C1 Advanced Speaking Information and Advice

C1 Advanced Speaking Format and Advice for a Confident Exam

Many students seem to miss basic facts about the C1 Advanced Speaking test, so this page is to fill in some of that missing information. There are also separate pages for more detailed information and advice for each part. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 C1 Advanced Speaking Test General Description: Format The … Read more

How to Use Natural English Expressions for Better Precision

A small flower with red petals and a yellow centre - Natural English Expressions for Increased Precision

Improve Your Skills! Master that feeling that you MUST answer correctly by using these natural expressions to show what you know or don’t know about a topic. There is no right or wrong answer to many questions. This makes the speaker confused and stops them thinking clearly. Using these natural English expressions to briefly set … Read more

How to Avoid Making Sweeping Statements

Torn red paper, with Accuracy revealed behind it

Sweeping statements are statements which cover a broad topic in a concise or even terse manner. They make it seem as if everybody does something. This is really common in both speaking and writing, especially in exams such as IELTS, C1 Advanced and B2 First. Expanding on these statements make your language much richer, and … Read more

C1 Advanced Grammar: What You Need to Do!

C1 Advanced Grammar: What You Need to Do!

Introduction In C1 Advanced writing, you are marked on four criteria: Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language. In this post, we’re going to talk about the last one, particularly grammar. How can you specifically improve your C1 Advanced grammar for this tricky writing test? Home > C1 Advanced > Speaking / Writing > General C1 … Read more

C1 Advanced Speaking Rubric: How to Score Well

C1 Advanced Speaking Rubric

The C1 Advanced speaking Rubric shows you what you need to do in your Cambridge C1 Advanced Speaking test to get a good score. My students frequently ask me about this, but it’s tough to explain everything in a minute or two in a lesson dedicated to writing improvement. So, I decided to write everything … Read more

Convert Cambridge Practice Scores to Test Scores

Convert Cambridge Practice Score to Test Scores

Get the Facts! Understand what grade your Cambridge exam practice scores are. Convert Cambridge practice scores to test scores with these conversion tables. Many students are surprised when they try and give themselves a score for their practice tests. This is due to the way these practice tests are graded, and don’t seem to have … Read more

Subject-Verb Agreement: The Score Killer!

Common Errors - Subject - Verb Agreement

Get the Facts! Give yourself a chance in your exam, don’t make too many Subject-Verb Agreement errors. Rules, examples and more to help you improve your skills. I speak to many students each year, for speaking and writing tests. There are certain common errors that appear regularly, such as errors with articles. Subject-verb agreement is … Read more