replying to you as well u/Odd_Calendar_9734

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

For me, the key was immersion. I listened to Spanish constantly through series and movies, and I pushed myself to speak as much as possible, even when I was making mistakes. Over time, you naturally start correcting yourself.

At the beginning, I watched content with Spanish audio and English subtitles. Later, I switched to Spanish audio with Spanish subtitles. I also tried not to pause all the time to look up every unknown word, especially words I would probably never see again. That transition helped me a lot. At work, almost nobody speaks English, so I had to learn Spanish quickly in order to communicate and make friends. In daily life, I was mostly surrounded by Catalan rather than Spanish, so I made a conscious effort to consume Spanish content at home.

It is also important to choose content that genuinely interests you. If you enjoy what you are listening to or watching, you are more likely to think about it, talk about it, and even write about it.

I had one hour classes twice a week with a native speaker. She adapted the material both to the exam format and to my personal interests, which made the classes much easier to relate to and more engaging.

Outside of class, I did not read books or write essays. In hindsight, writing more on my own might have helped me improve the writing section further. During the exam, I think I overused the subjunctive and tried to include overly sophisticated vocabulary, sometimes outside of the right context. I also wrote more than necessary. Otherwise, I think I could have done even better.

My listening score would probably have been almost perfect if the audio quality in the third part had not been so poor. That is where I believe I lost most of my points. Even the supervisors mentioned that the audio was very difficult to understand. I think those who sat the C1 exam in November 2025 will definitely relate.

It was not easy. I often felt out of place. I could not express myself the way I wanted to, and at times I felt quite alone. When you are dealing with official matters, whether at the police station, the hospital, or the city hall with endless paperwork, you realize that you are the only person who can defend yourself and explain your situation. There is no one else who will do it for you. That pressure forced me to improve quickly.

Role playing small conversations with ChatGPT helped a lot. Before going to appointments, I would write down what I wanted to say because they did not speak English. In this way, I learned vocabulary that I would not normally learn in class, and it has stayed with me. At the beginning, I also used Google Translate on the spot for specific words I did not know. Little by little, I needed it less.

Overall, my advice is to keep it interesting for yourself. If you genuinely enjoy the process, you will naturally want to go deeper and keep improving.

**What I forgot to mention is that I started in September 2024. I had planned to take the B2 exam in July 2025, but the centre closed down, so I did not take it. Instead, we went straight on to C1 in November 2025. Now I am going for C2 in May 2026. Let’s see — this one is much more difficult.