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English For Business l2 Model Answers Series 3 2012
English For Business l2 Model Answers Series 3 2012
English For Business l2 Model Answers Series 3 2012
Model Answers
Series 3 2012 (2041)
Model Answers have been developed by EDI to offer additional information and guidance to Centres,
teachers and candidates as they prepare for LCCI International Qualifications. The contents of this
booklet are divided into 3 elements:
(2) Model Answers summary of the main points that the Chief Examiner expected to
see in the answers to each question in the examination paper,
plus a fully worked example or sample answer (where applicable)
Teachers and candidates should find this booklet an invaluable teaching tool and an aid to success.
EDI provides Model Answers to help candidates gain a general understanding of the standard
required. The general standard of model answers is one that would achieve a Distinction grade. EDI
accepts that candidates may offer other answers that could be equally valid.
All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise
without prior written permission of the Publisher. The book may not be lent, resold, hired out or
otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover, other than that in which it is
published, without the prior consent of the Publisher.
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 1 of 17
QUESTION 1
Option (a)
Situation
At your daily meeting, Mr Ricardo Bermejo, the General Manager at Accuracy European Electronics,
says, Ive learned an important fact! You cant please all of the people all of the time. Just look at this
chart. I asked heads of department to find out from their staff when they would prefer to have their
departmental monthly meetings. The only clear outcome is that no one wants a meeting after work!
Since only 3 staff want a meeting during work-time, it is simply impossible.
Production 60 49 8 0 3 0
Administration 25 2 23 0 0 0
Sales 5 0 0 0 0 5
Service 12 1 1 0 0 10
Development 4 1 0 0 0 3
TOTAL
106 53 32 0 3 18
You say: Well I think there may be an answer. If we recommend that the Production
Department meets before work, and the Administration Department at lunchtimes, we
have met the preference of more than 70 staff. In the Departments of Sales, Service,
and Development 18 staff have no preference. If we allow those departments to
choose between lunchtime meetings and pre-work meetings, then we only have in
total 14 or 15 workers whose wishes are different from the recommendations.
Mr Bermejo says: What an excellent analysis! Write a memo to all heads of department telling them
your suggestions. They can try to solve the problems of staff whose preferences have
not been met. Tell them to let you know what the decisions of their staff are ... You
can also tell them that the firm will provide breakfast for meetings before work and a
buffet lunch for those meeting at lunchtime ... By the way, since you are the Assistant
General Manager, they should invite you to their meetings too.
Task
(40 marks)
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 2 of 17
QUESTION 1 CONTINUED
Option (b)
Situation
Each month, Local Review, a magazine that is published in the area in which you live, organises a
competition asking readers to write an article on a subject that has been mentioned recently in the
magazine. This months competition is outlined in this extract from the magazine:
Recently our magazine has published articles discussing the factors that people think are important when
they are looking for a job.
We knew that there would be some variation on what was considered important.
What surprised us was just how many things were mentioned.
We therefore decided that this months competition would be to
write an article
in which you discuss the following question:
It doesnt matter what your preferences are, as long as they are relevant to the question and
your opinions are expressed clearly and interestingly.
The article should have a title and be 4 or 5 paragraphs long.
Winning articles will be published in the magazine and a selection of valuable prizes is offered. Send
your entries to the editor within two weeks.
Task
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 3 of 17
QUESTION 1 CONTINUED
Option (c)
Situation
The firm for which you work is building a new factory near Ostend in Belgium. For the past year there has
been an agreement with the Hotel Langemart, Kleine Weststraat 12, Ostend 8400, Belgium with special
rates being offered to any of your staff who need to visit the factory site. The agreement is currently
being renegotiated.
Mr Axel Lindberg, International Manager, says, Ive stayed at the Hotel Langemart. I found it adequate,
but not brilliant ... I thought the meals were so poor that I went to a local restaurant instead! Ive written a
list of the people from our firm who have stayed there. Can you ask them what they think about the Hotel
Langemart and write a report to me, say, within 3 weeks? I need the report to help me in my
negotiations with the hotel. It will be helpful if you recommend areas in which we would need the hotel to
improve.
You interview the staff named by Mr Lindberg and ask them to grade the hotel in 8 categories. At the
end, you average the comments and allocate them to the following scale. Here is a chart of your findings:
SCORE 0 1 2 3 4 5
Check-in process
Comfort of bedroom
Equipment in bedroom
Cleanliness
Staff helpfulness
Quality of meals
Check-out process
Task
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 4 of 17
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 1 (All options)
No suitable format 0
Format is just recognisable but does very little to help clarity 1 fail
Recognisable format that begins to help clarity of message 2 borderline fail
Format helps to make message clearer 3 pass/credit
Format is sound (paragraphs, white space etc) 4 credit/distinction
Format is very good and is a definite aid to communication 5
(Total 40 marks)
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 5 of 17
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 1
Chief Examiners Comments
QUESTION 1 (a)
Layout
To HoDs
From Candidate
For 4 marks and above the memo MUST be paragraphed and/or bulleted etc
Content
The facts are as in the question, but for good marks in the last 2 sections of the marking scheme they
will need to be reworded.
