SEFIC - Spoken English For Industry and Commerce

LCCIEB’s Spoken English For Industry and Commerce (SEFIC) examinations are a series of awards at 5 levels designed to meet the spoken language requirements of business people today.

Assessment is in the form of a one-to-one interview with an LCCIEB examiner that tests a candidate’s ability to communicate orally in a business or work context.

The 5 levels are: Preliminary, First, Second, Third, and Fourth (see chart below). The format of each varies and in general terms the emphasis shifts from accuracy of form and an ability to understand or produce discrete linguistic items at the lower levels to broader fluency of speech and interaction at the higher ones. In addition, the length of the interviews increases with level (from 20 minutes at Preliminary Level to 40 minutes at Fourth Level) in order to reflect the greater range of skills and linguistic content being tested at each higher level.

These awards are widely recognised by employers, both within the UK and overseas, as proof of a holder’s practical abilities in the use of English for work or business purposes. In addition, a number of UK universities accept SEFIC Fourth Level as an entry requirement.

SEFIC - Documentation video

Administrative procedures

1 General

Candidates will be assessed in a one-to-one interview with an examiner. The language used will be within the limits of the level. All the tasks will be set within a work or business context.

2 Before the start of the examination

The examiner will check that the assessment form has been completed (centres must ensure that the candidate details are completed in legible block capitals before the candidate enters the examination room).

The examiner will remind the candidate of the format and duration of the examination (this is to enable the candidate to become familiar with the examiner’s voice and to put the candidate at ease).

3 During the examination

The candidate will be required to complete all sections of the examination and the examiner will indicate the start of each section to the candidate.

The use of dictionaries during the examination is not allowed (except for the preparation phase of the telephone test option).

4 At the end of the examination

The examiner will inform the candidate that the examination has finished. The candidate will not receive any indication of their performance from the examiner and the examiner will keep the candidate’s entry form.

Varieties of spoken English

The Board will accept any of the main varieties of English (British, North American, Australasian) in candidates’ speech as long as usage is consistent. The Board will also accept local non-native speaker English accents (such as Japanese English or Russian English) as long as the accent is not so strong as to render the candidate’s speech incomprehensible to a speaker of one of the main varieties of English.

Candidate performance measurement

Pass mark information

The marking is structured as follows:

1. Candidates are given a mark out of 10 for each of the following skills:
   
   • Vocabulary range
   • Comprehension
   • Fluency
   • Grammar
   • Pronunciation and Intonation.
2. Based on the skills marks, an overall grade for communicative efficiency is awarded.
3. The final result is then determined as follows:
   

   Pass score of 5 or above for all skills
   Credit score of 7 or above for all skills
   Distinction score of 9 or above for all skills

   Note: Candidates may drop down one mark in either Grammar or Pronunciation and Intonation and still qualify for the corresponding award.

4. Candidates receive a full breakdown of all these scores on their results slips which makes SEFIC a diagnostic test as well as a test of overall oral proficiency.