How To Improve Advanced English & Reach Native-Like Mastery

You've reached an advanced level in English. But despite your impressive skills, there's a nagging sense that you're not quite “there” yet.

This frustrating plateau is exactly what Angel, a Cuban living in Florida, described when he contacted me with his language learning challenge:

“I think my English is pretty good, but still when it comes to speaking, I feel there's something that hasn't clicked yet.”

Angel's English is objectively excellent, yet he's experiencing that elusive gap between fluency and native-like mastery.

At an advanced English level, every little improvement becomes harder to achieve, and the path forward isn't always clear. Let's look at some concrete steps you can take to improved your advanced English or any language at advanced level.

If you prefer watching videos to reading, hit play on the video version of this post at the top of this page. Otherwise, here's what you'll discover in this article:

The Challenge Of Advanced English Learning

The basic problem is this: when you get to an advanced level, you don't necessarily need to learn more vocabulary or grammar to communicate better.

You can already communicate perfectly well. But if you're a smart, ambitious learner, you want to come across as an educated, intelligent English speaker, and that's where the real challenge lies.

This isn't just about language learning anymore. It's about education and the extent to which you are educated in the language. You're already totally fluent, so when we talk about improving advanced English, what does that actually mean?

Think about it this way: even as a native English speaker, I frequently meet people who are more educated and articulate than me, who have studied at the best universities in the world.

If I asked myself how I could improve my English, it would be a lifetime's work. What would my goal be? To write like Hemingway? To be an orator like Stephen Fry? To deliver speeches like world leaders?

We can have so many goals, even as native speakers, and there are always things we can improve. The big question you need to answer is: what do you want to do with English in your life? This will give you the guidance you need to move forward.

Without clear goals, you'll end up facing a huge ocean of possibilities for improving your English, with no direction or path to follow. That's why specialisation becomes crucial at the advanced level.

The Power Of Specialisation For Advanced English Learners

At your advanced level, you're in a stage of diminishing returns where everything you study becomes less immediately useful than when you were a beginner or intermediate learner. This is completely normal and expected.

The improvements you make now will be subtler but no less valuable. You're refining your English rather than building it from scratch, and that refinement process requires patience, specialisation and consistent exposure to high-level English.

You need to specialise in something where English is the vehicle, but you're actually studying something else. You don't need to study English anymore.

Instead, you should learn or study something else which uses English, preferably in a situation where you can interact with native speakers.

Here are some practical ways to specialise your advanced English learning:

Formal Education

• Take a master's degree in a subject relevant to your interests or career
• Enrol in professional development courses (your employer might even pay for these)
• Sign up for academic courses that require extensive reading, writing and discussion

Professional Growth

• Pursue industry-specific certifications that involve coursework in English
• Attend professional conferences and workshops
• Join professional associations in your field

Skills-Based Learning

• Take classes in subjects that interest you, whether that's salsa dancing, economics or anything else that gets you out of the house
• Choose something academic if possible, as this will push you outside your comfort zone

The key is to find something that involves lots of reading and writing while requiring you to interact with native speakers.

This approach means you have a clear way forward that's related to your interests or career, rather than studying English in isolation.

Breaking Out Of Your Advanced English Comfort Zone

Many advanced English learners, especially immigrants, find themselves in a comfortable situation. They've created a great life and are very happy, but there's no pressing need to push themselves further linguistically.

The same could be said for many native speakers, except they don't have the language learning question to consider.

If you're in this stable, comfortable situation, pushing yourself academically or professionally is probably the best way to advance your English skills. Look for opportunities that force you outside your comfort zone.

Additional Strategies For Advanced English Improvement

• Standardised Testing Consider taking the IELTS exam and aim for a band 8 or 8.5. Having a concrete goal can provide direction and motivation for your studies.
• Public Speaking Join organisations like Toastmasters, which forces you to practise public speaking. This directly addresses the speaking confidence issues that many advanced learners face.
• One-on-One Coaching Work with a highly qualified teacher who can identify and address the specific gaps in your advanced English skills.

The Foundation Of All Advanced English Learning

Here's something that Stephen King said that's relevant to advanced English learners: if you want to be a great writer, you first have to be a great reader.

We often consider writers to be the people who use language in its best form, the most artistic linguists in the language.

If you want to think of someone who really knows English, you turn to an author. If we hold that as the gold standard, then the single best way to improve your advanced English and reach a native-like level is to read extensively.

This brings us back to a fundamental truth: reading remains one of the most powerful tools for advanced English improvement, even at the highest levels.

Advanced English FAQ

Moving Forward With Your Advanced English

The path to native-like proficiency isn't about learning more English in the traditional sense. It's about using English as a tool to pursue other interests and goals while continuously challenging yourself in environments where native speakers gather.

Whether you choose academic study, professional development, public speaking or extensive reading, the key is to pick something that motivates and excites you.

Your advanced English journey should align with your personal and professional aspirations, making the language learning process purposeful and sustainable.

Reaching an advanced level is an achievement in itself. The next steps are about refinement, specialisation and using English as the sophisticated tool it has become for you.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.