c go b spent
d write c waste
d lot
23 It’s the _____ meal I’ve ever eaten!
a expensive than 29 He _____ me that he was happy in his new
b more expensive department.
c expensivest a said
d most expensive b told
c speak
24 I’ll have breakfast sent _____ to your room. d asked
a up
b out of 30 We _____ less time travelling, if we worked
c in from home.
d at a spend
b ’d spend
25 Prices have remained _____ in the first c would spent
quarter. d are spending
a increase
b stable 31 Does the conference centre have internet
c same _____?
d steadily a access
b location
26 I’m writing to _____ the refund for c centre
damaged goods. d transfer
a claim
b tackle 32 Sorry, I didn’t _____ that. Could you say it
c take again?
d book a not with
b explain
27 35,000 people _____ in the last five years. c catch
a were been laid off d miss
b lay off
c are laid off
d have been laid off

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Business English Full placement test

33 Would you mind _____ , please? 39 So, let’s sum _____ what we’ve discussed so
a not to smoke far.
b not smoking a about
c didn’t smoking b up
d if not smoking c with
d for
34 You _____ be tired after your long journey.
a can 40 I _____ from you.
b let a look forward to hear
c must b looking forwards to hearing
d ought c look forward to hearing
d look forwards for hearing
35 I agree with you up to a _____.
a question 41 How are things _____ you?
b position a with
c point b to
d view c at
a of
36 _____ I thought everyone knew.
a Won’t you hear? 42 I think it’s _____ of fish with cream and
b Haven’t you heard? white wine.
c Didn’t you hear? a kind
d Aren’t you hearing? b made
c like
37 Let’s move _____ to the next point of my d sort
presentation.
a about 43 I’m sorry for the _____ in getting back to
b up you with the quote.
c for a wait
d on b hold
c late
38 I’m sorry, but can I just _____ in here? d delay
a come
b interrupt 44 I suggested _____ the whole thing forward
c move by a week.
d speak a bringing
b to bring
c that bring
d we bringing

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Business English Full placement test

45 With _____ I think that’s a little too low. 48 It was a very _____ meeting in the end.
a frank a achievement
b respect b smoothly
c honesty c success
d unfortunately d fruitful

46 _____ no see. You haven’t changed a bit! 49 I’ve just _____ a job with Bill Gates!
a Long time a landed
b Long wait b run
c Long listen c set
d Long view d caught

50 Can I get hold _____ the organisers?


47 Are you saying they’ve fallen _____ of a to
projections again? b of
a down c for
b decrease d up
c short
d rapidly

Section B: Reading
Below are three readings with missing words. Read and choose a missing word from answers a, b, c or d.

For Reading A:

1 a write b read c delete d see


2 a he b they c it d e-mail
3 a him b us c her d we
4 a always b never c every day d often
5 a who b this c these d what

READING A
It’s easy to (1)_____ an e-mail. You type it on to a computer screen, hit a button and off (2)_____ goes. But the speed
of the process is also a problem. It doesn’t encourage (3)_____ to think much about what we write. As a result, e-mail
messages are (4)_____ grammatically incorrect, disorganised and full of spelling and typing errors. Badly expressed
ideas are more difficult to read. They can also cause expensive misunderstandings. Managers nowadays have to read
enormous quantities of e-mails, and (5)_____ adds to the stress of their jobs.

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Business English Full placement test

For Reading B:

6 a hard b good c offensive d polite


7 a because b but c however d and
8 a By b As c Unless d If
9 a business b place c market d shop
10 a cheaper b less c least d same

READING B
A hard sell is often seen as (6)______ in Japan. Japanese business people may think that you are trying to convince
them (7)______ your product is no good. It is better to use a low-key sale pitch and give them objective information.
The Japanese are not accustomed to aggressive American techniques that use a persuasive ‘winning’ argument.
(8)____ you are not completely honest about your product, your credibility will be damaged and what you say will
lose influence. Don’t say that yours is ‘the best on the (9)______’. It is better to say, ‘We sold more than two million
units last year. As you know our closest competitor sold (10)_____ than a million.’

For Reading C:

11 a crash b share c flotation d increase


12 a broadcasted b grown c fallen d advertised
13 a outlets b shirts c middlemen d contracts
14 a logo b service c brand d manager
15 a refunded b claimed c netted d advertised

READING C
Manchester United stopped being just a famous football team several years ago and became a highly successful
multinational corporation. The words ‘football’ and ‘club’ were actually dropped from the players’ badges in 2000 in
an effort to strengthen the corporate image. With a successful stock market (11) _________ in 1991 and a market
value, according to City accountants Deloitte and Touche, of over £110m, Manchester United is as much a triumph of
the media as of great soccer. ‘Top clubs have
(12) _________ on the back of Television contracts’, says Richard Baldwin of Deloitte and Touche. With this also
comes merchandising. Manchester United’s megastore stocks 1,500 different items, is constantly packed, and
merchandising (13) _________ as far away as Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney attract thousands of fans who
couldn’t even tell you where Manchester is on the map. ‘United look and behave very much like a traditional business
from a corporate point of view,’ says Nigel Hawkins, a financial analyst. ‘They have a strong (14)_________ and have
worked to maximise it by bringing in good people.’ They certainly have. One sponsorship deal alone – with
Vodaphone – (15)_________ Manchester £30 million.

