Got stuck at C1 in English

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coldrainwater
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Re: Got stuck at C1 in English

Postby coldrainwater » Fri Apr 28, 2017 2:49 am

When I don't have advice, a thought may be the most I can leave you with. A mere kid can become a master in something abstract like math or chess at a very young age. The same story doesn't usually apply to great writers however. Great writers are great partly because of their maturity, their life experiences and their capacity to share a glimpse of a world that touches others deeply. They have hooks in our world that contribute powerfully through their use of language (intentionally). What you need to get from C1 to C2 is proably already in you.
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Re: Got stuck at C1 in English

Postby whatiftheblog » Fri Apr 28, 2017 7:18 am

1. So I think I was right around your level with my French a year ago, and I've come a loooong way in a year on native content alone. You should keep going - you will progress, and maybe even faster than you think - but, from here on out, focus on drowning yourself in native content you enjoy. A year ago it would've taken me some serious effort to write a post on a message board like this in French, so congrats on that; last week I spent hours on end speaking French to a bunch of French pundits and journalists in Paris, and it all came so naturally that I forgot I was speaking French. This isn't me bragging, it's just evidence that the all-native-all-the-time method works. So yes, you can totally get there, it just takes a lot of time and dedication. I spend between 6-10 hours a day on my French because I'm under a time crunch, but if you don't have a specific deadline you're working towards, just do as much as you can and you WILL see progress. However...

2. Curiously, what may be holding back your speaking is the level of material you're using. Classical literature isn't necessarily going to teach you how to carry on a conversation about ______, unless that blank is, in fact, classical literature. I don't meant to say drop it altogether, but rather diversify the content you're consuming - for example, French vlogs have helped me tremendously in terms of getting out of the same rut you're in with speaking, and you literally have millions of vlogs to choose from on Youtube. After dozens - or hundreds - of hours of this, you'll hopefully notice how much easier commonly used expressions and phrases become, and you shouldn't have much trouble reproducing them. You'll eventually find certain expressions or sentences forming themselves in your head without too much actual effort on your part, and that's how you'll know it's working.

But most importantly, just keep going!
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Re: Got stuck at C1 in English

Postby Voytek » Fri Apr 28, 2017 11:02 am

Also here, if you have any problems you can ask native speakers (mainly English teachers) for help:
https://www.englishforums.com
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Re: Got stuck at C1 in English

Postby Ольга » Fri Apr 28, 2017 1:16 pm

Guys, thank you very much for your help and some tips of advice!
At least I feel like I believe that I will manage to achieve C2 some day.
:) ;)
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Re: Got stuck at C1 in English

Postby Voytek » Fri Apr 28, 2017 2:43 pm

Ольга wrote:Guys, thank you very much for your help and some tips of advice!
At least I feel like I believe that I will manage to achieve C2 some day.
:) ;)


Of course, you will. :) But only if you keep going.

I remember the time when I was at C1 level. I had enormous vocabulary but my knowledge of the grammar were not sufficient.

Any way, I asure you that C2 isn't the end of the journey. I see that I've got much to do to feel like a master of this language. But of course, it depends on your personal goal. I'm going to struggle for a native like fluency and I believe that I'll make it sooner or later. It'll cost me a lot of time but I'm determined. I've spent almost 3000 hours learning English and I guess I'll have to spend another 5000-7000 hours to reach that goal. And you, don't give up on your study and try to focus almost all your learning effort on it. Myself, I put aside Spanish (only 30 minutes a day) and reduced time for learning Swedish to accelerate my progress with English. Remember, this is the language of the nations, it's better to be fluent in it than speak several languages in a clumsy way.
Last edited by Voytek on Fri Apr 28, 2017 6:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Got stuck at C1 in English

Postby aaleks » Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:09 pm

Voytek wrote:I remember the time when I was at C1 level. I had enormous vocabulary but my knowledge of the grammar were not sufficient.

What did you use to improve your grammar at that level? I don’t know my current level of English in overall, but I suppose that my passive skills are somewhere about C1/C2. It’s hard to find something useful when you aren’t beginner already.
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Re: Got stuck at C1 in English

Postby Voytek » Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:17 pm

aaleks wrote:
Voytek wrote:I remember the time when I was at C1 level. I had enormous vocabulary but my knowledge of the grammar were not sufficient.

What did you use to improve your grammar at that level? I don’t know my current level of English in overall, but I suppose that my passive skills are somewhere about C1/C2. It’s hard to find something useful when you aren’t beginner already.


