I’ve found that improvement in writing and speaking tends to lag behind progress in reading and listening. In particular, writing allows for revision and refinement, while speaking is often immediate and less structured, with little room for correction unless you've memorized exactly what to say. My exam results echoed this belief. With a passing grade of 60, I scored 77 in reading, 73 in listening, 70 in writing, and 62 in speaking.
It’s worth noting that my speaking exam was an unforgettable experience—I trembled and struggled to stay composed. The sudden drop in temperature that day, combined with my nerves, made me tremble while I was talking. For people like me, who get easily flustered, it might help to practice casual conversation with strangers more often.
The Significance of Feedback in Bridging the Gap
Producing language is challenging in two major ways: grammar and vocabulary. There’s a difference between knowing the rules and using them under pressure, and bridging that gap takes a lot of practice.
Internalizing grammar rules is like (re)building new habits; both your conscious and unconscious mind play a role. I realized this early on and continue to work on it. When I respond quickly or write something spontaneously, I often make mistakes that I would avoid if I were more deliberate. My teachers have repeatedly given me the same feedback: I tend to rush, and in doing so, I make mistakes I otherwise wouldn't. One piece of advice I received was to slow down, think before speaking, and review my writing carefully. I’ve tried following this advice, but it’s hard to tell if I’m speaking more slowly and correctly, or if I’m just slowing down without fixing the errors.
For example, even though I know that after the prepositions like mit require the dative case, yet I still catch myself saying mit der/die/das instead of mit dem/der/dem. The same thing happened with "mit mich/dich" when it should be "mit mir/dir." Another example: I used to say "Ich glaube so" until I learned that "Ich glaube schon" was the correct phrase. These are mistakes I wouldn’t have realized on my own if I hadn’t been corrected. Now, I sometimes catch myself making the error right after I say it, but at least I can correct it. It’s frustrating to receive the same feedback over and over, but for me, it’s part of the process of learning a language.
Interestingly, corrections made in front of others tend to stick with me longer because they carry a certain emotional weight. Once the initial blushing fades, acceptance will follow. Knowing that I wouldn’t repeat the same mistake again made the embarrassment worthwhile.
Acquiring Active Vocabulary Through Feedback
When it comes to vocabulary, the difference between passive and active use is significant. As much as I was eager to expand my vocabulary, I wanted to experiment with new words as soon as I learned them. During class, I was often encouraged to stick to words I was 100% sure of. But I saw those mistakes as valuable learning moments, even if it meant making more mistakes initially.
For instance, while both vorziehen and bevorzugen mean "to prefer," they are used differently. Vorziehen compares two options, with the preferred object coming first as an accusative (direct) object and the second as a dative (indirect) object. Bevorzugen, on the other hand, is used when favoring just one object in the accusative case unless it is used with preposition "vor". I initially failed to note this distinction, and as a result, used them incorrectly until I was corrected.
Thanks to the relentless corrections I received, I also learned about the nuances of various verbs. For example, ermöglichen means "to make something possible," while provozieren and verursachen both mean "to lead to something," often with negative consequences.
In retrospect, I could have avoided these mistakes had I paid closer attention to the finer details or recorded the nuances of their usage when I first learned the words. Nevertheless, this process of trial and error proved to be a valuable part of my learning experience.
Additionally, this presents the new task of revisiting my vocabulary list, but that’s just part of the journey, and I will be happy with the progress I will make. Again, having a native speaker near who could provide corrections would make a significant difference in this step.
Gathering and Leveraging Feedback
In summary, I believe that writing and speaking improve through consistent practice, correction, and the discovery of personal patterns. But where do you go for help? In preparation for my exam, I could get immediate feedback on reading and listening exercises, but with writing and speaking, it’s harder to know if my work was error-free, not to mention whether my flow or word choice was appropriate.
I turned to several sources for feedback: during the class, group study sessions, and through platforms like italki, where I took part in writing and speaking challenges. Italki offers both paid options for group and private lessons for speaking, though I stuck to the writing challenges as I was still focused on grammar and vocabulary development at that time. Sometimes, I also turned to AI tools like DeepL, LanguageTool and ChatGPT for additional help.
After receiving quality feedback, I would review the material and compiled the mistakes into a personal database. This list allowed me to track my progress and identify patterns in my errors. Every mistake was a stepping stone, and the journey toward fluency became more rewarding with each correction.
Sample of feedback on my writing
Self-correction after a quick write-up helps reduce errors.