Technique2 min read
Why you should record every practice attempt
You can't hear your own omissions while you're speaking. Playback shows you exactly what an examiner would hear.
Blog
Practical advice for the CCL: how it's marked, how to take notes, and how to spend the weeks before your test.
Study plan2 min read
A four-week CCL practice plan
A realistic schedule for the month before your test — what to practise each week and how to know you're ready.
Technique2 min read
Matching register — speaking as formally as the speaker does
Register is part of the marking. If a client speaks politely and you interpret bluntly, the meaning arrives but the tone doesn't.
Technique2 min read
Numbers, dates and names — the details that cost the most
A wrong figure changes meaning, so examiners treat it seriously. Here is how to drill the small details until they stop being a risk.
Technique2 min read
A note-taking system for 35-word segments
CCL segments are short, but numbers, names and lists still slip away. A small set of symbols and a fixed page layout keep them on paper.
Test guide2 min read
How the CCL test is marked, and where the marks go
The CCL starts you at 90 and takes marks away. Here is what examiners deduct for, and what that means for how you practise.