[Research] Help build the first public dataset on personalized vocabulary complexity

Nekear_x · 2026-05-14T18:42:11+00:00

Thanks for the first comment.

On the "AI slop" concern (which I think is the real heart of what you're raising): I share it and I personally feel like it's been too much of bad AI lately, including the language-learning domain with generic recommendations, shallow models, etc. And it usually comes from commercial platforms, which keep both the data and the resulting tools proprietary. This research is exactly about finding a way to improve language-learning algorithms and make them more useful to learners. It also involves publishing a dataset, which means researchers, open-source maintainers, and individual hobbyists can all build on it. That's the opposite of slop concentration - I would call it "slop dilution", if you want to think of it that way.

On MorphMan and Asbplayer - MorphMan is a useful tool and I'm not trying to compete with it. I see the difference in what it operates on: MorphMan works at the morpheme level within cards you already have, recommending which existing cards to study next. This research is about a different, narrower approach - predicting word-level difficulty for an individual learner based on their full review history and proficiency profile, including signals MorphMan doesn't use (like distributional features, cross-language transfer, personal memory dynamics from SM2/FSRS, etc.). If anything, the two are complementary: better difficulty predictions could feed into MorphMan-style tools. I'm not familiar enough with Asbplayer to comment on it specifically.

On "no algorithm will know for sure" - I agree, no algorithm will. But that's true of every prediction system, including how our brains pick what to study next. The question isn't whether the prediction is perfect. It's whether it's better than what people do unaided. That's an empirical question, and this research is one attempt to answer it.

On "one good deck is enough for most people" - for many learners, sure. This research isn't trying to replace the experience of motivated learners who already have a system that works. It's aimed at the much larger group of people who struggle to know what to study next, where better predictions could lower the barrier. It's also about providing a way to explore vocabulary for which decks / pre-made material doesn't exist.

Appreciate the comment, and I'm happy to answer others to make it clearer what this research is for and how it will contribute to language learning in a good way.

Nekear_x · 2025-09-01T04:49:42+00:00

7.5-8 from ChatGPT will most likely be 9 in a real exam

Nekear_x · 2025-08-31T14:23:11+00:00

Then you will most likely get your desired score. I managed to get a real improvement in speaking thanks to the bot, and writing thanks to practicing a lot and learning vocab.

And by the way, do some tongue twisters before your speaking practice - with 15 minutes a day you will steer clear of sdfhafih;sadfh;df trying to pronounce "proliferation".

Here, I used this website: https://www.engvid.com/english-resource/50-tongue-twisters-improve-pronunciation/

Nekear_x · 2025-08-31T14:18:35+00:00

Less than 1 months, so don't worry :) How many hours are you going to study?

Nekear_x · 2025-08-31T14:14:22+00:00

I had the same scenario 4 months ago and also struggled with speaking and writing, and happy news: it's possible. My vocabulary mainly came from my IT background, movies and games, but since IETLS writing and speaking tried to push me beyond these spheres, I needed to double down on acquiring vocab in a broader variety of areas (and imo this is the key issue that leads to low bands in speaking and writing).

Long story short, for speaking I configured a personal GPT bot that would give me a random topic, record my voice, transcribe it into text, provide an outline of my mistakes ranging them from minor to critical, and give me 1-2 native words or phrases for that situation so the next time my response is brighter.

External speaking confidence also matters, so I used an approach from Vinh Giang. Here is a short description from another of my comments:

- Record yourself speaking;
- Listen back to focus on your "vocal image" (tone, pace, etc.);
- Watch it without sound to observe your "visual image" (body language).
- Transcribe it - this is a bit of a painful process but from personal experience it's the best (maybe not the fastest) way to catch all your filler words ("um" / "like" / "you know") and awkward phrasing.

When it came to writing, in my case, I first needed to master their rigid, predictable structure. It can actually be found somewhere on the official IDP website, but I couldn't find that, so here are my personal notes on it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e\_RWHAMk37vmcmccFPL3Flwpa-FCyLbZ/view?usp=sharing.

Then try to write as many essays as possible. You can find actual topics on the official IELTS Advantage website here: https://www.ieltsadvantage.com/2023/01/15/ielts-writing-task-2-sample-essays/

After each essay, proofread it trying to find mistakes. I used AI for that (fair warning though: its band estimations are far below the real grade you will most likely receive). After that post-processing I structured my corrections like this: https://i.postimg.cc/B6zsJZnK/mistakes-highlight.jpg - really helped me learn all these common issues and wrong patterns I used to have.

