AIL DALI C2 cheat sheet

AIL DALI C2 listening tasks use authentic oral texts (interviews, broadcasts, conversations) played at natural speed, often once only.

Distinguish main idea from supporting detail: the main idea answers "what is the point?", details answer who/what/when/where/how much.

Inference items require evidence from the text; a plausible real-world fact not stated in the audio is not a valid basis for the answer.

Speaker attitude is signalled by intonation, hesitation, and discourse markers (e.g. 'franchement', 'in effetti', 'well, actually'), not only lexical content.

Numbers, dates, and names are frequent distractors: the text often mentions two figures, and only one matches the question.

Signposting phrases mark text structure: 'd'une part... d'autre part', 'tuttavia', 'that said', 'to sum up' introduce contrast or conclusion.

False starts and self-repairs ('I mean', 'cioè', 'plutôt') often precede the speaker's real, final position.

Note-taking shorthand: record keywords and arrows for contrast/cause rather than full sentences, since writing full clauses causes missed subsequent content.

C2 reading items test global comprehension, detailed comprehension, inference, and lexical meaning in context; identify which type each item is before answering.

For 'author's purpose' items, classify the text as inform, persuade, instruct, or entertain, then check which option matches the overall rhetorical mode.

Reference chains: pronouns and demonstratives (it, this, the former, celui-ci, quest'ultimo) point to the nearest grammatically compatible antecedent.

Lexical items: choose the option that fits the sentence's register and collocation, not merely a dictionary synonym.

Inference must be entailed by the text; reject options that are merely compatible with it or that add outside knowledge.

Contrast markers (however, nevertheless, yet, tuttavia, en revanche) signal that the following clause reverses or qualifies the previous claim.

Scan for the question's keyword in the passage, then read the full sentence plus one sentence before and after to capture scope.

Distractor patterns: true-but-not-asked, half-true (one clause altered), overgeneralised (all/always/never), and reversed causality.

Concordance rule: subject and verb must agree; collective nouns (team, government, la maggior parte) take singular or plural depending on whether the group acts as a unit or as individuals.

Sequence of tenses in reported speech: a past reporting verb normally shifts the embedded verb back one step (present to past, past to past perfect, will to would).

Conditionals: zero (present/present), first (present/will), second (past/would), third (past perfect/would have), mixed (past perfect/would).

Subjunctive triggers in Romance languages: doubt, emotion, necessity, and certain conjunctions (bien que, prima che, para que) require subjunctive mood.

Passive voice: form is auxiliary 'be' plus past participle; the agent is introduced by 'by' and is omitted when unknown or irrelevant.

Relative clauses: defining clauses take no comma and allow 'that'; non-defining clauses take commas and disallow 'that'.

Collocation beats synonymy: choose the word that co-occurs conventionally (make a decision, take a decision is regional; fare una foto, prendre une décision).

Articles: zero article for generic plurals and abstract nouns; definite article for unique referents and previously mentioned entities.

C2 written tasks require a clear thesis or purpose statement in the introduction and a matching conclusion that does not introduce new arguments.

Cohesion is achieved by varied linkers (consequently, nonetheless, in questo senso, par ailleurs); repeating one connector is a register weakness.

Register control: formal writing avoids contractions, slang, and first-person anecdote unless the task specifies an informal genre.

Paragraph structure: one controlling idea per paragraph, supported by evidence or example, then a closing or transitional sentence.

Lexical range is scored: use precise verbs and nouns rather than vague ones (assert, contend, mitigate vs. say, thing, make better).

Sentence variety: mix simple, compound, and complex sentences; avoid chains of more than two coordinate clauses joined by 'and'.

Word-count tasks: plan roughly 20 percent introduction, 60 percent body, 20 percent conclusion to keep proportion under time pressure.

Editing pass targets: subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, article use, preposition collocation, and spelling of cognates.

C2 oral assessment criteria typically include fluency, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, pronunciation, and interactional competence.

Fluency is measured by smoothness and coherence of delivery, not speed; pauses should fall at clause boundaries rather than mid-phrase.

Interaction: respond to the interlocutor's point before adding your own; turn-taking markers include 'that's a good point, but', 'certo, però'.

Paraphrase strategy: when a word is missing, describe it functionally ('the thing you use to...') rather than switching language or stopping.

Discourse management: signpost structure orally ('firstly', 'on the other hand', 'to conclude') so the examiner can follow the argument.

Pronunciation targets at C2: word stress in polysyllables, sentence stress on content words, and intonation for lists and questions.

Extended turn: sustain 1-2 minutes on an abstract topic using claim, reason, example, and qualification.

Repair moves: self-correct minor errors only when meaning is threatened; over-correcting disrupts fluency scoring.