Everything You Need to Know About the CILS Exam in Italian

My Experience of Sitting it 5 Times in Moscow

I have a lot of experience taking the CILS exam — I’ve sat it five times in total: twice at B2, once at C1, and twice at C2. More and more people have been asking me about it, so I’m sharing what I know.

The information in this article was accurate at the time of writing — 5 December 2016. Please check the official sources via the links below for the most up-to-date details.

What is this exam?

CILS — Certificazione d’Italiano come Lingua Straniera — is an Italian-as-a-foreign-language certificate. It’s the most common international Italian exam. It’s administered by the University for Foreigners of Siena (Università per Stranieri di Siena). In Italian, the name is pronounced “cheels”.

There are other Italian exams too — the difference is which institution runs them:

• CELI — University for Foreigners of Perugia (Università per Stranieri di Perugia)
• PLIDA — Dante Alighieri Society (Società Dante Alighieri)
• CERT.IT — Roma Tre University (Università degli Studi di Roma Tre)
• DITALS — also by the University of Siena, but for teachers of Italian as a foreign language

Official information about CILS is on the University of Siena website: http://cils.unistrasi.it

Where is it held?

In Moscow, the CILS exam is administered by the Italian Cultural Institute: http://www.iicmosca.esteri.it

The exam exists at all six levels, from A1 to C2, but in the Moscow Italian Cultural Institute it is offered only from B1 upwards. For immigration, A2 is usually enough. For entering an Italian university, B2 is enough — and this certificate allows you not to sit the university’s internal Italian entry test. You don’t have to take levels one by one: you can register for any level depending on your preparation.

In my opinion, there’s little point in taking A-level exams at all. If you’re very nervous and just want to try it and see what it’s like, go straight for B1 — it’s easy, doesn’t take long, and it won’t bite.

The venue changes; usually it’s a university or school building. The location is announced in advance on the Institute’s website and by email (if you provided an email address on your application). Sometimes the written and oral parts of the same exam take place at different locations, so pay attention.

When can you take it?

The exam takes place twice a year: in June (around the 10th) and December (around the 1st). The written part is on Thursday, and the oral part is held separately on Friday.

Registration opens 2–3 months in advance. You need to come to the Cultural Institute in person with your international passport, submit an application, and pay the fee. The registration days and times appear on the Institute’s website as soon as registration opens — don’t miss it. Payment is cash only, in euros.

When you register for the first time, you’ll be assigned an individual number — your matricola. Remember it well (or write it down very carefully): you’ll need it to check your results, and you must know it when retaking the exam (same or another level). Candidates are called candidati.

How much does it cost?

The 2016 fees were:

• CILS Uno (B1) — €60 (€20 to resit one component)
• CILS Due (B2) — €70 (€23 to resit one component)
• CILS Tre (C1) — €80 (€25 to resit one component)
• CILS Quattro (C2) — €90 (€28 to resit one component)

Compared with international English exams, the prices are very reasonable. And unlike most English exams (where you must retake the entire exam every time), CILS can be retaken in separate parts, which makes it even nicer.

Exam structure and format

The exam has five parts: four written components and one speaking.

All four written components are taken on the same day (Thursday). You need to arrive by 8:30 a.m. — ideally 10–15 minutes earlier. This is strict: after 8:30, they genuinely won’t let you in.

Bring:

• your international passport
• the payment receipt
• a couple of black gel pens

I recommend also bringing a bottle of plain water and something sweet — a banana or a chocolate bar — for the break. There’s only one break, after the first three parts, before the fourth (creative) one. Your brain will ask for sugar all by itself.

The written part lasts different amounts of time depending on the level. For the oral part you come the next day (Friday) at your assigned time. Lists showing who should come when are posted on your classroom door during the written exam. If you act quickly after the written part, you can ask to switch to a time that suits you — ideally by swapping slots with another candidate.

The examiners are Russians and Italians who work at the Institute and speak excellent Russian. They’re lovely people: they’ll help with everything organisational (not with the answers, of course). During the oral part they provide great support — talking to them is genuinely enjoyable.

All written tasks are in a special booklet (quaderno, pronounced “kwah-DAIR-no”), which also serves as your draft paper. During each component you are not allowed to open the next one, even if you finish early. You mark answers and do tasks in the booklet, and then you must transfer your answers to a separate answer sheet using a black gel pen.

