CILS B1 Cittadinanza (Citizenship): Speaking Part

If you’re here, it’s because you’ve already scheduled (or plan to schedule) your Cils B1 Cittadinanza exam in order to obtain your Italian citizenship. 

This post aims to dispel any doubts and help you succeed in the speaking portion of the Cittadinanza exam. As you are aware, the Citizenship exam also includes reading, listening, grammar, and writing sections; however, many students find the speaking portion to be the most intimidating, as you will be put on the spot, right in front of the examiner, and will be prompt and asked to discuss topics in a foreign language.How does the exam work? 

The CILS B1 Cittadinanza (speaking part)

The total time for the exam is 2.05 hours. The entire exam is made up of different tasks, but in this article, we will concentrate on the speaking task, which is the final part of the exam. The speaking section is only 10 minutes long and consists of two tasks 

• task 1: a brief introduction of yourself
• task 2: a topic of your choice to develop in the shape of a conversation with the examiner 

My recommendations are based on my private client experience teaching CILS preparation classes. These suggestions and resources are intended for students who already have a good intermediate or pre-intermediate level of English. If you are a beginner, move on to general Italian (A1-A2) and return to this page once you have mastered intermediate Italian.

Tips and Ideas for Task 1 (talking about yourself)

• Get ready to talk about yourself; this will be the examiner’s first question.
• While introducing yourself, I suggest mentioning : your name, your age, where you live, your job/your studies , if you have a family or not, and the reason why you’re sitting for the exam 
• My recommendation is to also explain how you’ve learned Italian so far and why. This is a fairly easy topic to discuss and will easily help you speak more and make a good impression on the examiner.

Tips and Ideas for Task 2

• There are four topic questions that are different. Choose the one you’re comfortable talking about.
• If you get a Yes-or-No question, say more than just a quick “Ye” or “No.” Give a reason or comment, e.g Is vegetarian food healthy? Yes, because it can contain a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Throughout this task, the examiner will interrupt you to ask you questions about the topic you choose. If you can’t understand his or her questions, ask him or her to repeat them. Use the following questions: Mi scusi non ho capito la domanda, può ripetere? / Mi scusi non ho capito cosa significa la parola “X”, puoi aiutarmi? 
• Always address the examiner in the formal form “Lei“. 

How to Perform Well in the Speaking Part of the Exam 

1. Have a solid grasp on intermediate Italian grammar topics. To pass this test, your Italian level should be between A2 and B1. 
2. Complete as many practice tests as you can and have your teacher correct them. 
3. Examine the available CILS B1 Cittadinanza prep-textbooks to become acquainted with the test structure (Percorso CILS B1 Cittadinanza, Pronti per il test B1 Cittadinanza) 
4. Practice your Italian speaking skills by writing down your responses to speaking prompts.

Why is writing the way to pass the exam?

Imagine if your teacher asked you an impromptu question about the traffic situation in your hometown and you had to respond for at least five minutes. How would you handle it? Maybe your Italian is good enough to discuss traffic and cities, but you don’t have a formalized opinion about it, even in your native language. 

This is where writing comes in. 

When writing, you’ll have all the time you need to formalize your ideas and thoughts, look up words in a dictionary, and possibly have your sentences corrected by a teacher who can point out common errors, polish imperfections, and help you elevate the level of your sentences and fluency.

When you’re writing you’re essentially warming up for you speaking part. 

A good exercise is simply to answer in writing to the most common speaking prompts used in the exam.