I'm using it with Anki, pasting photos into it and reviewing every photo for 3 months using the blue key in Anki:
http://www.cambridge.org/us/cambridgeenglish/catalog/grammar-vocabulary-and-pronunciation/advanced-grammar-use-3rd-edition

And if I have specific question I ask teachers (natives) here:
https://www.englishforums.com/English/GeneralEnglishGrammarQuestions/Forum12.htm

Also it's good to read a lot while listening to the audio (to improve the pronunciation) to see the grammar "in acion".
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Re: Got stuck at C1 in English

Postby Ольга » Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:19 pm

By the by, it's my diary of preparation for CPE of https://smartprogress.do/goal/260036/
(Half of it in Russian, but there are some notes in English)
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Re: Got stuck at C1 in English

Postby aaleks » Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:37 pm

Voytek wrote:
aaleks wrote:
Voytek wrote:I remember the time when I was at C1 level. I had enormous vocabulary but my knowledge of the grammar were not sufficient.

What did you use to improve your grammar at that level? I don’t know my current level of English in overall, but I suppose that my passive skills are somewhere about C1/C2. It’s hard to find something useful when you aren’t beginner already.


I'm using it with Anki, pasting photos into it and reviewing every photo for 3 months using the blue key in Anki:
http://www.cambridge.org/us/cambridgeenglish/catalog/grammar-vocabulary-and-pronunciation/advanced-grammar-use-3rd-edition
...

Thank you. It’s an interesting approach. I think it’s worth to give it a try.
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Re: Got stuck at C1 in English

Postby Cavesa » Sat Apr 29, 2017 12:30 pm

Ольга wrote:Hi there, guys!
I have come to ask a piece of advice.
I have got stuck at my C1 (Advanced) level in English.
I can understand 80% what natives write and speak, read lots of modern and classic literature, listen to English podcasts and audiobooks, write lots of essays and give to natives to check... But! My level has frozen around C1.
What should I do? I am ashamed of my speaking skills, I think I speak slowly and with a horrible accent.
I want to pass a CPE exam, but I can't, my mock exam's result is about 60 %.
I think I am not progressing at all. :x :(
Yesterday I listened to "All Ears Podcast". They spoke with such an awesome pronunciation, intonation, and speed of speech that I felt miserable and desperate.


Hi!

I can share my experience with only some parts of the progress, as I am most probably far from C2 (CAE, grade B, 2010). I have passed a C2 exam in another langauge though.

Listening comprehension: Much more practice. In order to progress from quite advanced to almost perfect comprehension, you need to spend a few hundred hours on it. And you definitely need to leave your comfort zone. Podcasts for learners are not gonna suffice. Awesome hard British English tv series: Sherlock, Doctor Who, Allo Allo. Practice with stuff like that and most natives will seem easy to understand (old people using a strange dialect, patients with dysarthria, and sobbing children are likely to stay incomprehensible). C2 comprehension is definitely possible to achieve. As far as non-fiction goes, you might profit from tv debates. Or unscripted comedy.

The same applies to reading. Reading lots of literature is awesome, but perhaps you need to broaden your horizons. Look for more difficult stuff, authors you don't know yet, complex news articles. If extensive reading doesn't seem helpful after 10000-15000 pages, you may need more intensive work and memorise vocabulary.

About speaking: repeating after a movie character is a good way to practice your pronunciation. If you want to work with a tutor, just find a strict one. In my experience, even the tutors preparing you for a C2 exam may let lots of stuff pass. Make it clear you want to be corrected a lot. And make sure your chosen tutor has experience with CPE preparation. Otherwise, they are not worth your money. Don't go to preparatory classes. I have met only disappointed learners from those, all of them complaining about relative lack of speaking and writing practice and too much focus on book based tasks they could have been doing on their own. None of them felt like they were receiving good value for their money.

About writing: that was the only CAE part graded C2 in my case. How did I do it? Tons of free practice in a text based RPG multiplayer game, including fan fiction. The amount of practice had been extremely important.

About grammar: sometimes, we tend to dismiss it at the advanced level. We are supposed to know it all by B2 or C1 level, aren't we? But there is no such a thing as too much practice, or knowing the grammar too well. A C2 level candidate is not supposed to be perfect. But grammar mistakes are a mostly avoidable reason to lose points. An avoidable way to make a bad impression.

An important note: contrary to popular belief, it is not that easy to get speaking practice. Most times, we speak with other non-natives. And they are usually worse than us, as the international language seems to be B1-B2 English. Perhaps it is an individual problem, but my level tends to change depending on the people I speak with. A few hours with native speakers work like a miracle. A few hours with the usual ESL speakers do the opposite. So, don't take any practice opportunity, don't let others spoil your progress. You are lucky to be a Russian native, you have a good chance to find an exchange partner.

I am looking forward to reading of your progress. You might help me motivation to work on my English again. :-)
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