The French C1/C2 Group

An area with study groups for various languages. Group members help each other, share resources and experience. Study groups are permanent but the members rotate and change.
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PeterMollenburg
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The French C1/C2 Group

Postby PeterMollenburg » Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:27 am

This is the French C1/C2 Group

For those who are around B2 give or take, and are aiming to pass a French C1 or even C2 exam in the near-ish future.

If you have no idea what B2 and C1 or C2 are, or don't want to take an exam, or aren't at the B2 level... well...
Essentially, this is a group for intermediate French learners aiming to reach the advanced stages of French and wish to prove it via an exam - more than likely the DALF C1 or perhaps the DALF C2. All members roughly in this area/stage of French learning are welcome, but particular emphasis remains on the core idea that this is a study group centred around passing either the French C1 or C2 exam (eventually).

This is a place where ressources for passing these exams can be shared and progress discussed.

If you wish to discuss French in general and share other resources not necessarily related to the French C1 and C2 exams, I encourage you to post here in tomgosse's all inclusive French group:

Le groupe français 2016 - 2017
Les Voyageurs


Thus, this group really is best for those targeting a French C1 and C2 exams.

Posts in French are most welcome and an introduction is encouraged however brief (you can edit it later if you like).

If you would ilke to know if you can join, make a post in this thread or PM me.

All posters welcome regardless of language background.

Competition is encouraged, so if challenges or some other form of competitive motivation wants to be suggested, by all means suggest it. However no-one is obliged to have to join challenges, if any are set forth by members within this group.

Perhaps one of the best challenges, as opposed to competing against each another, as we all have varied daily lives, commitments and personal hurdles, is to compete against yourself, aiming to improve where you can see room for improvement each day/week/month/moment on previous results/numbers to reach your goal(s) sooner or more confidently. Stay focused et bon courage mes amis !
Last edited by PeterMollenburg on Wed Jun 28, 2017 12:44 pm, edited 15 times in total.
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Re: The French C1/C2 Group

Postby PeterMollenburg » Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:46 am

Les membres et leurs cybercarnets (blogues) :


Les membres participants du groupe :

PeterMollenburg
PM's French Target: C1 2018

rdearman
Rdearman (FR, IT, ZH) 2016/17 - The way of the lazy fist.

schlaraffendland
Willkommen im Schlaraffenland [DE, FR, JA, NO]

blaurebell
Lilly's log - French, Russian and Spanish

JohnnyD
JohnnyD's French C1 Journal

Jim
Jim's French log

MamaPata
There are worse things I could do... (FR, RU, ES)

Ani
Ani's 2017 Log

aravinda
(no log)

whatiftheblog
The great push to C2 (Extra French Edition)

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Les membres honoraires du groupe :

tomgosse
La grande aventure de Thomas dans le monde des francophones.

tastyonions
French, Spanish, Italian, German: 2017

Cavesa
From July 20th, 2015: Bookworm's adventures in the exile
From Jan 6th, 2016: Cavesa's 2016 log
From Sep 10th, 2016: France
From Jan 2nd, 2017: the Diaries of a Caffeinated Squirrel
From May 30th, 2017: Con calma, a new and better log for 2017

Arnaud
(Does not study French as is a French native)
Arnaud's lazy log (Russian & co)

Carmody
Carmody's Log for French

DaveBee
(no log)

LesRonces
(no log)

smallwhite
(no log)
Last edited by PeterMollenburg on Sat Jul 22, 2017 1:40 pm, edited 56 times in total.
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PeterMollenburg
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Re: The French C1/C2 Group

Postby PeterMollenburg » Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:15 am

Quelques ressources :

To be built... if you want to suggest a resource, provide a link in a post and it will be added here. Reviews encouraged, but not essential. What's essential is that we keep learning day in day out!

Participating Members Chosen Resources:
(Note: CEFR stipulated materials / exam related materials are highlighted in this colour)

*Most if not all active participants are engaging in other activities not necessarily listed in the below lists, such as extensive reading, listening via podcasts and/or radio, writing and watching TV or films possibly while participating in the Super Challenge (links below). Books and films/series are generally too numerous to be listed below anyway, unless specifically stated as being used for prolonged periods (such as a series), which often includes intensive work, or bilingual texts for example for intensive reading or translation work.
The Super Challenge rules and registration 2016-2017
Super Challenge 2016-17 DISCUSSION THREAD
SC 2016-17 Discussion of Books/Films/audio
The original Super Challenge on HTLAL.com from April 11th 2012 by Solfrid Cristin: The Super challenge!

