Richmond Park
Academy
Courses for adults
- Business English - B1
B1 Business English
A practical starting point for learners who want to use English more confidently at work. At this level, students develop the language needed for short emails, simple workplace discussions, telephone communication and everyday business situations.
Curriculum Overview
At B1, the curriculum helps learners build confidence in everyday workplace communication. Candidates at B1 Business Preliminary should be able to write short messages, interpret charts, follow short telephone conversations and discussions, and talk about business-related matters. That makes B1 the right stage for learners who need practical, accessible English for common professional situations rather than advanced specialist language.
In reading, learners work with short, practical workplace texts and simple business information. Cambridge’s B1 business descriptors point towards understanding straightforward written material and interpreting basic visual information such as charts. So the reading curriculum includes emails, notices, timetables, short reports, simple graphs and workplace instructions, with a focus on identifying key information, purpose and basic business vocabulary.
In writing, the focus is on short, functional communication. Cambridge explicitly refers to writing short emails at this stage, so the writing curriculum focuses on including short workplace emails, messages, requests, confirmations and simple responses, with attention to clarity, tone and useful business phrases.
In listening, learners begin to manage everyday spoken communication at work. This level refers to short telephone conversations and discussions, so listening tasks should include phone calls, simple meetings, workplace updates and routine exchanges, with practice in listening for gist, key details and action points.
In speaking, the learners build confidence in simple professional interaction. At B1 level, business candidates should be able to talk about business-related matters, so speaking practice should include introductions, describing work roles, talking about routine tasks, arranging meetings, asking for information and taking part in short workplace conversations.
