First, the above. Oh, and (not) losing language skills once B2 is reached:
Le Baron wrote:BeaP wrote:If I don't use a language, I start to lose it, but according to my experience a C1-C2 language never declines below basic fluency. Unfortunately, a B2 language does.
This does seem to be the case. I don't know how to measure accurately because I think some "B2" speakers living in the country who never opt to pursue further qualifications/tests, also get the language so deeply embedded through usage, that they never really lose it. Maybe experience has shifted them beyond B2.
CEFR C-levels being a continuation of some "natural" scale and somehow the next step beyond the Bs is only a misconception, albeit a very popular one. The same kind of thing as mixing up being certified and functional at some given level, I guess -- if you are certified, that level is only
the minimum at which you should be expected to perform. In real life, C levels
are aimed specifically "by our globalist corporate overlords" at business, academics and other professional uses of students' TL -- it is not some secret to be realized, unveiled, and/or debated, it is the way they were conceived from the very start.
C levels correspond to
British Council wrote: proficient users of the language, i.e. those able to perform complex tasks related to work and study
and could be roughly defined as "being able to do a series of cognitively demanding stuff, in your TL". A typical example would be sitting through a university-level class in your TL and summarize it decently, taking good notes, etc. Note that flawless use of the TL would definitely help but is not a necessary condition to achieve this. More on that below.
Basically, whether with an adequate level of active practice or not, all the way from A1 up to B2 classes you learn more and more grammar, and expand your vocabulary to accommodate that, simply because that's the easiest way to test your progress. By the time you can get certified at B2 comfortably you should have the whole TL grammar under your belt, and be a truly independent learner on par with native speakers based on that. Except that you will
probably (i.e. not necessarily) have a thick accent (because phonetics tend to be completely ignored or neglected), a lot less vocabulary than many (because only so much is needed to master grammar points as covered), and a level of written practice in the order of magnitude of children aged 12, or less. Which is no small order, mind you. You just need to be realistic about what B2 is, and what it is not.
What should people do beyond that point?
Greatly build up vocabulary, get practice by the tons, reduce your accent, and generally fill any remaining gaps, anyone? That's what I did. Surprise: getting treated like an equal, getting a teaching certification "because student exams are too easy", passing a C2 exam without even thinking -- all came effortlessly a few years down the road, no immersion needed whatsoever. "All" I did was keep practicing my skills as acquired, and noting what I did right and wrong while using the language for real, in order to progress.
Or, you could just 'move up' right away and enter the wonderful world of C level classes that sadly mostly revolve around exams.
In C exams, candidates making mistakes in speaking or writing that someone sitting for a lower level could make are cut very little slack, which is a good thing when still trying to assess language proficiency. The problem is, other than that, the whole C exam system is bonkers. OK, maybe just a little bit crazy
What do I mean? Since B2-level TL command is assumed, the exams focus shift to making candidates do "cognitively demanding" tasks, and assessing candidates' level through use of "new", "C-level" specific connectors and vocabulary. So this is mostly what is taught and done in C level classes, instead of making students go from "B2" to "really solid".
As has been pointed out, what vocabulary is "C-level" exactly is arguable at best, and more realistically nearly impossible to determine, which is a recipe for disaster -- you get passing candidates with gaping holes in their vocabulary (most likely those who train for the exam), and others who get points knocked off for not knowing a few obscure words that happen to be essential to answer some of the questions.
To add salt to injury, candidates who go through past exams for specific certifications (the ones they're sitting for) will likely acquire little new vocabulary, of which 100% is "exam material", and have their marks bumped.
On the other hand, someone who has been using the language for years is more likely not to find big problems in the vocabulary juggling front. Just think: when did you reach the equivalent of B2 in your NL? Most likely around 12, give or take. But you are not telling me you have not improved by leaps and bounds your vocabulary, or writing skills, are you?
Also, tasks that focus on being demanding can be liguistically irrelevant in different ways, or worse. The most prominent example would be multiple choice questions that can be answered without really understanding the base materials, which favors smart candidates that are not necessarily linguistically competent. While this kind of problems is usually made up for by multiplying tasks so that no incompetent candidate can score a good mark by chance, in turn it may harm "good" candidates that will get lower marks out of tiredness, stress, or simple boredom.
So, C level exams favor slightly training for the exam, and aiming at just passing them will probably not make you a well-rounded TL speaker, much less native-like, unless you choose to do the necessary work on your own.
The good news is, C levels also correspond to one of the most credible certifications. Because of the open nature of language (what can you do with what you know?), even imperfect tests can deviate less from proper skill assessment than in other fields, and the less so the higher up the scale you are.
So, why do people think C is the next step beyond B2? I am sure more reasons may be brought up, but I think one of the most important ones is that many "C-level" capabilities, such as e.g. "recognize implicit meanings", are naturally attained by Bers after some maturing (read: profitably continued use). A problem I often see with C1- students regarding meaning is, they tend to take everything literally. This is obviously absurd if you bother to check what you have been doing in your own native language your whole life, but also natural enough a habit to acquire. After all, when you are struggling with some foreign grammar point, should you really care what other figured uses your newly learned vocabulary may have?
MrWarper while HTLAL is offline.