Each component has its own answer sheet, and at the start of the exam you stick your personal barcode label onto it. The barcode label is called an etichetta. They explain everything in detail before the exam. You can (and should) ask any organisational questions, ideally before the exam starts (the exam itself begins at 9:00), so you don’t disturb others later.

By the way, during the written part examiners are supposed to walk between the rows, and they often discuss organisational things out loud. So if you’re used to working in total silence with nothing moving in the room — you’ll have to get used to it.

The booklet is collected at the end of the written exam. Anything written in the draft booklet — and any notes — are not considered.

According to the rules, the only things allowed on your desk are your pen and the exam materials they give you. You may have a bottle of water. Your phone must be in your bag and must not make any sounds. Your bag must be under the desk. If necessary, check silent mode several times: a ringing phone — or holding a phone in your hands — gets you removed from the exam. Try to resolve all organisational issues before 9:00, and then don’t disturb others.

Written part

Exam schedule:

The higher the level, the harder the material and the less time you have. The difference is most striking between B2 and C1. That’s where you really feel the gap between “Italian for everyday life” and “Italian for professional use”.

One more feature: from session to session, task difficulty shifts slightly. For example, in June listening may be relatively harder and reading easier — and in December it’s often the other way around. This makes it quite manageable to pass the exam in parts over several attempts. At C2 this no longer really works: every component includes both easier and harder tasks.

Ascolto — Listening

It has 3 tasks:

1. listen to a text and answer multiple-choice questions
2. listen to a text and answer multiple-choice questions
3. listen to a text and select only the statements that were mentioned (naturally, phrased differently)

The higher the level, the more fluent the speech you hear. At C1 and C2, the speed is similar — but at C2 the audio sounds as if the speakers were recorded onto a vinyl record, then copied onto a cassette recorder, and you’re listening to that cassette player inside a cooking pot. The equipment at the exam is fine — it’s the recording that’s like that, deliberately.

For example, I listen to Italian radio online in excellent digital quality. It’s fluent, natural native speech — but apparently that’s still only “C1 level”. So for C2 you need to practise in more extreme conditions.

Comprensione della lettura (Lettura) — Reading

It has 3 tasks:

1. read a text and answer multiple-choice questions
2. read a text and select which statements were in the text
3. build a coherent story from sentences that are given out of order

Analisi delle strutture di comunicazione (Metalinguistica) — Vocabulary and grammar

It has 4 tasks.

For B1 and B2:

1. fill gaps in a text: for B1 with articles and simple/combined prepositions; for B2 with adjectives and pronouns
2. fill gaps with verbs in the correct form (verbs are provided)
3. fill gaps by choosing one word out of four similar in meaning
4. rephrase: choose one of four options closest in meaning to the original sentence

For C1 and C2:

1. fill gaps with any words (usually one word per gap; nothing is provided)
2. fill gaps with verbs in the correct form (verbs are not provided)
3. fill gaps by choosing one word out of four similar in meaning
4. paraphrase sentences (the beginning of the new sentence is given)

Produzione scritta (Scrittura) — Writing

It has 2 tasks.

For B1:

1. a short personal text (holidays, friends, travel) in the present tense, 100–120 words
2. a letter to a friend, 80–100 words

For B2:

1. a personal story in the past tense, 120–140 words
2. a formal letter, 80–100 words

For C1 and C2:

1. an extended argument on one of two topics (essay): 150–170 words (C1), 200–250 words (C2)
2. a formal letter on one of two topics: 100–120 words (C1), 120–150 words (C2)

Formal letters require the appropriate register. The writing is assessed not only for completing the task, but also for using grammar and vocabulary appropriate to the exam level. Try to include all tenses and moods you know, a few good idioms, and topic-related vocabulary.

Produzione orale — Speaking

The oral part lasts 10 minutes at B1 and B2, and 15 minutes at C1 and C2. It flies by. In that time you must complete two tasks — a dialogue and a monologue — and show everything you can do. Bring your passport for the oral part too. For each task, you get four topics to choose from.

Variety of grammar and vocabulary is assessed here as well, so it’s a good idea to use every verb form you know at least once across the tasks and add a couple of idioms (as long as they fit). At C1 and C2, they also expect strong topic vocabulary. For instance, if you choose ecology, you can mention the ozone layer, sorting and recycling waste, deforestation, reusing materials, and so on.

