Portfolios for Business English

At the Faculty of Economics at K.U.Leuven, Belgium, a customized version of ELP, based on an original version developed at the Trinity College in Dublin in 1999, has been used in English for Special (Business) Purposes since 2000. Since 2006, this version has been digitalized. Other changes were emerging as well such as new course conditions for LSP courses in Business English due to Bachelor-Master Bologna agreements, subject matter being taught in French (FL) and English (FL), and certificates of proficiency required. Moreover, the question arose whether a portfolio for reflecting intercultural competences and skills would not better reflect the achievement of advanced students in an international business context. We will expound on why the ELP needs to be fully integrated in a curriculum. We argue that in LSP, especially at advanced levels, customized versions of an ELP are a necessity. They should be useful and practical tools in the hands of the learners. Although consistency and benchmarking might call for uniformity, tailoring to the users’ needs can be solved by means of templates and online testing within the Common European Framework, if possible.