Certifications of Italian L2 certify the level of proficiency of the Italian language a person has.
The commonest certifications are: CILS, CELI, PLIDA and CIC.
CILS
CILS stands for “Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera -> certification of Italian as a foreign language.” It covers six levels, which correspond to the language proficiency levels appearing in the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference):
| QCER LEVELS | CILS LEVELS | |
| Basic User | A1 | CILS A1 |
| A2 | CILS A2 | |
| Independent User | B1 | CILS UNO – B1 |
| B2 | CILS DUE – B2 | |
| Competent User | C1 | CILS TRE – C1 |
| C2 | CILS QUATTRO – C2 | |
After you have chosen your level, you have to pass an exam composed of five sections to get CILS:
• Listening Comprehension
• Reading Comprehension
• Writing
• Speaking
• Analysis of the structures of communication
For detailed information on each level, please refer to the official guidelines offered by the University of Siena.
For samples of past years’ examinations, please visit the website of the University for Foreigners of Siena.
CELI
CELI stands for “Certificato di conoscenza della Lingua Italiana -> Certificate of Knowledge of Italian Language”. It covers six levels:
| CELI LEVELS | QCER LEVELS |
| CELI Impatto | A1 |
| CELI 1 | A2 |
| CELI 2 | B1 |
| CELI 3 | B2 |
| CELI 4 | C1 |
| CELI 5 | C2 |
In addition to these six levels, there are also two specific levels (limited to CELI impatto, and CELI 1-2) aimed exclusively at immigrants and adolescents.
For detailed information about CELI examinations, please visit the website of the University for Foreigners of Perugia.
Here’s a link where you can find some samples of CELI’s past years’ examinations.
To learn something about PLIDA and CIC have a look at Certifications of Italian L2 (part 2 – PLIDA and CIC)
To learn some tips on how to pass CILS, CELI and PLIDA exams, please refer to:
Exam preparation: CILS, CELI, PLIDA and CIC
How to prepare for CILS, CELI and PLIDA exams – listening
How to prepare for CILS, CELI and PLIDA exams – reading comprehension
How to prepare for CILS, CELI and PLIDA exams – writing
Italian speaking practice – How to prepare for cils celi and plida exams
Thanks for the information.
You’re welcome! Thanks for reading 🙂
Hi!
This page is great, and the links to past papers are very useful.
However, do you have any idea of when can we find past papers with the answers so we can check.
Many thanks and kind regards
Hi Paula,
thanks for reading. For CELI, the answers are included in past papers – look at the end of the papers. For CILS, instead, after you open the level of the past paper you want to download, you’ll find “soluzioni delle prove”, download it, the answers are there. I hope this helps, ciao.