Section C: Listening

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Business English Full placement test

Listening A
Listen twice to the message on an answer machine. Complete the notes below.

(1) Mr ____________ called about (2)____________. He won’t be able to come on


(3) ____________. Please call him back on (4)____________________ after (5)__________ tomorrow night.

Listening B
Listen twice to a short presentation. Answer the following questions:

6 What kind of company does the speaker describe?______________________


_______________________________________________________________
7 What can you receive with this company?_____________________________
_______________________________________________________________
8 What does the company guarantee? __________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
9 What can the customer send with the gift?_____________________________
_______________________________________________________________
10 If the delivery is late, what does the customer receive? ___________________
_______________________________________________________________

Listening C
Listen twice to a speaker talking about negotiating. In each question choose the best statement (a, b or c) which
summarises what the speaker believes.

11 The speaker believes a successful negotiation is when both sides


a exploit each other’s problems.
b solve each other’s problems.
c look for differences.

12 The speaker believes that most people


a want to get the best deal for themselves.
b look for an ideal solution.
c think negotiating is a good way to do business.

13 The speaker believes that


a you shouldn’t do business with ‘I win-you lose’ negotiators.
b all negotiators know the same techniques.
c you won’t find answers to difficult negotiators in books.

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Business English Full placement test

14 The speaker believes that you should always


a avoid personal questions.
b get something in return for giving something.
c agree to discuss everything.

15 The speaker believes that you shouldn’t agree to anything


a immediately.
b in a negotiation.
c if you are under time pressure.

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Business English Full placement test

And unlike other companies who offer only a full


FOR THE TEACHER:
money back guarantee for late delivery we also pay

Texts for Section 3: Listening you the value of the purchase. That’s your money

There are three listenings which you will need to read back – twice!

aloud. Practise reading them a few times before using


them so that they sound natural. Include short pauses
Listening C
between the phrases to allow students time to
complete their answers. When administering the test Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. I’d like to talk
give students time to read through the three parts to you this morning about negotiating and what I feel
and the questions. Here are the three listenings you is the way to a successful negotiation. Ideally, a
will read. Read each of them twice. successful negotiation is a kind of joint problem-
solving meeting, where we identify each other’s
interests, wants and needs and then explore the
Listening A
different ways we could satisfy those.
Hello. This is Mr Davies.
That’s D-A-V-I-E-S. I say ‘ideally’ because it hardly ever is like that. Win-
I’m calling about our meeting. win negotiation is a great idea, but most people have
I can’t make next Tuesday. a simple ‘I win-you lose’ mentality.
Can you call me back on 00 39 356 4830. That’s 00 39
356 4830. So what do you do with the person who simply won’t
Call me after 6.30 tomorrow night. listen, who keeps interrupting, who becomes
aggressive, who makes last-minute demands, who

Listening B won’t make a decision? I must have read dozens of


books on negotiation tactics. The problem is, so has
Hello, my name’s Phil Davies and I run an online
everybody else. So they don’t really work.
company which delivers gifts around the country.

My advice is: don’t get personal – ever; don’t agree to


Gifts-the-same-day dot com guarantees the customer
anything until you’ve discussed everything; don’t
same day delivery of anything from flowers to
make any concessions without asking for something
perfume. Whether it’s for your wife or a colleague at
in return; ask lots of questions; and don’t give in to
work we’ll make sure they receive it when you want
pressure.
it.

Remember, if the answer must be now, the answer


Unlike other companies all our products are chosen
must be ‘No’.
from the best suppliers and gift-wrapped with a
personal message from you.

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Business English Full placement test

FULL PLACEMENT TEST KEY 38 a


Section A: Grammar and Lexis 39 b
1d 40 c
2b 41 a
3a 42 b
4d 43 d
5c 44 a
6b 45 b
7c 46 a
8a 47 c
9c 48 d
10 c 49 a
11 b 50 b
12 d Grammar and Lexis placement scoring
13 c 1-14 Elementary
14 d 15-29 Pre-intermediate
15 c 30-44 Intermediate
16 b 45-50 Upper Intermediate
17 a
18 b Section B: Reading
19 c 1a
20 a 2c
21 c 3b
22 b 4d
23 d 5b
24 a 6c
25 b 7a
26 a 8d
27 d 9c
28 c 10 b
29 b 11 c
30 b 12 b
31 a 13 a
32 c 14 c
33 b 15 c
34 c
35 c Reading placement scoring
36 b 1-4 Elementary
37 d 5-8 Pre-intermediate

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Business English Full placement test

9-12 Intermediate 9 a personal message

13-15 Upper Intermediate 10 your money back and the value of the purchase
11 b
12 a

Section C: Listening 13 b

1 Davies 14 b

2 the meeting 15 c

3 Tuesday
4 00 39 356 4830 Listening placement scoring

5 6.30 1-4 Elementary

6 an online company (that delivers gifts) 5-8 Pre-intermediate

7 gifts such as flowers and perfume 9-12 Intermediate

8 same day delivery 13-15 Upper Intermediate

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