Business Benchmark Advanced – A hit for teachers and students

Looking for a practical, interesting and stimulating course book for advanced Business English students?
Look no further than Business Benchmark Advanced. The course book contains 24 units for classroom
study, each based on a general business-related theme. Topics include Corporate Culture, Customer
Relations, Presenting at Meetings, The Sales Pitch, Workplace Atmosphere, Corporate Ethics and An
Overseas Partnership; all of which are pertinent to today’s business world. Business Benchmark
Advanced is designed to prepare students thoroughly for the Cambridge BEC Higher and BULATS
examinations, by providing exam-type exercises in every unit, along with a comprehensive Exam Skills
and Exam Practice section and a complete practice exam. Business Benchmark Advanced is designed for
both people who have not yet worked in business, and for those who have experience in a business
environment.
The listening material is either completely authentic or as close to authentic as possible, and clearly
improves students’ listening proficiency and confidence, while also providing a stimulating springboard
into the topic of each unit. The reading texts are largely authentic business articles from well-known
publications, and my students have told me on numerous occasions just how relevant the topics are to
them and their needs and interests. New vocabulary is presented and practiced with the pretext of a skills
lesson, so as to make sure students are exposed to it through a clear and appropriate context. I have my
students write the new words from each unit on cards along with the topic of the unit, the definition of the
word and an example sentence. Every now and then we use the cards to revise the words, usually through
a game. It’s amazing how my students not only remember the correct definition, but they are also more
likely to use the word correctly, as they remember the theme and the context in which it was used.
Unlike other Advanced Business English course books, each unit in Business Benchmark Advanced is
succinct and to-the-point, yet comprehensive enough to cover all relevant vocabulary and skills practice.
All my students have commented that they prefer the ‘short and sweet’ approach to units, rather than
getting bored with a topic which seems to drag on longer than necessary.
The Teacher’s Resource Book not only provides the answers to the exercises in the course book, but also
at least one more photocopiable activity for each unit, which provide further reading texts, discussion
activities, games and case studies and extra writing tasks. Also, unlike in many teachers’ books, the
Business Benchmark Advanced Teacher’s Resource Book contains the complete listening transcripts with
the words or sentences giving the correct answer underlined. This makes feedback so much easier and
more efficient, as you don’t have to spend unnecessary time looking for the place in the text which
contains the correct answer.
There is no systematic review of grammar, as it is rightly assumed that students of this level shouldn’t
need this. There are, however, some grammar explanations and exercises throughout the book to draw
students’ attention to particularly difficult or interesting structures or grammar points, and to extend and
revise students’ knowledge of grammar through a business context. Some examples of grammar points
dealt with are defining and non-defining relative clauses, speaking hypothetically, embedded questions,
cleft sentences, reference devices and articles. My students appreciate this focus on language and
generally find it useful, especially when applying it to a business context.
For students who would like to study independently, or reinforce what has been covered in class, the
Personal Study Book which accompanies the Student’s Book will be invaluable. It provides extra
exercises and activities for each unit, designed to reinforce vocabulary, grammar, reading and writing. It
also contains a Word List with words and phrases from the readings and listenings which are considered
difficult.
As an experienced Business English teacher who has used every Business English course book at some
time or another, I’ve taken to using Business Benchmark Advanced exclusively. It provides everything
my students and I need for a comprehensive, challenging, relevant and stimulating Business English
course for advanced students, whether they’re working towards BEC Higher or BULATS or not. Thanks
Cambridge University Press!

by Gabi Bonner
Akcent International House teacher