What is the difference compared to the CELI and PLIDA certifications?
- CILS: is an Italian certification issued by the University for Foreigners of Siena and is recognised both in Italy and abroad.
- CELI: is an Italian certification issued by the University for Foreigners of Perugia and is recognised both in Italy and abroad.
- PLIDA: is 100% recognised in Italy but as it is issued by a private institution (and not a University like the CILS and CELI), it cannot be guaranteed that it will be recognised in the rest of the world.
When is the next session?
Extraordinary CILS session only for “B1 Cittadinanza”: 22 September 2020
There are always two sessions per year:
- one summer session at the end of May or beginning of June
- one winter session at the beginning of December
If I sign up for one level, can I change it later?
No, when the registration period is closed you can’t change level.
How do I choose the right level for me?
If you are unsure how to evaluate your own level you can:
Furthermore, remember that:
- The A2 level certificate is required to be able to apply for the Residence Card, that is the Permit of Stay for long-term stays
- The B1 level certificate is required to be able to obtain Italian Citizenship
- The B1 and B2 level certificates are usually required to enter into the main Italian universities for those foreign students who wish to follow their degree courses in Italian.
What is the difference between the B1 Standard and the B1 Citizenship?
Can I take the exam in a different place to the one I signed up for?
- No, you have to take the exam in the place you signed up for
- If you have a partial certificate proving you have passed certain parts, and you need to take the exam again for the parts you have not passed, you can choose to sign up in the place you prefer, either in Italy or abroad – see the full list of places here.
How should I prepare for the exam?
- Check the CILS Guidelines
- Practice using the free practice tests available for all levels
- Sign up for the Language Centre’s preparation course (for levels B1, B2 and C1)
- Check the list of books and other materials for the preparation
Can I change the time of the exam?
The exam procedure and timing are fixed so it is not possible to request an individual exam time or session.
If necessary, it is possible to come to an agreement with regards the time for the oral part of the exam, you must set this up with the Teaching Office in good time, however. Remember, in any case, that the oral part of the test is always carried out in the afternoon, after the written part.
Is it possible to cancel registration for the exam?
You can cancel your registration for the exam only for:
- health reasons (accompanied by a medical certificate)
- serious family, study or work reasons (that must coincide with the exact date of the exam). These reasons must be documented or self-certified.
In order to justify your absence, you will have to send us valid documentation at least 15 days after the exam date. The CILS Centre of the University for Foreigners in Siena will evaluate whether or not to accept the justification given.
If the justification is accepted you will not be reimbursed for the payment made towards the exam registration. This payment will be transferred to the following exam session when you will be allowed to take the exam in any CILS centre in the world upon payment of a €10.00 supplement.
What happens if I don’t turn up on the day of the exam?
You will be marked as absent for all the parts of the exam and will forfeit the entire fee you have paid. The result would be analogous to taking the exam and failing all the parts.
How long does the exam last?
Exceptionally, due to the health emergency caused by the spread of the Coronavirus, the extraordinary examination session on 22 September 2020 – open only to candidates for level B1 Citizenship – will include only the oral part of the certification examination. The examination, therefore, will last in total between 12 and 15 minutes.
| | A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 | C2 |
| Total duration | 1h and 45 min. | 2h and 5 min. | 3h and 45 min. | 3h and 45 min. | 4h and 50 min. | 5h and 15 min. |
| Listening | 30 min. | 30 min. | 30 min. | 30 min. | 40 min. | 50 min. |
| Reading comprehension | 30 min. | 40 min. | 50 min. | 50 min. | 1h and 10 min. | 1h and 20 min. |
| Communicative structures | - | - | 1h | 1h | 1h and 15 min. | 1h and 20 min. |
| Break | 15 min. | 15 min. | 15 min. | 15 min. | 15 min. | 15 min. |
| Written production | 30 min. | 40 min. | 1h and 10 min. | 1h and 10 min. | 1h and 30 min. | 1h and 30 min. |
The oral production part will begin after the lunch break.
How many points do I need to pass the exam?
All of the parts of the exam are evaluated centrally by the CILS Certification Centre, where the evaluation criteria for the various skills and test types and the subsequent points system were developed.
The overall score ranges from 60 (in levels A1 and A2) to 100 points (in the other levels). Each part of the test receives a separate score (ranging from 0 to 20).
To obtain the CILS certification you must reach the minimum score in each part of the exam.
Candidates who do not reach the minimum score in each of the parts will receive a partial certification, where the parts successfully passed and those not are specified. The candidate then has a maximum of 18 months in which to complete the certification.
When and how can I find out the exam results?
The CILS Centre will publish the results on the University for Foreigners of Siena website within three months of the exam date.
Exceptions are the results of B1 Citizenship, which are available within 40-45 days of the examination date.
You can find out your exam results by going to http://online.unistrasi.it/riscils.asp and inserting your student number and your date of birth.
The University Language Centre will send you an email to the address you gave when signing up in order to inform you of the results.
What happens if I don’t pass the exam?
If you do not reach the minimum pass mark in all of the parts, you will receive a partial certificate which specifies which parts have been passed and which haven’t.
This partial certificate gives you 18 months in which to then complete the certification. You will be able to register for another session, only paying for the parts which you still have to pass.
If you do not pass any of the parts, you can decide whether or not to sign up for another session, paying for the exam in full.
Except for level B1 Citizenship for which it is not possible to capitalize on the results: if you fail the exam even for one skill you have to repeat the entire exam (paying the full registration fee again).
How can I lodge a complaint about my exam result?
If you want to lodge a complaint about the result or see your own test, you must contact the CILS Centre within 30 days of the date of publication of the results on the website or of receipt of the summary of the exam results.
You have to send your complaint to the Director of the CILS Centre by following all the instructions in the following file: Instructions
The form to be sent completed is the following one: Form
How will I receive my certificate?
When you register for the exam, you must decide whether to pick up the certificate in person (or delegating another person accompanied by a signed authorisation and a copy of your identity card) or whether to receive it by post. In the latter case, you will be liable for all costs, with reference to this price list.
What if my data on the certificate is wrong?
If there are mistakes about your data on the certificate, you can ask to correct your certificate but paying extra costs:
- €20,00 for the personal data correction of the certificate to be sent to Italy
- €30,00 for the personal data correction of the certificate to be sent abroad
To avoid this kind of problem, please be very careful when entering your data in the registration form because they will be the ones that will appear in the certificate.
What is the validity of the certificates obtained?
CILS certificates do not expire.
What happens if I lose my paper certificate?
If you lose your paper certificate you can ask for a duplicate, but you have to pay extra costs:
- €30.00 + €16.00 (for the cost of the revenue stamp) for the duplicate of the certificate to be sent to Italy
- €35,00 + €16,00 (for the cost of the revenue stamp) for the duplicate of the certificate to be sent abroad