PeterMollenburg
French English Bilingual Visual Dictionary (DK)
Assimil - Using French
Buffy contre les vampires / Buffy transcripts
Yabla
Bien-dire
Think French
RFI - Journal en français facile
Glossika French Fluency 123
Réussir le Dalf - Niveaux C1 et C2 du Cadre européen commun de référence (Didier)
Production écrite - Niveaux C1/C2 (Didier)
• Gradual build up of easy readers and bilingual texts

rdearman
French Grammar in Context
FSI French Basic Course (revised)
Anki
Star Trek
Michel Thomas - French Vocabulary Builder
Lang-8
• Bilingual texts

schlaraffendland
Langenscheidt's Grund- und Aufbauwortschatz Französisch
Expression et style B2-C1 : Français de perfectionnement (P.U.G.)
Le résumé, le compte-rendu, la synthèse : Guide d'entraînements aux examens et concours (P.U.G.)
ABC DALF - Niveaux C1/C2 (CLE Int.)
Großes Übungsbuch Französisch Neu -
A2-B2 (Hueber)
and its companion reference grammar.

blaurebell
FSI French courses

JohnnyD
Assimil - New French with Ease
Assimil - Using French
RFI - Journal en français facile

Jim
italki
Frictionless Foreign Language Mastery
Anki + Neri Rook's 16000 French sentences sorted from easiest to hardest

MamaPata
Grammaire Progressive du Français - Niveau avancé (CLE Int.) + Corrigés
Schaum's Outline of French Grammar
DELF B2 200 activités (CLE Int.)
Nouvel Edito - Niveau B2 (French and European Publications Inc)

Ani
A Comprehensive French Grammar
Phonétique Progressive du Français - Niveau intermédiaire (CLE Int.) + Corrigés
Conjugaison Progressive du Français - Niveau débutant (CLE Int.) + Corrigés
Conjugaison Progressive du Français - Niveau intermédiaire (CLE Int.) + Corrigés
Grammaire Progressive du Français - Niveau avancé (CLE Int.) + Corrigés
Grammaire Progressive du Français - Niveau perfectionnement (CLE Int.) + Corrigés

aravinda
La grammaire des premiers temps A1-A2 (P.U.G.) + Corrigés
La grammaire des premiers temps B1-B2 (P.U.G.) + Corrigés
L'expression française écrite et orale (P.U.G.) + Corrigés
Expression et style : Perfectionner son expression en français (P.U.G.)
Grammaire expliquée du français - Niveau intermédiaire (CLE Int.) + Exercices
Vocabulaire expliqué du français - Niveau intermédiaire (CLE Int.) + Exercices
Difficultés expliquées du français... for English speakers - Niveau intermédiaire avancé (CLE Int.) + Corrigés
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Other Resources:

Reineke's list of French resources:
https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2914

emk's French resources:
https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=723#p1124

tomgosse wrote:I would like to suggest News In Slow French - Intermediate. Things I like about this are:
  • Four news stories every week.
  • The audio can be played at normal or slow speeds.
  • Each news story has a transcript.
  • Both audio and the transcripts can be downloaded.
  • Grammar, expressions, and pronunciation lessons are provided each week. The audio and transcripts can also be downloaded.
  • Over 300 previous weeks are available for download.
  • Weekly speaking studios where you can discuss the stories online
While it is a bit expensive ($160/year) this is one of the very few online programs that I would pay for. Check out the demo episode.


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The Various Exams:

DaveBee wrote:If you take the TCF test you just get a grade rather than a fail. It's the DELF/DALFs that have a pass mark.


Cavesa wrote:Don't forget that the TCF certificate is valid for only 2 years, while DALF is yours for the rest of your life. This isn't necessarily a disadvantage, for example if you are unsure and/of know you'd like to "upgrade" your certification in a few years anyways, than TCF might be a strategically good choice.

DALF is a bit harder in the form, and I think the active skills are not obligatory at the TCF. On the other hand, there are significantly fewer resources for the TCF preparation.

