how long to go from B2 to C1

niallcon4re

I am just wondering whether anyone here has acquired a C1 (or higher) level in a foreign language WHILE living in Ireland (or another English speaking country).

I know what the official position is regarding hours etc according to the initial framework. I live in Dublin and will soon do a B2 level exam and would like to get a C1 level a year or 18 months later but as I cannot immerse myself in the language I don't know whether this is "do-able" as I've heard the difference, especially in vocabulary is huge.

I usually study about 2 hours a day in total (including an hour listening to radio on way to work/home).

Does anyone have any personal experience (and please no links to the official guide to hours of study required under the common framework).

Thanks

La_Gordy

Do you go to any language exchanges?

niallcon4re

I probably go to two a week and speak for an hour in Spanish and an hour in English at each one. I also have a 3 hour class once a week (all in Spanish - no English).

Thanks

playedalive

Could you try to do a one/two month language course in a foreign country. I think this was the way I went from B2 to C1 in French.

Also, maybe try living with/befriending native speakers. It's a hard one for me to call. My undergrad is in foreign languages, so I'm always in contact with them.

HalloweenJack

With C1 stuff, you're moving from being a competent foreign speaker to being a somewhat competent colloquial speaker with a wider vocabulary range for technical stuff.

This can only come from absorbing as much from native sources as possible, imo.

niallcon4re

HalloweenJack wrote: »

With C1 stuff, you're moving from being a competent foreign speaker to being a somewhat competent colloquial speaker with a wider vocabulary range for technical stuff.

This can only come from absorbing as much from native sources as possible, imo.

Yeah, I'm pretty much there with the grammar but everytime I read an article there are new words, and when I talk to Spanish people there are another couple of expressions. It seems never ending. It isn't feasible to live in Spain as I'm lucky enough to have a very good job here.

I think I'll give it another year or so and then maybe start another language from scratch and get the joy of the leaps and bounds you make when starting a language . Portuguese would seem easy enough to get to a B1 level in if I already have decent Spanish although I see there are intensive german courses too (3 nights a week) and I think a B1 level of German would be good .

I guess I can't make up mind whether I want an excellent knowledge in one language or to have a decent level in a few.

HalloweenJack

Sorry for the late reply, just wanted to mention that it is very easy to learn Portuguese once you have a decent level of Spanish. A lot of the grammar and vocabulary is very similar and once you've learnt a few rules about the differences (for example "a" for "la" and "o" for "el"), you'll be laughing.

niallcon4re

I passed the DELE B2 getting just under 90% so I am feeling good about my Spanish. However, I've heard the gap between this and C1 is really big. It is not possible for me to live abroad for even a month so I am relying on talking to Spanish speakers in Dublin, watching films, reading websites, and studying grammar in class (one 3 hour class). I average 1.5 to 2 hours a day studying via a mixture of the above.

Who here has a C1 or higher level in a foreign language and how did you get there from B2?

I'm doing a c1 course at the moment in german. I did the first half of the b2 level in a course in dublin (I've always done courses with goethe since a1.1) and then did a 2 week course in frankfurt. The rest of my class were mostly c1 level, but since I was upper end b2 they threw me and a few others in with them. It was eye opening :P After that I got a lot more confidence and vocab. I also have a german friend so I'm able to chat with her and text.
Now that I have more free time I'm reading a german novel, starting a vocab training exercise book, etc.

If you had time I would suggest going over to do even a 1 week course there, it would help immensely
Other than that what you're doing sounds good

It's most definitely doable, and I don't believe you need to live there at all. In this day and age, you have unlimited material online. I listen to Spanish podcasts on my way into work, read newspaper articles on my Kindle and Skype chats on a daily basis, and I live in London. I speak way, way more Spanish now than I did when I lived in Spain, because I was teaching English there and surrounded by English speakers. In Dublin, you'll also have no bother finding Spanish people to practise with in real life - that's what I used to do when I lived there, just meet up 2x a week with a Spanish person in a cafe for a chat.

Just keep doing what you're doing - vocab is the biggest thing to work on, IMO. Make sure you're learning new words and expressions every day. I find the DELE C1 book quite good for this, but also just read newspapers and books.