Ewa Niedzialek, Student, Poland

Why did you choose to take C1 Advanced?

I was never particularly good at English. Then, when I was in my first class in high school, on a class trip to England I fell in love with the country and decided to do everything I could to study there. The first step was to fulfil the requirements concerning the language. I signed up for C1 Advanced and started to work very hard, bearing in mind that this exam would make it possible to fulfil my dream of studying abroad.

How do you think C1 Advanced has helped you to achieve your goals?

I worked so hard for the exam that I got the highest grade. I started to study in Poland, but I still had the dream of studying abroad. I consulted the international co-ordinator at my university and it turned out that I had the chance to go to Sweden for a one-year exchange and take part in a very interesting programme in English. The fact that I had C1 Advanced was enough to convince the university council that I spoke English well enough. The year spent on the exchange was the best in my life. The fact that I had an English certificate enabled me to take that amazing trip and meet fantastic people from around the world.

What would you say to someone thinking about taking C1 Advanced?

What you think of now as an exam can lead to a great adventure – it certainly was the case for me! Signing up for C1 Advanced will motivate you to study much harder and when you find out you’ve passed, you will be over the moon!