This study analyses initial learner profiles, in terms of language level in English, learner autonomy, attachment and self-determination, of 174 students, with metrics established using previously validated instruments. It then documents 9 of these students’ contacts with English and their progress in the language over the 10 months of their first year in higher education, using logbook and classroom observation data. Using a self-determination framework and referring to constructs such as attachment, motivation and autonomy, it examines possible relations between initial profiles and subsequent learning trajectories, in and out of the classroom, over the course of the year. The 9 case-studies are shown to be representative of the cohort and lead to the emergence of three learner profiles: the pawn, the independent user and the good language learner.