Oral examination (spoken interaction and presentation)
The oral examination is a short interview with an external examiner, usually around 15 minutes, and carries a substantial share of the total. It tests spoken interaction and presentation: general conversation on familiar topics, a picture sequence or stimulus-based description, and possibly a transactional role-play. Examiners reward fluency, pronunciation, range, accuracy and the ability to keep the exchange going.
Preparation that works
- Build topic banks of 8–10 sentences each: family, school, hobbies, holidays, future plans, local area, technology, environment. Include reasons and examples, not just labels.
- Learn opinion and interaction phrases: secondo me, a mio parere, sono d'accordo, non sono sicuro, dipende, invece.
- Practise repair language: Scusi, può ripetere? Non ho capito; come si dice...?
- For pictures, use present tense and sequencers: In questa foto vedo... Prima... Poi... Dopo... Infine... Sembra che sia/siano...
Worked example
Picture sequence: a boy runs for a bus, the bus leaves, he checks his phone, he calls a friend. Reasoning: describe setting first (alla fermata), then actions in order with present tense, then infer feeling: «Il ragazzo corre verso la fermata, ma l'autobus parte senza di lui. Controlla l'orologio, sembra preoccupato e telefona a un amico per chiedere un passaggio.» The sequencers make the story coherent, and sembra preoccupato adds interpretation rather than a flat list.
Traps
- Reciting a memorized answer that does not fit the question asked.
- Mixing tu and Lei in a role-play; the examiner notices.
- One-word answers and silence: extend with perché, per esempio, quindi.
- Pronunciation: gn in gnocchi, gl in figlio, sc in scienza, and double consonants (pala/palla).
- Translating English idioms literally instead of using Italian ones.