I would also like to point a bit towards the other exams. The Canadian TEFaQ can be sat in Europe too, so probably on the other continents as well, not only in Canada. TEF is another French exam, supposedly more academic, or for business http://www.lefrancaisdesaffaires.fr/res ... riels-tef/

and there are the professional ones: - DFP Secrétariat B1, DFP Affaires B2, DFP Affaires C1, DFP Tourisme et hôtellerie B1, DFP Médical B2, DFP Juridique B2

Those may be more useful to some of you, especially the B2 and C1 ones, of course. I did consider the Médical at one point, but than chose otherwise, as most of you probably know.


Link quoted from aravinda with title added by myself - provides detailed overview of DALF:

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Test Centers:

johnnyd wrote:I'm hopefully going to be doing the C1 test in December in London as well.
http://www.institut-francais.org.uk/fre ... -and-dalf/

It's on the 11th and 12th.


Link quoted from aravinda with title added by myself - provides detailed overview of DALF including approvided centers, costs etc:

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Related Threads:

How long much time did you explicitly spend preparing for a CEFR exam?

Time from B2 to C1/C2? (frustrated somewhat - seeking some feedback pls)
Last edited by PeterMollenburg on Thu Jun 29, 2017 1:50 am, edited 81 times in total.
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Re: The French C1/C2 Group

Postby PeterMollenburg » Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:35 am

My introduction (background) and plan:

Did French in high school - hated it, thus learned about 5 words, if that! I had no clue and didn't want to learn a thing!

1998 Wanted to learn Spanish and another language. French only other language available via Open Learning Australia (OLA), so I thought I would try it 'under my own terms'. Thus, via OLA French in Action, half of, completed- and turns out I really really enjoyed it. Bought the rest of the course to complete it on my own (no longer via OLA), but didn't do it!

1999-2013
On again off again French. On again off again Spanish, German and Dutch as well. Dutch likely went beyond B1 but not quite B2 while in the Netherlands. Restarting of French courses every handful of years, little progress, plenty of revision of basics. Post Netherlands in 2011, back in Australia, French came to the forefront again - my most wanted language!

2013
A moderate amount of French, nothing to complain about.

2014-2017
Mission time! Over 3000 hours of French easily. Yes, according to some of the numbers out there I should be waaaay beyond C2 even. Emphasis on courses, much less native content, but still plenty really. On again off again SRS affair - currently dislike SRS programs.

March 2014 - B1 passed with 79.5/100

May 2017 - B2 passed with 81/100

PLAN
3 hours of 'desk study' French a day. Aiming for C1 and then maybe even C2. C1 targeted for 2018 (likely later in the year). Aiming to eek out more French outside my allocated 'desk study time' during the day in lost moments such as commuting etc.
Last edited by PeterMollenburg on Tue Jun 27, 2017 11:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The French C1 Group

Postby blaurebell » Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:38 pm

My introduction:

I actually always wanted to learn French ever since my brother learned it in school. But then, for various circumstantial reasons I first chose Latin in school, Italian at university and then learned Spanish at an immersion school. My first proper attempt to learn French happened about 10 years ago when I was considering a French-German joint Master program. However I made the mistake of buying a course book that wasn't really suitable for self-study and then drowned in university coursework too. In the end I simply didn't have the time to reach the language requirements for the degree and finally I gave up.

I finally learned French last year, half by accident. I tried out Assimil with French and told myself that it was a test run for Russian - good excuse for indulging in wanderlust :D I wasn't expecting to get far with it, maybe to be able to read short French texts with a dictionary, but then I started to read the Harry Potter translation with a dictionary and got really hooked somehow. 5000 pages later I actually understood French without a dictionary. It was so easy for me because I knew English and Spanish already and there is lots of overlap. Since then I've read about 10,000 pages and listened to 315h of audio. I got C2 in the Dialang reading comprehension test, C1 in listening comprehension - better than my Spanish results :oops: -, A2 in both active vocabulary and structures.

Plan

As you can see, so far my active skills are pretty much non-existent, but I eventually want to get to C1 production too, because we live right at the French border. Right now I'm focussing on my Spanish C1 mission and I'm therefore only focussing on passive skills on the side. Once I reach my Spanish goals I will follow the same plan for my French though: 20,000+ pages read, 1000+h audio with at least 150h of all the major accents, Grammar mission (FSI + progressive grammar books) and finally Output Challenge. Until I reach my Spanish goals I will only focus on my passive skills, reading and listening. My guess is that by mid 2018 I will be able to start my French Grammar Mission and Output Challenge though, so I should hopefully be in a position to sit the C1 exam by early 2019. I don't actually need the exam for any obvious reason, but I have the goal of being able to speak and write in 5 languages at C1+ level at least (German, English, Spanish, French and Russian). German and English I already have, Russian because of my mum, Spanish because of my husband and French because I simply love it so much!
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Re: The French C1 Group

Postby rdearman » Mon Jun 26, 2017 1:16 pm

Introduction

I took French in high school because the teacher was fit. Learned how to say snails and cheese omelet. Before I drove through France I told my daughters the food I could order, needless to say they learned pizza, hamburger and other stuff from thier school French teacher before we left.

