• Course Introduction

        • Time: 12 hours
        • Free Certificate
        • CEFR Level C2
        Doing business in English has its own set of guidelines and challenges. This course explains how and why business documents are used and what kind of terminology you can expect to see in business settings. This course is designed to prepare you to use Standard American English in professional settings and further develop reading and writing skills at the C2 level. In Unit 1, you will examine Standard American English in business contexts. You'll consider how writers use direct and indirect communication and what terminology is applied. Unit 2 looks at the different genres of writing in the business world. You'll recognize the differences between emails, memos, and letters. You'll see why each is used and examine when each type of writing is used. Finally, you'll write a business memo based on a real-life case and use your language skills to make your ideas clear to your readers. By the end of this course, you'll be able to recognize different business writing styles and know when to use them.

        • Course Syllabus

          After you read the course syllabus, click the "Enroll me" button to enroll in this course. Then, go to Unit 1 and read the unit introduction and the learning outcomes that follow it. You will see each unit's learning materials after the unit introduction and learning outcomes.

        • How Good Is Your English?

          Welcome to the final course of the ESL series. When you are learning a new language, you should be able to measure your growth and improvement. In this section, you will complete activities that demonstrate your knowledge of English so you can measure your success from the first course of the series. We hope our ESL courses have given you the skills that you need to attain your personal and professional goals.
          • Receive a grade
          • Receive a grade
        • Unit 1: Business English

          This unit will introduce you to business English. You're probably familiar with writing for school assignments and writing for personal communication. There are many different types of writing, each with its own set of guidelines. Writing for business or professional purposes has a set of guidelines to help writers communicate clearly and effectively. We refer to different ways of writing as genres. In this unit, you'll learn about the different genres of business writing, how to use direct communication, and what kind of words to use when writing for business. Finally, you'll have the opportunity to practice some of the elements found in business writing and use direct communication.

          Completing this unit should take you approximately 6 hours.

        • Unit 2: Writing for Work

          This unit will show you how and when to use the direct communication we discussed in Unit 1. Now that you're familiar with using direct communication in business writing, you can practice using it to communicate professionally. Business writers use many small genres, or writing categories, such as emails, memos, reports, and even text messages. In this unit, you'll practice using concision to continue being direct with your writing, and see a variety of different business writing categories. Finally, you'll have the opportunity to revise an email to make it fit business writing guidelines.

          Completing this unit should take you approximately 6 hours.

        • Course Feedback Survey

          Please take a few minutes to give us feedback about this course. We appreciate your feedback, whether you completed the whole course or even just a few resources. Your feedback will help us make our courses better, and we use your feedback each time we make updates to our courses.

          If you come across any urgent problems, email contact@saylor.org.

        • Certificate Final Exam

          Take this exam if you want to earn a free Course Completion Certificate.

          To receive a free Course Completion Certificate, you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on this final exam. Your grade for the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt.

          Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.