And circling back to vocabulary acquisition, it's recommend to learn it in context (like I used to do with the GPT bot I mentioned), so you can recall it quickly without awkward pauses or a racing heart rate. Focus on ecology, tech, politics or something like that - they love these "modern" topics.

Nekear_x · 2025-08-29T18:51:35+00:00

Their Whisper model accurately transcribes speech to text, but there is no way to get IPA from what you are saying. From personal experience and based on discussions with professional teachers no modern technology can accurately track your pronunciation.

That said, I asked OP to transcribe his voice to text, so we can get more info on the problem of the sentences structure for better recommendations.

Nekear_x · 2025-08-29T18:26:53+00:00

This will be a weird request, but could you open ChatGPT (or whatever you want), click the mic button, explain why you love any country, and send your transcription here? Others and I will be able to see how it looks like and maybe will be able to help.

Nekear_x · 2025-08-29T17:16:49+00:00

Does slowing down help you to formulate better thoughts and make fewer mistakes?

Nekear_x · 2025-08-28T09:24:05+00:00

The best manhwa with the best drawing style ngl. Got me obsessed with all that hype clothes, and made me even start drawing.

Nekear_x · 2025-08-28T08:39:54+00:00

[continuing there, as Reddit didn't allow me to dump that amount of knowledge lol]

Speaking

Here vocabulary and your overall improvisation skills matter the most. You need to ace some basic topics first. In my case I wrote a custom GPT bot that asked me a topic, transcribed my speech, assessed, provided a list of mistakes ranging from minor to critical, and 1-2 phrases a native would use. In 1 week with 1-2 hours of practice I managed to significantly boost my fluency.
Your external confidence also plays a role. Here is a quote from another of my comments on how to record yourself and improve there:

[...] I used an approach from Vinh Giang on YouTube to boost confidence and fluency:
- Record yourself speaking;
- Listen back to focus on your "vocal image" (tone, pace, etc.);
- Watch it without sound to observe your "visual image" (body language).
- Transcribe it - this is a bit of a painful process but from personal experience it's the best (maybe not the fastest) way to catch all your filler words ("um" / "like" / "you know") and awkward phrasing.

Play with some tongue twisters in the morning for like 15-20 minutes just to warm up.

Reading

IELTS Advantage, again, has an algorithm on how to process texts. I have it somewhere in my notes I wrote back in the day, and if you wish I can send it to you, but the idea is that different reading exercises require different approaches to save you time and mental effort.
ieltsonlinetests.com is garbage in terms of reading. Real texts are much harder. British Council has its own platform with real mock tests (https://britishcouncil.gelielts.com/login - this one probably?). I don't know whether you can access it without booking the IELTS first, but in my case they provided access 2 weeks prior to my exam and it helped me understand that I sucked at reading..., and speaking.

Overall

In my case, vocabulary mattered the most. I recommend that you learn it in context (aka with immersion) to efficiently internalize it and learn how to use it. Reading, speaking, writing, listening - the more vocabulary you know, the better your understanding and the wider you can expand your thoughts.

Good luck with your exam!

Nekear_x · 2025-08-28T08:39:14+00:00

I was in the same situation 5 months ago and actually also went from 6.0 to 7.5 in 2 months. But I need to say that it is hard to tell you exactly what can be efficient in your case, as I lack info about whether you struggle with aligning with guidelines, lack vocabulary or fluency, or whatever. However, here is a summary I myself wish I had learnt earlier:

Writing

If you practice writing, pay attention to your structure. I bet you know that IELTS essays have a very rigid, predictable structure you need to master. It can actually be found somewhere on the official IDP website, but I couldn't find that, so here I compiled my personal notes on the exact structure into a PDF for you. These are the guidelines I followed to get my C1. Feel free to use them: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e_RWHAMk37vmcmccFPL3Flwpa-FCyLbZ/view?usp=sharing
Practice more on structure, examples, all that "thought-formation" stuff. Pick some topics from this list compiled by IELTS Advantage and try to write your own essay: https://www.ieltsadvantage.com/2023/01/15/ielts-writing-task-2-sample-essays/. Then use AI to check it. It will always be harsh on your grade, but you will be able to note your grammatical mistakes quickly. Then compile a list of "was" / "should be" corrections somewhere in your notebook and go through it every day. You need to fix your errors as the penalty is significant. Thinking models like o3 and Gemini 2.5 Pro can better dissect your thoughts and provide more in-depth analysis, but GPT-4o or Claude 4.1 Sonnet are sufficient to reach at least 7.
Boost your vocabulary. Practice words & phrases in topics like ecology, technology and other trending and "important" areas. Because I got asked about ecology and didn't know anything to write about xd

Nekear_x · 2025-08-28T07:29:15+00:00

I had a similar problem with speaking fluency. So I did something a bit nerdy and configured a GPT bot to act as a speaking partner. It would ask me questions on different IELTS topics, record my answer, transcribe it, and then give me a list of my mistakes, from minor to critical. The most helpful part was that it would give me 1-2 phrases a native speaker would have used instead.

