The exam components 

Listening comprehension

The listening comprehension for the B1 Citizenship comprises two short audios and lasts 30 minutes. The two audios contain a conversation between two natives speakers. The “prova” includes multiple-choice questions (with three options). The talks are recorded at medium speak and concerns topics tailored to your intermediate level.

Each audio is played twice.

Reading comprehension & Syntax

In this text, you will be asked to read two short texts (350-450 words long). The text can be presented in emails, articles, magazines, blog posts, and websites that discuss general topics tailored to intermediate levels. The texts are paired with two exercises in which you will have to fill in the missing information. 

This “prova” lasts 40 minutes.

Writing production  

The writing task for the Cils B1 Cittadinanza comprises two short writing prompts and lasts 40 minutes. The tasks can involve an email to ask for information or a describing a personal event or preferences, like in the following examples:

1. Scrivi una festa popolare del tuo paese – Write about a folk festival in your country. 
2. Descrivi un aspetto tipico del tuo paese (una festa, un piatto ecc.) – Describe a typical aspect of your country (a party, a dish, etc.)
3. Hai prenotato una camera in un albergo, ma per motivi di salute non puoi andarci. Scrivi una mail o una lettera al servizio prenotazioni dell’albergo per annullare la prenotazione o chiedere di poterla spostare – You have booked a room in a hotel, but for health reasons you cannot go there. Write an email or a letter to the hotel reservations service to cancel the reservation or ask to be able to move it 

*all the questions have been pulled out of an official CILS Uno for Citizenship exam sample  

Each test should be 80-120 words long. 

Speaking part 

There are two short tasks for the speaking part of the CILS B1 cittadinanza. The first part concerns a brief introduction about yourself, and you will need to answer the following questions:

The second part, which is the core of the speaking part, will involve a conversation with the examiner. The topics to be discussed usually touch on your personal events or preferences. The candidate is expected to express his or her opinions, to show agreement or disagreement and comment on the examiner’s questions and observations.  

• Nel tuo tempo libero ti piace leggere un libro o navigare in internet? Perché? – Do you like reading a book or surfing the internet in your free time? Why? 

• Ti piace la città dove vivi? Che cosa vorresti fare per migliorare la vita nella città dove vivi? – Do you like the city where you live? What would you like to do to improve life in the city where you live?

*all the questions have been pulled out of an official CILS Uno for Citizenship exam sample  

The speaking part shall last 8-10 minutes in total. The presentation of the task 1-2 minutes.

The core part (the dialogue with the examiner on a select topic) shall last 2-3 minutes. 

The examiner will register the oral exam. 

How long do you need to wait to get the result for the exam? 

Your oral exam will be recorded and sent to the Università per Stranieri di Siena, Italy. The university will need a minimum of 45 days to correct your exam. You should expect your results to come within a window of 45-60 days after your exam. And another 40-60 to get the certificate. 

After passing the exam and receiving your certificate, you can submit it to your local Italian consulate or embassy to get your Italian Citizenship.