Nobody asked, I know. But a lovely dinner with the one you love and some wine has catapulted me to unknown territories, so I’m about to risk making everybody feel I said too little, or I did not say much, or anything useful, or new. It should not sound new to you, for certain. After all, I’ve been giving you feedback all the way, haven’t I?
Tipsy as I am, let me make a very global assessment of where I think you all stand at the moment. Remember that the truth is that levels can go up and down in amazing ways, all depending on how much we use the language and the range of different kinds of oral and written texts we use. If you feel I should change or delete something, feel free to tell me!
My Evaluation of your English
In my view there’re some people who are clearly in the consolidated C1 level at the speaking level, which is key for me: Dessi, Lucía, Karen, Marta, Sonia, Soluna, Romina, Mario, Cristina R, Isabel. Lucía & Karen, you have made great progress from what I know from your English. Karen I think you learned a lot about academic matters, like textual structure. Keep it up! And thanks for all the work you did to keep us in shape! Lucía has been key for me in the hardest part of the course, when she shared all her love for the language and Ireland, and lighted up our classroom. Isabel you make mistakes at times, but your fluency and relationship to English is so positive and wonderful. Marta, Soluna, Romina, Cristina R speak amazing English and I’m very grateful to the work Soluna, Romina, Sonia and Marta shared with us and particularly touched and encouraged by the fact they found some use in our course here. ❤ Germán’s work throughout the course has been impressive. What I think you can improve is flying, walking those fields you might feel more uncomfortable or insecure in. I think you would grow even more. But it might not be a good idea. I’m not pushing for that, OK? People are a mystery to me! Sergio’s English is amazing, his way of approaching subjects is thorough in different ways. Silences are an area you could work in, though! Because we live in this kind of world. But on the other hand, why should you? It’s nice to hear silence when people speak. And it would be nicer if we were not thinking about time limits! 😀 ❤ Emilia and Lorena are there, too. Emilia you can learn more and more and I’m sure you will. Listen and repeat to useful language so you are more resourceful in conversations. You are! You are! But sometimes you can’t find the words for very everyday messages, and that can be fixed by watching TV series, for instance. I love your pace, and tranquility, your very positive relationship to learning and English. How no exam is going to have an impact on your relationship to English. ❤ Lorena needs to work — and has, and has made progress — on avoiding fossilized mistakes, or pay more attention to grammar in her weak points as she listens, to make her production more regular, because your fluency and resourcefullness is amazing, really. Dolores and María José are there too. Dolores you have made amazing English-speaking progress in your English, you’ve made good progress on structural matters too, you’ve balanced your level in the four skills. You’re so sensitive to noticing language, like Sonia, and your work has been relevant so you’re reaping the fruits now. Maria José has lots of vocabulary and great resourcefulness too. But your risk is too much translating from Spanish at times, which results in not sounding as natural in their use of language. I think you would profit from “copying” English from natives (useful language, so to put it) because your spontaneity and confidence would bloom. Cristina B, you’re there too. I wouldn’t mind having you next year. I think you would love it and learn much more. Because it’s all very recent and if you don’t keep it up you will fall back to the B2 level fast. But I think if you pass, you will keep your level up, because you have experienced the progress your good work help you make, alongside the trip.
Clara hopefully will be passing her tests, but your speaking needs more work to match the quality of her astounding writing. Your work has been wonderful and I hope to find the time to publish what you sent because lots of people will find it useful.
By the way, if you all send me stuff for publication, or better still, post it here, I hope to be publishing it on TP at some point.
I think that Gema, Encarni, Luz and Marina need another year to learn some things I think they can learn and use for making their English much better. But Gema and Luz have good chances to pass and hopefully will. I’m just saying this because your progress is too fresh and as I mentioned above when I spoke to Cristina B, if you don’t continue working, in a different way, too, you could stagnate in a kind of academic approach that would prevent you from learning all you can actually learn. So when you pass, remember you need to work with your English more in the lines I describe in the C1 Resource Pack and not so much doing textbook exercises. Move beyond their learning style and work to enter the arena this course encourages, that allows people to make their use of the language a more natural occurrence, where it’s more important what we learn that the language itself, and draws you away from the “exercise” kind of approach (where the exercise is more important that actual communication), that moves most people at the advanced level away from consolidating their love for the language. In any case, I think you can pass the tests, and Luz you have certainly made progress in your writing! I’m looking forward to hearing you speak!
I don’t know much about Encarni, right? But I think what I say to Gema and Luz might be of use.
And about Marina, well, I’ve already mentioned it in class. I think you’ve learned a lot. You could learn much more, and enjoy your use of English longer, because your approach is evolving and very positive, and you have some more to discover. But again, if you pass, I won’t be any kind of obstacle in your way! 😀
Now — has all this got anything to do with who will pass? Mostly not. Exam taking in societies where people still trust more Exam culture than Lifelong learning is a very destructive thing, like an oracle. You never know what will happen. I’ve seen people with a consolidated advanced level having to come in September to take one part of the exam they failed because they could not control their fear, mostly due to severe traumas at school. And I’ve seen people who did not have an advanced level yet, not a consolidated one, I mean, but who worked really hard, pass with flying colours. When the head of studies asked me what’s your estimate of how many people will take the course again next year? I said 1/3 in C1 and 1/2 in C1 CAL (2 absentists/absenteests, hahaha, in each group), because the statistics in Euskadi, the only ones we have from other schools, say a 17% pass but in our school they’re better, which is not to say anything about anyone because I don’t believe in the exam system, but which explains I have given an estimate which might be totally wrong, because you might all pass, like people last year (between now and September). Last year, from the people following the course, only 1 person failed, and that was because she decided not to take some of the tests.
Well, let me know what you think about this post. Do you think it was a bad idea?
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Michelle Ford's 2016-17 C1 Course Blog (EOI Fuengirola, state-run language education) 