CILS

CILS, Certification of Italian as a foreign language

The CILS certificate was created by the University of Siena and certifies the linguistic and communication skills of Italian as a second language.

The CILS certification has been the first to apply six levels of linguistic competence communicative of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and to offer specific recognition for foreign workers in Italy.

There are 6 levels of CILS certification

Basic learner level

• CILS A1 (Level A1): children module, adolescents module, a module for integration in Italy and adult module.
• CILS A2 (Level A2): children module, adolescents module, a module for integration in Italy and adult module.

Medium level

• CILS 1 (Level B1): adults module and adolescents module.
• CILS 2 (Level B2): adult module.

Advanced level

• CILS Three (Level C1): adult module.
• CILS Four (Level C2): adult module.

CILS exam

The exam has five individual parts. The duration of each test depends on the level.

Here are the five different tests

• Audition test (audio is heard, and then you have to answer in writing the questions about the audio),
• Analysis of the structure of communication (Grammar).
• Reading comprehension (reading a text and answering in writing the questions about it).
• Written production (written on a given subject).
• Oral production (Conversation and monologue on a topic of choice).

To obtain the certificate, you must reach a minimum of 11 out of 20 points in each test. If the student only reaches the necessary points in some tests, it is unnecessary to repeat the whole exam, but only the part that has not been approved. It is necessary to repeat the test within 18 months.