Plan

Work my butt off and do whatever it takes to pass.

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Re: The French C1 Group

Postby rdearman » Mon Jun 26, 2017 1:27 pm

Some questions?

Can we work up a list of examination centres for people? I will send links to UK stuff when I am on a computer next. With some links to exam requirements.

I want to sign up for the test in December this year in London, but I am thinking that is too soon?

If you fail a portion of the test, can you pay to just retake those parts? Or do you do the whole thing again?

I am now thinking I should lengthen the study time and shoot for C2, but only because I am cheap and don't want to put my money where my mouth is.
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PeterMollenburg
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Re: The French C1/C2 Group

Postby PeterMollenburg » Mon Jun 26, 2017 1:44 pm

rdearman wrote:Some questions?

Can we work up a list of examination centres for people? I will send links to UK stuff when I am on a computer next. With some links to exam requirements.


Of course. I'm not sure how this helps though (exam locations), really, as we all reside in different places and if one can't find an exam center without assistance in this log, then how on earth can we get to C1? ;) For example, will posting my exam center in Melbourne, Australia be of any use to anyone here? Still, this is just my opinion, and again, happy to oblige as this is a team thing, just because I've started this thing, doesn't mean what I say goes, happy to be voted against ;) I say this as joint ownership - all members here have control over the content, it just so happens I started this thread. Examination requirements I see, on the contrary, as very useful.

rdearman wrote:I want to sign up for the test in December this year in London, but I am thinking that is too soon?


I think it is too soon, but you know me, I put in many more hours than most to reach an equivalent level, could it be that i'm inefficient? ;)

rdearman wrote:If you fail a portion of the test, can you pay to just retake those parts? Or do you do the whole thing again?


I believe you have to resit the entire exam.

rdearman wrote:I am now thinking I should lengthen the study time and shoot for C2, but only because I am cheap and don't want to put my money where my mouth is.


I think C2 is too big/long of a goal, best to divide it up and fork out the cash on 2 occasions, but again, that's me. Is it worth changing the title of the Group? The French C1/C2 Group perhaps?


As a side note, happy to create this group, happy to manage the initial posts lists - resources, members etc, but as I have an objective and a life (like all of us), come July 1st - this is my chosen date to really get my French studying act together- don't ask why, i should be starting now! no time like the present! Still, it's July 1st and come that date, i'm putting in the hard yards until I reach my goal, so I don't expect to be hanging around these parts too often, monitoring daily, but yet often enough to say hi and edit those initial posts. I'd be happy to hand over joint control over those initial posts but I don't think it's possible to allow others to edit my posts. Anyway, don't worry, i'm not creating something and running, just don't want to be glued to the thread, as I want to be an asset, not a hindrance.
Last edited by PeterMollenburg on Tue Jun 27, 2017 11:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The French C1 Group

Postby tastyonions » Mon Jun 26, 2017 2:02 pm

Je n'ai aucune intention de passer un examen mais je suivrai avec intérêt le parcours de ce groupe. Bon courage à tous!
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Languages: English(N), French(Beginner-Intermediate)
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Re: The French C1 Group

Postby johnnyd » Mon Jun 26, 2017 3:07 pm

rdearman wrote:Some questions?

Can we work up a list of examination centres for people? I will send links to UK stuff when I am on a computer next. With some links to exam requirements.

I want to sign up for the test in December this year in London, but I am thinking that is too soon?

If you fail a portion of the test, can you pay to just retake those parts? Or do you do the whole thing again?

I am now thinking I should lengthen the study time and shoot for C2, but only because I am cheap and don't want to put my money where my mouth is.


I'm hopefully going to be doing the C1 test in December in London as well.
http://www.institut-francais.org.uk/fre ... -and-dalf/

It's on the 11th and 12th.
I doesn't say anything about being able to retake individual parts. I think that if you fail, you must retake the whole exam.
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