Adequate explanation should be made re the arrangements. For D, look for genuine clarity in stating the
suggestions.
Lower Content mark slightly (usually by 1 mark), if no reference to invitation to meetings being made to
candidate.
QUESTION 1 (b)
The articles content is free, as long as it genuinely attempts to answer the question.
QUESTION 1 (c)
The layout can be of any type, as long as it helps the communication of the report.
For above basic pass marks for Content, the correct material should be placed under the correct
headings.
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 6 of 17
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 1 (a)
MEMO
To Heads of Department
From Candidate (Assistant General Manager)
Date Appropriate
Mr Bermejo and I have studied the review of staff preferences for the monthly departmental meetings.
Initially, the problems seem insurmountable. However, a pattern does emerge that will allow us to satisfy
most staff.
These arrangements will leave relatively few of our colleagues who have expressed a wish to meet at a
time different from those we suggest. We ask heads of department to negotiate with the staff who have
difficulties with the suggestions, and to try to deal with any problems.
Mr Bermejo has offered to arrange for meals at the meetings, paid for by Accuracy E E: breakfast for pre-
work meetings and a buffet lunch for those meeting at lunchtime.
Let me know of any arrangements that you wish to be considered, if they are different from those that I
have outlined, and please continue to invite me to all your meetings.
A.C.
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 7 of 17
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 1 (b)
The first question you need to ask yourself is, What are the things that you believe are important to
you? This seems simple but the simplicity can be deceptive. When having a light conversation with
friends, we can say what we think is important to us. But once we have to ask ourselves these questions
seriously, thats when we realise that were not really so sure about our decisions.
In a situation which means your choices are genuine and refer to your life, not just to a casual chat, you
really need to consider deeply about as many possibilities you can think of. Is a well-paid, high-status
position what you want? Or do you want a job that will allow you to finish early so you can have more
quality time with your family and friends? These are some of the things that youll have to think about.
Additionally, when the choices are real, you need to be realistic and honest with yourself. Choose
according to how you really feel. Its pointless trying to convince yourself that you want something that
other people might expect you to want, or advise you to take. You are the one who will be doing the job!
You should look at the whole employment package that the firms are offering. Try to evaluate it as
thoroughly as possible. Look at the benefits theyre offering, the holidays youre entitled to, opportunities
for training, allowances, etc. You should also look at the distance of the work-place from your home. For
example, if you want to get a job that is located a considerable distance away from where you live
because it offers a high salary, think about how much youll spend daily, both in terms of money and of
time, on commuting.
Find out about the exact responsibilities of the job you are considering. Usually, when the job is offered,
youll only get a relatively vague outline of responsibilities, and it will be very incomplete. It may seem
very different when you actually start the job! Make sure that you have complete information. You should
also find out about how the company takes care of its employees. Is there a clear route for career
advancement? Is it a company that values and understands the needs of its workers? You might not get
the information you need, if you only talk to the HR department or the people who interviewed you. Your
best approach, if its possible for you, is to talk to other people who work in the company.
A final word of advice might be that this is a time of relatively high unemployment; remember that any
worthwhile and reasonably paid job is almost certainly better than having no job!
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 8 of 17
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 1 (c)
TERMS of REFERENCE
During the past year, staff who visit the site of our new premises in Ostend have stayed at the Hotel
Langemart, with which our firm had agreed a temporary business arrangement. The agreement is
approaching the end of its 12 months and Mr Lindberg is keen to find out the success or otherwise of our
arrangements with the hotel. I was asked to submit a report within 3 weeks.
PROCEDURE
Mr Lindberg issued me with a list of staff, all of whom had stayed at the hotel. I discussed their
experiences and thoughts about the hotel and asked them to consider the hotel under 8 categories and
to award a mark ranging from 1 to 5. The categories covered checking in and out of the hotel, comfort
and equipment of the bedrooms, general levels of cleanliness, attitude of staff, standard of meals offered,
and proximity to our new premises. The marks were then averaged and allocated to a simple chart so
that the areas of concern could easily be identified.
FINDINGS
CONCLUSIONS
Currently the arrangements with Hotel Langemart are not wholly to our staffs liking. The unacceptably
complex and time-consuming checking-in system is especially annoying to colleagues who have often
travelled a long distance to get to Ostend. The low quality of the food offered at mealtimes also needs
urgent consideration.
Other areas where some improvement can be negotiated, including the comfort of the bedrooms and the
facilities they offer, are less urgent but would, if rectified, improve the quality of our staffs stay at Ostend.
It seems clear, however, that the staff of the hotel are diligent in all their tasks and in their efforts to help
the guests to enjoy their stay.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Since the hotel is not especially conveniently situated for visits to our new factory, we are in a good
position to renegotiate our expectations of the hotel:
immediate improvement to standard of the meals
simplification and speeding up the checking in process.
