Chloe is an Expat living in Zürich (Switzerland).
She is a PhD student in Experimental Particle Physics at the University of Zurich.
She started my online-program “From Zero to C1 in 25 Minutes a Day” at A2 last year.
My Program offered her a structured learning system that she could easily integrate into her busy life.
Step-by-step she has been improving her German by developing a better understanding of grammar and sentence structure and growing her confidence in expressing herself when speaking.
In March this year, she gave it a try and took the official B1 TELC exam.
She was able to pass it with an incredible 100% score in Speaking, 100% score in Reading and 100% score in Writing:
- Reading: 75/75 (100%)
- Listening: 72,5/75 (97%)
- Writing: 45/45 (100%)
- Speaking: 75/75 (100%)
Here’s a complete interview I did with her so you can learn from her journey going through my program.
Let’s jump right into it.
Chloe,
What did you try before starting with my program “From Zero to C1”?
When I moved to Switzerland I started trying to learn German with Duolingo, and classes offered by the university.
What was your biggest challenge you faced with learning German?
It never seemed like I was making consistent progress, especially with my confidence in speaking. The university classes were also only for a few weeks at a time, and with my work travel it was hard to attend them all. My work colleagues all speak English to each other, so there wasn’t much opportunity in daily life to practise German.
What kind of program were you looking for?
I was looking for a structured program that I could fit into my life.
What was your goal when you started?
Eventually I wanted to take a B1 exam so I could apply for my permanent residence permit when the time came around. I also wanted to improve my confidence with the language, to feel more capable to communicate in my daily life.
What struck you the most the first time you came across my program?
The structure was exactly what I needed. It was clear to see the steps I needed to make to progress each week.
What was the big difference between my program and the way you learned German before?
The focus on listening was a revelation to me, especially through listening to another learner at my level.
What are some of the results you’ve achieved so far going through my program?
Quite early on I found that my confidence had increased. Having brief exchanges in German in my daily life no longer filled me with terror. I feel I have a solid foundation in grammar and vocabulary, which recently helped me finish reading my first book in German, something I thought was still many years away.
How did you prepare for your B1 exam to pass it with flying colors?
My husband and I were taking the exam at the same time, so we motivated each other. We tried several practise exams together, and I went through lots of flashcards to improve my vocabulary. At the same time I was rereading a book I’d read previously as a child, but this time in German, for some less structured learning. I also scheduled some 1 on 1 speaking sessions with Manuel and Dan to get feedback on my speaking skills and practise some of the speaking exercises that would be in the exam.
How long did it take to prepare your B1 exam?
I started the A2 course in April 2019 and the B1 course in July. Then I took a bit of a break, and only booked the exam in December, which is when I started preparing more consistently. The exam was in March 2020 (just before the lockdown!).
What was the most difficult part in the exam?
The speaking part was most difficult because working with a partner means you can’t control the whole situation, and it seemed sometimes that we were getting off-track. Also the regional accents in the listening part were challenging.
Which specific resources helped you the most along the way?
Along the way, I think I listened to every audio file in the A2 and B1 programs. If I had more time one week, I listened to an optional one from a previous week.
How did you stay focused and motivated through the program?
Each day there was only a small task to complete, so completing the program didn’t seem like a mountain to climb.
How did you manage to combine a full-time job and learning German on the side?
On my commute each day I would be listening to a class, at lunchtime I would take a few minutes to do my flashcards- it usually wasn’t too difficult. For full disclosure, I wasn’t working for two months last summer, so I managed to focus much more on German in that time.
How did a typical daily learning routine look like?
At the start of each week I would download all the material so I could learn whenever I had time. This was usually when I was walking somewhere or on public transport. I tried to find times where I had enough time for at least half of the audio, so I didn’t have to start and stop frequently. For the flashcards, this was usually split up into lots of small chunks in the day.
How much time did you spend daily on average for your learning?
The audio was maybe half an hour per day, the flashcards maybe 15 minutes. Including other material, like other German podcasts, or watching TV with subtitles, added up to an hour or two each day.
What did you emphasize the most when learning?
For me I realised that even listening passively had big effects, so I really made sure to listen to every resource in the courses.
What was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it?
The hardest obstacle was finding this program! Once I started and realised this was really the best way for me to learn, I found myself quite motivated.
What was the most important thing that helped you become more fluent in speaking?
Listening, listening and listening! Even passively listening improved my vocabulary, pronunciation, and feel for the language.
What helped you the most to overcome the fear of speaking to others?
This was really difficult at first but having a solid grounding in grammar through the Fluency Tests gave me much more confidence.
“From Zero To C1 in 25 Minutes a Day” is my All-Inclusive, complete, step-by-step, no fuss, hassle free 75 Lessons online program (yes, only 15 lessons for each Module A1/A2/B1/B2/C1) for Busy Professionals like you, so you can go from scratch to become fluent and confident to join meetings with your colleagues, negotiate with your clients and give presentations in front of your bosses IN GERMAN. Even if you have a busy working schedule.
If you’d like to be added to the Waiting List of “From Zero to C1”, enter your information below, and you’ll be the first to know when I re-open the course.