C2 Proficiency Online Course

My four-month C2 Proficiency Online Course is aimed at preparing candidates for all four papers of the C2 Proficiency exam: Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking.

Throughout the first five months of 2025, I set about acquainting myself with the Reading and Use of English parts of the C2 Proficiency exam. Indeed, I completed very many Use of English tasks to get to know what my future C2 Proficiency students will be letting themselves in for. Based on my experience in doing these tasks, I can freely admit that C2 Proficiency is an exceedingly rigorous and thorough test of English.

Previously known as Cambridge English: Proficiency and the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), C2 Proficiency is the highest level qualification provided by Cambridge Assessment English.

C2 Proficiency demonstrates language proficiency at Level C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Achieving a certificate at this level proves that a candidate has mastered English to an extremely high level for use in a wide range of professional and academic settings.

C2 Proficiency is aimed at learners who have achieved an extremely high level of skill in the English language, who wish to show they can:

• study demanding subjects at the highest levels, including postgraduate and PhD programmes
• actively engage in academic life by actively and confidently taking part in tutorials and seminars
• lead on complex and challenging research projects
• negotiate and persuade effectively at senior management level in international business settings.

The C2 Proficiency certificate is recognised around the world as evidence of an exceptionally high level of skill in the English language. It is also accepted by a diverse range of educational institutions for study purposes. Cambridge English Qualifications are also accepted and trusted by thousands of organisations globally.

Overall, it is estimated that Cambridge English exams are recognised by over 25,000 universities, employers and governments worldwide.

For more information about recognition, head to cambridgeenglish. org/recognition

There are two factors which are at the heart of my journey to becoming an English proficiency teacher and C2 Proficiency exam tutor:
1. My aching desire to step out of my comfort zone. I’m well accustomed to helping learners make the step up from intermediate level to advanced level. However, bumping up a learner’s level from advanced to proficiency is a different kettle of fish. Moreover, I’m all too aware of the challenge involved when it comes to honing candidates’ exam techniques, especially when it comes to the writing and speaking papers.

2. My desire to share the vast knowledge I possess about the ins and outs of lexicogrammar. Lexicogrammar can be defined as the interdependence of syntax (grammar – the arrangement of words in a sentence) and lexis (i.e. vocabulary) so as to create meaning. Lexicogrammar is the focus of several tasks in the Reading and Use of English paper, while candidates perhaps unknowingly rely on their knowledge of lexicogrammar to handle the Speaking, Listening and Writing papers.

Native speakers of English appear fluent in the language for a number of reasons, including the ease with which they produce lexical chunk after lexical chunk in a continuous piece of speech. Timmis (2015, p.26) defines a lexical chunk as a “frequent meaningful sequence of words that may include both lexical and grammatical words”.

‘As a matter of fact’ is a good example of a lexical chunk. It contains two content words (the nouns – matter and fact) and three function words (as, a and of). Function words are words that assume a grammatical purpose, including pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions. They express a grammatical and structural relationship between the content words (i.e. nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives) in a sentence.

Overall, spoken fluency relies on having quick access to a variety of lexical chunks.

My C2 Proficiency Online Course revolves around candidates having regular classes (i.e. every three or four days) over a four-month period.
I go into the reasons I teach quite short classes which last around 25 minutes in my post on my journey to becoming an English proficiency tutor. I must state here that the regularity of language classes counts for so much more than the length of a session.

Before going over the various parts of the C2 Proficiency Listening, Speaking, Reading and Use of English and Writing papers with candidates in months three and four, I would ideally devote months one and two to the real-world use of English found in authentic materials. Examples of authentic materials I use with my students include online news articles (especially from the BBC, The Guardian, The Independent), blog posts and TED Talks. Picking out and analysing the many multi-word units in these materials, as well as discussing the main points the authors raise, makes for beneficial preparation for the reading, listening and speaking parts of the C2 Proficiency exam before attempting sample tasks in authentic examination papers.

Anyway, here’s a rough outline of what a four-month C2 Proficiency exam preparation course would look like with me:

I qualified as an English language teacher in 2006 and gained a master’s degree in English Language Teaching in 2011. My first teaching role – from September 2006 – was at a language school in a small town in Poland. I’ve been teaching online since 2013.

I am a hardworking teacher with exceptional credentials. Here are the main reasons why I believe I am able to bring out the best in C2 Proficiency candidates:

• I have written extensive guides to acing the Reading and Use of English parts of the C2 Proficiency exam. I’ve also completed many authentic Reading and Use of English examination papers. Overall, I’m confident I can help you in the areas of time management and recognising, acquiring and producing lexical chunks. Success in the Reading and Use of English paper partially depends on your knowledge of lexical chunks
• I’ve written a comprehensive guide to acing the three parts of the C2 Proficiency Speaking test. I’m aware of the kind of grammatical structures, discourse markers and lexical chunks candidates should learn for this part of the exam
• I am fully aware of what spoken fluency in English entails. Fluent speech revolves around the ability to string together successive lexical chunks, applying connected speech patterns and the use of the schwa sound in unstressed syllables and vowel sounds in function words, such as an, for, and to. Reducing function words can drastically speed up your speech.
• I have a considerable range of materials for use with C2 Proficiency candidates, including authentic examination papers and practice tests prepared by Cambridge English Language Assessment, C2 coursebooks and C2 grammar and vocabulary books

Reference:
Timmis, I. (2015). Corpus Linguistics for ELT: Research and Practice, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge