Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) exam

Who am I?

Hello! My name is Stella, and I'm here to help coach you through the C1 English examination. 

Let's be honest. It's a tricky exam. But many people are doing it these days, and wearing their C1 level status as a badge of honour, one that allows them access to even higher academic studies.  For many it is irrefutable proof that they have attained a proficient level of the language in a world where English, while being acknowledged to be the global language of business and tech, is constantly undergoing a process of mutation and revision. Just as it has been doing for centuries. 

Ergo...

Welcome! 

This is the first chapter of, I hope many, dedicated to helping students pass the C1 English exam. 

Why?

Why the C1 exam? 

A challenging exam, (one could liken it to a language marathon actually, with the exam lasting over four hours!), it is proof that you are a student of quality and one with a verifiably advanced knowledge of the English language. 

How?

The exam can be done online these days, as well as in person. You may bring in a mono-lingual dictionary with you to check your spellings (if you have time) and if you do the examination in person, remember that you will have a partner, or fellow candidate with you for the speaking part of the exam. (You may have two, actually). This is so that the interlocutor (as the examiner who will speak with you in the exam is called) can gauge your conversational ability. 

 The internet is full of wonderful resources for you to access to help you prepare for the examination. The information out there is all extremely helpful, and of a high standard, and this site simply aspires to add to the bank of resources, not replace them.

IELTS, CAE - C1, or TOEFL? 

There are currently various ways of having your English proficiency certified and proven. The most well-known include the IELTS, the C1 Cambridge exam, and the TOEFL examination. Each one has its own merits and is useful for the particular goal you have in mind. To be very over-simplistic, the TOEFL is for students of English from overseas who want real academic proof of their English language capabilities. The IELTS exam is for general or academic proof that your English is proficient enough for you to study in the US, and may be an entrance requirement for American university admission. The Cambridge CAE C1 examination is more geared towards admission to British or European universities and workplaces. 

Is there a difference in difficulty? Students report that the IELTS is easier than the C1, especially students who have started studying for the C1 exam and then tried out the IELTS programme. 

Personally, I feel the Ielts test is perhaps more accessible to some 'learners' or students, but at the same time it requires the knowledge of a huge number of words in one's vocabulary repertoire. The IELTS academic exam, I find, has some difficult elements to it, but there are parts that are quite easy. I speak specifically of the Reading part of the exam.  But I comment here as a native English speaker, not as a foreign student. 

The students I have taught so far need to have a very thorough grounding in practising English grammar, conversation and writing before attempting the C1 test. I really enjoy teaching and coaching students through this examination because not only does it require specific skills and exam techniques, but it demands a very refined and extensive range of proficiencies. In addition, I love seeing students applying their knowledge to the tasks set before them and realising that by putting all their skills together in a focused way, they can pass and even perform well. 

My own students thus far have been business people and academics alike, students wishing to progress on to their Masters' degrees or PhDs in Britain or Europe, or who feel that a business promotion would only be on the cards for them if their English were of a higher standard. 

The best part of being a C1 teacher is the part where I meet incredible people who have families, full-time work, plus all sorts of other commitments and yet they still invest in themselves so that they can keep learning. I admire their passion and dedication to accumulating knowledge and qualifications.