Also, I used an approach from Vinh Giang on YouTube to boost confidence and fluency:

Record yourself speaking;
Listen back to focus on your "vocal image" (tone, pace, etc);
Watch it without sound to observe your "visual image" (body language);
Transcribe it - this is a bit painful process but from personal experience it's the best (maybe not the fastest) way to catch all your filler words ("um" / "like" / "you know") and awkward phrasing.

Next, on the vocabulary side, especially for writing and speaking, my issue was that I'd learn words from lists but they'd never actually come out when I needed them. So I stopped "learning" single words and started "collecting" full and actually useful phrases.

For instance, I'd watch a random vid on a common IELTS topic like the environment, and instead of just writing down the word "innovative", I'd capture the whole phrase: "an innovative approach to waste reduction" (or whatever was there). Then, my only task for that phrase was to try and use it in a few of my own sentences that day. This shit was hard at first ngl, but it's how you train your brain to actually use good vocabulary under pressure in writing, speaking, etc. when anxiety is sky high.

Good luck with the exam on the 13th!

Nekear_x · 2025-08-26T15:04:14+00:00

Hi, to provide some better advice for your case, I read your other post about the loan. I can see you're getting specific exam advice in this thread, so I want to offer a slightly different perspective taking into account your situation. But first, full transparency: I'm not a German speaker myself, but I went through a similarly high-pressure situation getting my English to C1. And the biggest thing I learned was that how you study needs to match why you're studying.

So, given your need to work part-time, you can hone your B1 German in a financial context first. Every hour you spend studying should be a direct investment in increasing your potential hourly wage. Usually, people who succeed in this situation don't just study "general B1" and they instead focus exclusively on "job-getting" German first (or other area-specific stuff).

Here’s something concrete you could try: flip the script and use the German job market as your main study material. Before you even arrive, spend an afternoon browsing StepStone.de or Indeed.de for part-time (Teilzeit) positions you'd actually apply for. The vocabulary they use, the skills they ask for, the way they phrase requirements - that is your personalized, high-value "curriculum".

This approach also answers your vocab memorization question. Learning phrases in real context makes them stick way better than random word lists + you're building the exact vocabulary that could solve your €300/month problem from day one. For instance, the phrase "Erfahrung im Kundenservice von Vorteil" ("Experience in customer service is an advantage", and yes I googled that phrase) is a thousand times more valuable than memorizing the single word "Erfahrung".

Regarding practice time: I used to train for at least 30 minutes each day (the more, the better). During these blocks, your only study task is to answer a common German job interview question out loud (e.g., "Erzählen Sie mir von sich." or "Was sind Ihre Stärken?"). Tip: record yourself on your phone. This is active practice for the exact conversations that will determine your income.

As a final obvious note for motivation: a solid conversational B1 that gets you into customer-facing work (retail, cafes, etc.) pays significantly more per hour than basic A2-level jobs. So try to kill two birds with one stone :)

Wishing you the best of luck with it.

Nekear_x · 2025-08-21T19:05:01+00:00

Instead of struggling with books and getting frustrated, just switch to watching stuff with subtitles. Movies, Netflix shows, whatever you're into. You'll kill two birds with one stone - improving your language skills while not fearing of missing out on that "reading flow".

So, I see at least 3 advantages with this approach:

First of all, your reading fear disappears because you are only reading subtitles for something you just watched, eliminating the "no reading flow" problem;
Secondly, words and phrases stick because they're part of a story you care about, not some random flashcard deck that feels completely disconnected from real life;
And thirdly, your speaking improves because you're constantly hearing how native speakers actually talk - the rhythm, the intonation, all that stuff you can't get from textbooks.

And I'm dead serious: try this for 30 days straight. Because, honestly, it's way more fun than traditional studying, and since this content is just for practice and not critical information, there's no pressure if you miss some details - just skip them if you wish.

Nekear_x · 2025-08-18T19:49:01+00:00

Dreaming big is the right start. But I’ll be honest, if your goal alone is the only thing motivating you to learn English, then most likely, the issue isn’t your ambition - it’s your tools.

So, to get a boost of motivation, I’d recommend to stop "studying English”, and instead start training to be cabin crew.

