Certification of Italian as a Foreign Language
The Certificates of Italian are titles attesting the degree of communication skills in Italian as a Foreign Language. Potential recipients include foreign citizens, Italian citizens residing abroad (of Italian origin), and foreign immigrants in Italy.
No previous degree is required to take the exams.
For the administration of the exams through the Italian Culture Institutes, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has signed agreements with the following institutions:
Università per Stranieri di Perugia (CELI – CIC)
Università per Stranieri di Siena (CILS)
Università degli Studi Roma Tre (IT - ele.IT)
Società Dante Alighieri (PLIDA)
The certifications are consistent with the parameters set by the European Union’s Framework of Reference for Languages.
| |
Università per Stranieri di Perugia |
Università per Stranieri di
Siena |
Università degli Studi di Roma Tre |
Dante Alighieri |
LEVEL C2
Padronanza |
CELI 5
|
CILS Quattro-C2 |
IT |
PLIDA C2 |
LEVEL C1
Efficacia |
|
CILS Tre-C1 |
------ |
PLIDA C1 |
LEVEL B2
Progresso |
CELI3 |
CILS Due B2 |
------ |
PLIDA B2 |
LEVEL B1
Soglia |
CELI2 |
CILS Uno B1 |
ele.IT |
PLIDA B1 |
LEVEL A2
Sopravvivenza |
CELI1 |
CILS A2 |
------ |
PLIDA A2 |
LEVEL A1
Contatto |
CELI1 |
CILS A1 |
------ |
PLIDA A1 |
|
|
|
|
|
How to take the exams abroad
Certification exams can be taken abroad. They are administered by the Italian Cultural Institutes or other authorized institutions. In New York, the Italian Cultural Institute offers CILS exams (on behalf of the Università per Stranieri di Siena) twice a year – the first week of June and the first week of December of each year. A registration fee is required in order to take the exam.
Registration with the Italian Cultural Institute
The dates for the 2010 CILS exams are: June 10 and December 2. Applicants must send a filled-out Application Form, photocopy of an ID (passport or driver’s license), and check or money order for the registration fee corresponding to the level of the exam they wish to take. The complete application must be sent by mail no later than 60 days before the exam date (for the June 10, 2010 session, applications must be sent no later than April 10, 2010. Checks or money orders should be payable to: Istituto Italiano di Cultura, 686 Park Ave, New York, NY 10065.
Students who have already taken the exam and passed only some of the proficiency tests, may repeat the incomplete test(s) within one year from the date of the first exam.
IMPORTANT:
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE EXAMS WILL ONLY TAKE PLACE IF THE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES IS MORE THAN 8.
Registration fees:
| Level |
Fee |
Fee for each proficiency ** |
| A1* |
€ 40 |
€ 12 |
| A2* |
€ 40 |
€ 12 |
| UNO B1 |
€ 90 |
€ 20 |
| DUE B2 |
€ 105 |
€ 23 |
| TRE C1 |
€ 135 |
€ 30 |
| QUATTRO C2 |
€160 |
€ 35 |
* Levels A1 e A2 consist of 4 tests, all other levels consist of 5.
** Applicable to test(s) not passed in a previous exam.
Fees are in Euro. For registration to exams administered by the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, applicants should refer to the Consular exchange rate of € 1 = US$1.427966
Registration fees are NOT refunded. In case serious and properly proven reasons (health, family, work, study, etc.), students who were unable to take the exam may transfer the paid fee to the next session of exams.
Preparation
To support individual preparation, applicants can borrow from the Italian Cultural Institute CD copies of past CILS exams. Copies are available for free on “first come first served” basis.
Samples from the 2005 exams, in PDF format, can also be downloaded by clicking the links below:
Level A1
Level A2
Level B1
Level B2
Samples from the 2008 exams, in PDF format, can also be downloaded by clicking the links below:
Level A1
Produzione orale
Quaderno d'esame
Trascrizione delle prove d'ascolto
Level A2
Produzione orale
Quaderno d'esame
Trascrizione delle prove d'ascolto
Level B1
Produzione orale
Quaderno d'esame
Trascrizione delle prove d'ascolto
Level B2
Produzione orale
Quaderno d'esame
Trascrizione delle prove d'ascolto
Level C1
Produzione orale
Quaderno d'esame
Trascrizione delle prove d'ascolto
Level C2
Produzione orale
Quaderno d'esame
Trascrizione delle prove d'ascolto
Results
Applicants can access the results of their exam on the website of the Università di Siena (see above), by keying in their “numero di matricola” and their birthdate. It is also possible to access the results by sending a written request to the Italian Cultural Institute of New York.