Self-assessment

Listening

In general, I understand spoken English very well regardless the dialect, although I still find Scottish and Irish English quite challenging. When it comes to movies and radio programmes, I thoroughly understand the majority of general topics as well as selected scientific topics related to my area of study. Neither TV programmes nor films cause me troubles.

Speaking

I find myself quite fluent, I can express myself without much effort. I do not tend to search for the right expressions for a longer time, and if so, I am able to substitute them with appropriate synonyms quite quickly. I do not find it difficult to react to unexpected situations and I usually do not take long to respond. In my opinion, I can sound very proficient, especially when talking about specific topics repeatedly, for example at work.

Writing

I do not find it complicated to express myself through written utterance. Mostly I use appropriate vocabulary and style considering discussed topics. I always plan the structure of my written texts to make them meaningful and am able to aptly conclude my ideas.

Reading

I find myself very confident at reading, it is probably my strongest skill. Scientific articles and books from various fields are always a challenge for me. If I find a word I do not understand, I just skip it and continue reading without being interrupted by my ignorance, but of course I come back to it later and find its meaning.

Pronunciation

This is probably my weakest point. Even though I try to sound as good as I can, I still feel that I cannot orientate at one type of English accent at all and I have a tendency to mix mainly RP and GA together. I should definitely work harder on this skill.