Here are the details of the Scientific essay and video for the Essential Business English course.
1. Scientific essay instructions
Please choose THREE topics. Each of these three topics needs to come from a different topic area corresponding to a unit in the coursebook Career Express B2.
For each of your chosen topics, you need to write a short essay (minimum: 450 words / maximum 500 words).
Some deviation from the titles suggested below is possible, but you MUST keep to the general topic areas the titles suggest. If you would like to suggest a slightly different title contact your tutor.
2. Video instructions
You need to produce ONE short video (3 – 4 minutes). The video must relate to ONE of the three short essay titles you choose. Some suggestions for video content have been provided below. If you would like to suggest something a little different but equally relevant to one of your essay topics, contact your tutor.
Begin your video by stating your full name and saying which topic your video relates to (e.g, ‘My name is Carl Dowse and this is my video on giving advice for finding a new job.’)
3. How the Scientific essay and video are graded
Seventy-five per cent (75%) of the marks awarded are for the three short essays. The remaining twenty-five per cent (25%) of the possible marks you are awarded are for the video. In this way, each element of the exam carries the same marks.
For the essays, marks are awarded for
- good quality content – clear structure (see Career Express B2, p. 54), appropriate choice and organisation of the content, and an appropriate level of critical thinking that shows the student has not simply reproduced what others have written but has thought about the issues involved.
- adherence to formal writing style conventions (e.g., no contracted forms) Note that for this activity, students are permitted to express personal preferences and opinions but they should try to substantiate them in some way.)
- correct use of paragraphing (i.e., the structure of individual paragraphs, logical connection between paragraphs)
- correct and wide-ranging use of the vocabulary covered in the course (see Units 1 – 4 of the coursebook Career Express B2)
- grammatical correctness
- keeping to the word limit
For the video, marks are awarded for
- appropriateness and quality of content
- fluency of speech
- correct pronunciation
- range, appropriate selection and correctness of the vocabulary used
- grammatical correctness
- keeping to the time limit
4. Essay and video topics
Topic area 1 (Unit 1, pp 6 – 13)
Suggested essay titles
- The advantages and disadvantages of internships for companies and interns.
- Describe the recruitment process in the digital age.
Suggested video content
- Produce a two-minute video résumé followed by a short explanation of why you produced the résumé in the way you did.
- Produce a two-minute video advising on how to find a new job. Follow this with a brief explanation of why you chose this topic.
Topic area 2 (Unit 2, pp 14 – 21)
Suggested essay titles
- What are the important factors when deciding to accept a job offer from a company? Include at least three and explain your choices relating them to your present and future situation.
- Explain the process of dealing with problems at work that companies should have in place. If this is different in your own company, explain why.
- What should companies do to maximise employee engagement? Explain what you think companies should do and relate this to your own company. Is it doing enough? If so how? If not, why not?
Suggested video content
Produce a two-minute video making the idea of working for your company seem as enticing as possible. Follow this with a short explanation of why you chose the content you’ve included in your video.
Topic area 3 (Unit 3, pp 22 – 29)
Suggested essay titles
- As a result of the Covid-19 situation, more people are having to work from home. Describe the possible benefits and challenges of working virtually from home. Relate this to your present situation and how your own company is handling the current crisis.
- Bearing in mind the fast pace of technological advances and the impact AI and digitalisation are already having, explain what changes in the world of work you think you will experience in your own working life.
- What impact are technological advances having on society, or business or how people live in emerging economies. (e.g., Iran, Nigeria, Thailand).
Suggested video content
Produce a two-minute video advising on how to work from home effectively. Follow this with a brief explanation of what you believe the future of working from home will be.
Topic area 4 (Unit 4, pp 30 – 37)
Suggested essay titles
- Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the corporate culture in your company. Relate this to what Fons Trompenaars tells us about the four types of corporate culture he has identified.
- Prepare a short report advising a company in ONE of the following situations. It is
- preparing to have an IPO.
- trying to grow.
- is reaching market saturation.
- insolvent and about to go bankrupt.
Suggested video content
Produce a two-minute video presenting a company including details, for example, of
- its history
- its products or services
- the size and type of workforce
- how it operates and where
- the challenges it has faced and overcome
- its main competitors
- its future prospects.
Add a brief explanation of why you chose this company.
5. Submitting your Scientific essay and video
When you register, you will need to add a title for your Scientific essay. There is no need to add all three of your chosen titles. You need only use the title of the first of the three short essays you will submit.
Before the deadline expires, upload a single pdf file with all three of the titles. You will also need to upload your accompanying video.
This exam is not a test of your academic writing, so there is no need, for example, to add a bibliography. If you would like to, you can refer to, or quote* from sources, but there this is not a requirement for this exam. When you take the Professional Business English course, you will work in detail on academic conventions and academic writing style. In this exam, you need to demonstrate that you can express yourself clearly and correctly on the topics covered on this course using, when appropriate, the vocabulary worked on during the course. However, you do need to write using more formal English and make sure that you write consistently British or consistently American English, whichever you prefer.
If you have any questions, please contact your tutor.
*Quotations (US: citations) are not included in the word count.