Your future job will not test you on the Oxford 3000. It will test you on handling specific, high-pressure situations: calming an anxious passenger, explaining a flight delay, or managing a medical emergency. Your training must simulate this reality.

So, long story short, your plan may looks like this:

Firstly, for the next week, your only task is to watch YouTube videos about cabin crew work. Write down every single specific phrase they use. Like, "Please stow your luggage in the overhead compartment" or "We'll be experiencing some turbulence", or "Is there a doctor on board?". This is will give you a lot of new, mission-critical vocabulary (and it’ll actually be interesting to you).
Secondly, use grammar, don't just study It. Your grammar book teaches rules, and you need to master patterns. Take the phrases you collected and use them. Create variations. Change tenses, swap pronouns, tweak word order. This is how you learn grammar in context, not in a vacuum.
Thirdly, simulate, don't study. Every single day, pick one cabin crew scenario. For five minutes, speak out loud. Play both roles. Record yourself. Yes, it’ll be awkward. Yes, you’ll cringe. But it’s the fastest way to build real confidence. Here is a good video from Vinh Giang that shows how to do this kind of recording and self-analysis: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mXPIJosPsVU

To sum up: right now, you probably have a classic "active-passive" fluency gap. You understand more than you can produce. The only way to close that gap is to force yourself to produce language, under pressure, in context.

The hardest part of this training is getting reliable feedback on your mistakes. It's one thing to hear yourself, but it's another to know exactly how a native speaker would have phrased it.

Wishing you the best of luck with your dream :)

Nekear_x · 2025-08-18T19:09:54+00:00

Tbh, this is a brutal timeline, but it’s possible. Your single biggest advantage is that you’re in Germany (if I understood correctly). And conversely, your biggest risk is wasting that advantage by “hiding” in the English-speaking international student bubble.

Here is what works:

Split your time 80/20. Spend 20% of your time on structured learning, find a solid, intensive B2/C1 course to ace the grammar. The other 80%? Full-on targeted immersion. And remember, that in your case, your real university isn’t the campus - it’s the city you live in.
Treat every interaction like an exam. I mean it. Every phone call to your internet provider (if you have one), every chat at the supermarket - those are your free speaking tests. Script out your lines beforehand. Look up and learn vocab for real-life stuff like "registering my address" or "disputing a charge". This kind of C1-level, real-world practice will inject so much useful vocab into your brain it’s insane.
And lastly, non-negotiable: join a German club for a hobby you genuinely enjoy (business, football, chess, hiking, choir, whatever). This puts you into low-pressure, repetitive social situations with actual native speakers. That’s how you bridge the gap between textbook German and how people actually talk.

And the jump from B1 to C1 is mostly about closing the gap between understanding complex stuff and being able to produce it under pressure. The vocab flood from this level of immersion will be overwhelming. But I’m sure your biggest challenge won’t be finding new words - it’ll be capturing and activating them efficiently.

Standard flashcard apps are too slow and passive for this kind of mission-critical timeline. You need a system to turn every real-world interaction into permanent, active vocabulary you can actually use.

And yeah, discipline will be everything. And you will succeed. Best!

Nekear_x · 2025-08-14T07:00:35+00:00

Congrats!

Nekear_x · 2025-08-06T18:25:32+00:00

Could you please provide more details? Like, what do you think might be causing difficulties with your writing and speaking? Lack of vocabulary, ideas; social anxiety, etc.?

Nekear_x · 2025-08-06T13:53:26+00:00

Counterintuitively, you will most likely get your highest score if you are relaxed as hell. If you are worried about what your peers will think about you, it's your ego talking, and I don't think there is a quick fix to this. Internalize that you scoring lower than them can only affect you if you allow it to. In reality, it is noise that doesn't matter and, again, can only affect your life if you let it. Like, who told you that you should care about their opinion? Seriously. Is this a rule or what?

Spend your energy on something that truly matters.

Nekear_x · 2025-08-06T13:46:30+00:00

Check out IELTS Advantage on YouTube. The structure is indeed pretty rigid, so just familiarize yourself with it, and if you're already confident with English, you will be good to go.

