How to Move Up a Level at Your Language School

When You've Outgrown Your Class

A few weeks into your course, you might start to feel it: the exercises finish too quickly, you already know most of the vocabulary, your teacher's corrections are aimed at the person next to you rather than you. This is a good problem to have. It means you've made progress and the placement test on day one put you in the right class for that moment — but you've moved ahead of it. Here's what to do.

How Mid-Course Level Reviews Work

Most accredited Irish language schools have a structured process for moving students between levels. It typically goes like this:

• Talk to your teacher first — not reception. Your class teacher is the starting point. Tell them directly that you feel the level isn't challenging you enough. Be specific: give examples of what feels too easy. Teachers respond better to evidence than to general frustration.
• The teacher assesses you. They'll observe your work over several days or give you a short written and spoken assessment — usually similar to the initial placement test. This is not a test you can fail. Just perform as you normally would in class.
• The Academic Coordinator or Director of Studies decides. At most schools, a senior academic makes the final call in consultation with your teacher. The process typically takes three to seven working days.

What Teachers Actually Look For

Moving up a level isn't just about vocabulary size. Teachers are assessing whether you can:

• Use the current level's grammar structures accurately in unscripted conversation, not just in controlled exercises
• Understand and respond naturally at normal speaking pace without frequent requests to repeat
• Write at the current level's standard with consistent accuracy
• Handle topic changes and unexpected questions — not just rehearsed answers

Signs that are usually taken as strong indicators: you finish tasks significantly faster than the class, you rarely make errors the class is still working on, and you sometimes help classmates understand points the teacher has just explained.

What If the Answer Is Not Yet?

If the teacher says you're not ready, ask immediately for specific feedback. Which skills still need work — grammar, listening, speaking fluency, or writing? A good teacher will give you a targeted answer. Use that answer as a personal study plan and revisit the conversation in two to three weeks.

If you feel the teacher's assessment is genuinely inaccurate, ask to speak with the Academic Coordinator for a second opinion. This is a perfectly normal request at Irish language schools and will not cause offence.

What to Expect in the New Class

• You'll move at the start of the following week in most cases. Your timetable or classroom may change — collect a new schedule from reception.
• Expect the first week in the new level to feel harder than your previous class. That is exactly the point.
• If you moved mid-term, ask your new teacher what topics the class has already covered. Most teachers will give you a brief catch-up session or a list of the main grammar points to review independently.
• Give the new level at least two full weeks before deciding whether it's the right fit. Initial difficulty is normal and tends to resolve quickly once your ear adjusts.

One Thing to Avoid

Don't push to move up simply because a classmate you respect has been moved, or because you feel you should be at a higher level for social reasons. The right class is the one where you're learning, not the one that feels most prestigious. Being genuinely stretched in your current level is worth more than being lost in the next one.

How Departi Can Help

Departi's Placement Test gives you a precise CEFR level score before you arrive in Ireland — so you enter your school's placement process with an objective benchmark, not just a feeling. If you retake it mid-course, the score drift tells you concretely how much progress you've made and gives you solid evidence to bring to your teacher when you ask for a review.