CILS B1 study guide
CILS B1 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
CILS - Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera - is a certification of Italian as a foreign language issued by the Università per Stranieri di Siena, listed on the university's site alongside its language courses, teacher training and the DITALS teaching qualification. The university describes itself as humanistic, international and interdisciplinary, with active paths in languages, cultural mediation, translation, teaching and intercultural communication; CILS sits within that language-certification mission. The credential is aimed at non-native speakers of Italian who need documented proof of proficiency for study, work, migration or personal goals, and it is organised by level, so a candidate chooses the level matching their ability rather than sitting one fixed paper. Because CILS is a level-based skills assessment, preparation should cover all four abilities - listening and reading comprehension, written and oral production - plus the grammar and vocabulary control that underpins them, rather than memorising isolated rules. A realistic study plan starts from a diagnostic task in each skill, targets the weakest area first, and builds toward timed practice in exam-like conditions. Note that this page is independent study material and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced by the Università per Stranieri di Siena; candidates should confirm current procedures, dates and fees directly with the issuing institution before registering. Topics on this exam: Italian language proficiency (level-based skills assessment). The CILS B1 study guide has 1 section and about 462 words.
01CILS B1 - Italian Language Proficiency
La CILS B1 (Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera, Università per Stranieri di Siena) certifies an independent user who can deal with familiar matters, describe experiences and ambitions, and give brief reasons and explanations. The exam is split into five separately scored sections - Ascolto, Lettura, Analisi delle strutture di comunicazione, Produzione scritta and Produzione orale - and each section has its own minimum threshold. A high writing score cannot compensate for a failed listening section, so you need balanced preparation. Ascolto: short announcements, dialogues and interviews, tested with multiple choice, true/false and gap completion.
462 words, about 2 minMore study resources for CILS B1
- Practice questionsCompleta: «Domani mattina, quando mi sveglio, subito un caffè.».
- FlashcardsAscolto. The listening section of CILS B1.
- Cheat sheetCILS B1 consists of five sections: Ascolto (listening), Lettura (reading), Analisi delle strutture di comunicazione (grammar/lexicon), Scrittura (writing), and Parlato (speaking).
- Key termscongiuntivo presente. Modo verbale usato per esprimere desideri, dubbi, opinioni o situazioni non reali, spesso introdotto da congiunzioni come 'che' o 'sebbene'.
- Study planDiagnose current level by completing a full CILS B1 past paper under timed conditions and scoring each section separately.
- Common mistakesChi studia a livello B1 tende a trattare l'ascolto come una traduzione parola per parola; quando incontra un termine sconosciuto si blocca e perde le informazioni successive, mentre l'esame valuta la comprensione globale e delle informazioni chiave, non la totalità del lessico.
- Exam-day guideBring the same identity document you used at registration (typically passport or national ID).