How to Move from B2 to C1 English: A Skills-Gap Plan That Produces Evidence

The jump from B2 to C1 is less about collecting “advanced words” than about controlling language under pressure, across longer texts and less predictable tasks. A useful plan starts with evidence of where control breaks down.

Audit six domains separately

Record a speaking sample, write a timed text, read a demanding article, listen to an unscripted discussion, and review recurring grammar and vocabulary errors. Do not average everything into one vague level label.

Use the C1 grammar checklist and C1 vocabulary plan as diagnostic references, not lists to memorise.

Work in cycles

Choose two bottlenecks for four weeks, then reassess. A fluent speaker whose writing overclaims needs a different programme from a careful writer whose speech collapses under time pressure.

For speaking, compare recordings with C1 nuanced answers. For reading, use the C1 reading routine in this expansion. Measure transfer: can you retrieve and adapt the language without prompts?