Strained-layer (111)BIn0.2Ga0.8As/GaAsp-i-nquantum well structures grown with exciton transitions well resolved at room temperature have been studied by photoreflectance spectroscopy. Using the reduced mass deduced from experiments, the built-in electric field in the barrier region is obtained from the above band-gap Franz–Keldysh oscillations. The strain-induced piezoelectric field is then determined directly from a comparison of the periods of Franz–Keldysh oscillations in different samples. Numerical solutions for the exciton transitions from the derived potential profiles are in good agreement with the experimental results. The piezoelectric constant is also determined using the piezoelectric field. ©1998 American Institute of Physics.