You receive a sheet with two tasks. Each task has several topics to choose from. You get time to read all the options and choose, then you state your choice, and your preparation time starts. You are not allowed to take notes — and with limited time it would only get in the way. Just focus and say everything you know.

The examiner’s goal is not to “fail” you — quite the opposite. The dialogue questions are easy and logically follow what you’ve already said. When the examiner sees your thought is finished, they ask the next question. When time is up, they signal to you with a gesture. You should finish your sentence, take a breath, and stop.

The monologue works the same way: several topics, you name your choice, prepare, and then start speaking at the agreed moment. You can address the examiners (they actively listen and nod), or stare at the sheet and rattle it off — whatever is easier for you; the recorder doesn’t care. When time is up, you’re signalled again: finish the sentence and you’re free. The examiners also check the recorder to make sure your voice was recorded properly. It always is.

Because it’s hard to immerse yourself in an Italian-speaking environment back home and really “get talking”, it’s very useful to warm up your mouth (seriously!) with a couple of acting exercises and listen to any Italian audio on the way to the exam. When preparing, it’s best to work through oral tasks from a prep book, covering all topics one by one, starting with the hardest. As soon as you walk into the room, don’t be shy — start speaking Italian with the examiners straight away.

— Buongiorno! Posso mettere la borsa qui? Grazie. Ecco il mio passaporto. Quando posso cominciare? Quanto tempo ho per prepararmi?

That way I’m warmed up and fully ready to think and speak in Italian when the recording starts.

Exam results

Each component is worth a maximum of 20 points, so the total maximum is 100. For a component to count as passed, you need at least 11 points (a bit more than half correct). Whether you pass the whole exam is determined not by your total score, but by passing each component. If even one component isn’t passed, then the whole exam is considered failed.

You can check results on the University of Siena website here: http://online.unistrasi.it/riscils.asp

You need to enter your matricola number and your date of birth. Don’t lose that number — write it down so you can find it even years later. For some reason, the Institute finds it difficult to locate you in the system by surname or other details, but without the matricola you can’t resit parts and you can’t even register for the next level.

Certificate

If you pass, you can collect your certificate from the Cultural Institute roughly around the time registration opens for the next session. Information about ready certificates is always published on the Institute’s website. The certificate is handed out right at the security desk — bring your passport.

Resits

On the University of Siena results page you’ll see your score for each component. Failed components (below 11) are highlighted in red. In the next two sessions — i.e. within a year — you can come back and retake only the components you didn’t pass. If after two sessions you still haven’t passed those parts (which is rare — you’d have to really try to do no preparation for half a year), then you have to retake the entire exam from scratch.

Results take a while to appear, so I don’t recommend dropping your studies right after the exam. Rest properly, treat yourself to something nice as a reward — and keep practising a little. I know how much you want to abandon everything, burn it down, and never see those “quaderni” again — so switch to something else: books, magazines, films, music, cooking.

What matters most?

T for timing. You must be able to manage your time well. The best way is to practise doing the full tasks at home — there are loads of mock tests and prep materials online. During the exam, the board will show when each component starts and ends, so bring a watch (phones are not allowed!) and plan your time. If a component has 4 tasks and only 90 minutes, you have about 20 minutes per task plus 10 minutes to transfer answers.

Tasks where you must write full sentences are best done directly on the answer sheet. This especially applies to the Metalinguistica component (Analisi delle strutture di comunicazione), where you have to paraphrase long sentences. If you spend time doing “nice handwriting” first on draft, time will likely run out and they’ll literally take the paper from your hands and you won’t be allowed to finish. Everyone must have equal conditions; giving someone even one extra minute is unfair to the others.

Links

University for Foreigners of Siena: http://www.unistrasi.it/ Exam results page: http://online.unistrasi.it/riscils.asp Italian Cultural Institute in Moscow: http://www.iicmosca.esteri.it/

Preparation materials

Past exam sessions’ materials: http://cils.unistrasi.it/89/188/Esempi_di_prove_di_esami.htm

Official preparation book (Guerra Edizioni): https://www.guerra-edizioni.com/books/index.cfm?node=0,1,22,1007,100

Essentially, that book contains materials from four exams from different sessions, and it comes with audio. You can also browse forums and find even more materials.

The Italian Cultural Institute also runs preparatory courses for the exam each session.

Good luck with the exam!

The Italian equivalent of “Break a leg!” is: — In bocca al lupo! — Crepi!