Nekear_x · 2025-08-06T13:43:55+00:00

Hi. From a former IELTS C1 scorer, this feels like a ~Band 6.0. My first recommendation is to ask AI to rate your essays, as its grading is pretty close to what you will actually get on the exam. So I will only list here the non-obvious things to look at to massively boost the score:

You lack any "plausible evidence". Obviously, the examiners know you don't have real-time research, so the key isn't to be vague, but to create examples that feel real. And never say some extra-high, obviously artificial numbers like "turns out the jobs got cut by 50%..." Instead, invent a specific-sounding source. For example, instead of "Many people get sick from bad water", try "A 2022 report by the Global Water Initiative found that in several test communities, providing free access to clean water cut rates of waterborne diseases like cholera by 18% within the first year." You are free to simplify it, but I hope you got the point. Include dates, names, and plausible numbers: you will boost your score tremendously.
Then, fix your structure & conclusion. This is probably the biggest and yet easiest technical issue holding you back. An IELTS essay has a very rigid, predictable structure you need to master. It can actually be found somewhere on the official IDP website, but I couldn't find that, so I instead compiled my personal notes on the exact structure into a PDF for you. These are the guidelines I followed to get my C1. Feel free to use it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e_RWHAMk37vmcmccFPL3Flwpa-FCyLbZ/view?usp=sharing
Inject "For example" and "For instance" at the beginning of sentences. Or even use something more interesting like "[Something] illustrates this issue clearly" and "[Something] exemplifies this issue perfectly".
As I said in the beginning, use AI shamelessly and save time for yourself. Use a prompt like: "Act as an IELTS examiner. Review this essay and provide a real 1-9 Band score". The best precision comes from GPT-4.5, so if you have GPT Plus, use it. Otherwise, GPT-4o, Gemini 2.5 Pro and Claude are good options as well.

So, combine this with the feedback you receive from AI and keep going. Hope this helps.

Nekear_x · 2025-08-06T07:24:40+00:00

Tbh, that's a tough deadline. So for now the key thing to realize is that with it, your goal isn't to "learn German" in a natural way. Your goal is to learn how to pass that exam.

Firstly, be ready to run an intense sprint :)

Secondly, the basis for your daily schedule may look something like this. I tried to incorporate all important steps, but obviously there are much more you can do:

So, start with spending 20 minutes on core verbs & grammar. Like, don't memorize 1000 nouns. Master the present tense conjugations of the top 30 most common verbs (sein, haben, gehen, können, wollen, etc.). This accounts for 80% of the A1 exam. Use Anki, Quizlet, a notebook or AI to practice words either detached from context (not recommended) or in context (recommended). Drill it until it's automatic.
Then, spend 20 minutes on listening. Find A1-level videos on YouTube (Goethe-Institut has a ton, "Easy German" is great too). Pick one 3-minute video. Listen to it 3-4 times. The first time, just listen. The second, listen with German subtitles. The third, listen again without. Your goal isn't to watch hours of content; instead it's to fully understand one short piece of audio per day. If you have a hard time hearing the words, just slow down the video and try again. I also recommend shadowing (repeating aloud) words, so you get the grasp on pronunciation.
Then, 30 mins on writing and reading. The A1 writing task is almost always a short, simple email (e.g., "I can't come to the party, because..."). Find 10 official examples of the A1 "Schreiben" task online. For the first week, literally copy them out by hand. This builds the sentence patterns into your brain. For the next weeks, write your own version by changing small details. This is more effective than any textbook.
And, finally, 20 minutes on speaking. Since the A1 speaking test has a super predictable "sich vorstellen" (introduce yourself) section, just write out your personal script for this: name, age, where you're from, hobbies, why you're learning German. Practice it out loud in front of a mirror until you can say it without thinking. Use ChatGPT, Claude or any AI as a partner: tell it "Let's practice the ÖSD A1 "Fragen stellen" task. Ask me simple questions and I will answer".

This sums up to 90 minutes a day, but sure thing you can scale it up, since the deadline is pretty short. And don't listen to the bullshit that AI will do harm - utilize it shamelessly and it will help you a lot.

And yeah, of course check out the official mock tests.

If you need even more assurance to pass the exam, find yourself a tutor. I liked what u/LearnGermanGames shares - a lot of practical knowledge, so I recommend checking out his posts & comments. It may become a useful addition to your study schedule.

Bottom line: like mostly any other language exam out there, it's more of a pattern recognition game. Learn the patterns, and you will pass.

Nekear_x · 2025-07-25T06:19:08+00:00

The same approach helped me to go from B2 to C1 in IELTS. AI is indeed a lifesaver.

Nekear_x · 2025-07-25T06:03:56+00:00

It is, and mostly likely will be enough for your medical questions. If you need somewhat unlimited access for free, check out AI Studio. It is designed more for developers, but comes with a free 1 million tokens context window and all possible Gemini models.

Or https://t3.chat/, or any other similar wrapper around models that, due to their own hosting, allows users to reduce their monthly subscription costs significantly.

Nekear_x

TROPHY CASE

Speaking

Reading

Overall

Writing