Failing such improvements, I suggest looking at alternative hotels, ideally closer to our new factory.
Candidate
(Dated)
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 9 of 17
QUESTION 2
Situation
You work for Tracery Glassworks, Waterford, Ireland (phone number 01392 226699), as Personal
Assistant (PA) to Miss Simone Baudot who is the Education Officer. She shows you the following letter,
which she has received:
What a wonderful experience you offered again to our students last year. Broughton Park School has
been fortunate to have the benefit of Tracerys marvellous interest in education and the genuine welcome
you give to all schools, including ours.
May I ask if we can arrange visits this year too? If so, please suggest your preferences regarding the
number of visits, the size of groups etc.
I know that the Year 11 students who visited you last year were completely fascinated by their time at
Tracery Glassworks. It has been a topic of conversation ever since. Their enthusiasm has been
transferred to this years Year 11 students, who have been persistently asking me to organise visits for
them.
Yours sincerely
Seamus ONeil
Seamus ONeil
(Headteacher)
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 10 of 17
QUESTION 2 CONTINUED
Miss Baudot asks you to write a letter in response to Mr ONeils. She says, Mr ONeils school is
always welcome. The students of Broughton Park School are polite, hardworking and a pleasure to have
as visitors. Can you write the letter ready for my signature, please? Ive made some notes to help you
with writing the reply.
Reminder must have at least 1 member of school staff with each group
Refreshments and lunch provided free Students have chance to make an ornament
Only 1 group each day The ornament they make they can keep
Task
(30 marks)
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 11 of 17
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 2
No suitable format 0
Format is just recognisable but does very little to help clarity 1 fail
Recognisable format that begins to help clarity of message 2 borderline fail
Format helps to make message clearer 3 pass/credit
Format is sound (paragraphs, white space etc) 4 credit/distinction
Format is very good and is a definite aid to communication 5
(Total 30 marks)
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 12 of 17
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 2 CONTINUED
Format/layout
Content
past visits
phone candidate
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 13 of 17
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 2 CONTINUED
Dear Mr ONeil
Thank you for your letter of (date). We are very happy to accept visits from students of Broughton Park
School. The excellence of the behaviour and the high level of interest shown by previous groups from
Broughton Park School make it a pleasure to continue to cooperate with you.
Each visit will include a tour of the factory, usually in the morning session. Students will be given a
chance to receive individual instruction on working with glass, ending with their making glass ornaments,
which they can then take home. After lunch there will be a tour of our glassmaking museum and a visit to
our gift shop, where we can again offer your students 50% discount on their purchases.
As usual we shall provide guides and instructors, but we reluctantly remind you that our insurance
company insists that each group is accompanied at all times by at least one member of your staff.
Best wishes.
Yours sincerely
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 14 of 17
QUESTION 3
(In answering Question 3, remember that it is very important to use your own words whenever
possible, and to organise the list of main points in a logical way.)
Situation
You are the Careers and Further Education Adviser at a local college. A student has asked for advice on
studying for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. He says that he wants to discuss the
benefits with you before making specific enquiries to the Business Administration Department at the
college. You both agree a date and time for the discussion. The following article in the college
prospectus seems to contain the information you will need for the discussion. Write a list of its main
points so that you can offer advice to the student.
First of all, studying for an MBA is fascinating. Our course is based on genuine businesses with which we
work closely. You have the chance to study by working at the businesses themselves, in various
departments, and taking part in real projects. Of course there is a need to study the theory of business
administration, but there is nothing boring about it. Additional to the fact that the course is one that will
satisfy your need for knowledge, there is also the help that your study will give to your career prospects.
Earning an MBA does not guarantee career advancement, but it certainly doesn't harm employment or
promotion prospects.
If you are just starting out in the business world, or you are interested in changing careers, or possibly
you are looking to improve your promotion chances, an MBA degree can help you do all three.
Not every business leader or boss has an MBA. However, it may be easier to be considered for
leadership roles if you have an MBA education behind you. While enrolled in our MBA programme, you
will study leadership, business, and management philosophies that can be applied to almost any
leadership role in almost any business. With our MBA, you will not be restricted to just one type of work.
You will be equipped for leadership through your wide and deep understanding of how all businesses
work and how to make them work as well as possible.
One of the best reasons to study for an MBA is because you are truly interested in studying business
administration. If you enjoy the topic and want to increase your knowledge and expertise, studying for our
MBA simply to get an education is a worthy reason for doing so.
TASK
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 15 of 17
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 3
No suitable format 0
Format is just recognisable but does very little to help clarity 1 fail
Recognisable format that begins to help clarity of message 2 borderline fail
Format helps to make message clearer 3 pass/credit
Format is sound (paragraphs, white space etc) 4 credit/distinction
Format is very good and is a definite aid to communication 5
(Total 30 marks)
ASE2041/3/12/MA Page 16 of 17
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 3 CONTINUED - LIST of main points
Content