CILS B1 Cittadinanza study plan

CILS B1 Cittadinanza · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 6 hours per week

Week 1

Ascolto (listening comprehension) & Analisi delle strutture di comunicazione (grammar and vocabulary)

Shadow 8-10 short audio clips (1-2 minutes) daily, repeating each until you can reproduce roughly 80% of the words without the transcript
Drill the 10 most frequent irregular past participles by writing 30 original sentences in the passato prossimo
Build a personal glossary of 60 exam-relevant words (documenti, permesso di soggiorno, residenza, comune, questura), each with its article and one original sentence
Classify 20 grammar errors from a diagnostic exercise by type (articles, prepositions, verb tense, agreement)

A 60-entry personal glossary (word + article + original sentence) and a recorded 90-second self-introduction read from it.

Week 2

Answer 40 multiple-choice listening-style items, limiting yourself to 30 seconds per item
Take keyword-only notes on one 3-minute audio, then reconstruct the content in 5 written sentences
Produce 20 sentences using the congiuntivo presente after penso che, è necessario che, spero che
Rewrite 25 narrative sentences choosing correctly between passato prossimo and imperfetto

A 10-question listening quiz you write yourself from one authentic 3-minute audio, with an answer key and your own score.

Week 3

Write 4 short transactional messages of 80-100 words: a booking, a complaint, a request for information, an apology
Insert 10 linking words (inoltre, tuttavia, quindi, perciò, d'altra parte, infine) correctly into your own written texts
Complete 3 timed grammar sections of 20 minutes each and log every error by category
Memorise and apply the formal register formulas for opening and closing a letter (Le scrivo per..., La ringrazio, Cordiali saluti)

A one-page error log grouping your last 30 grammar mistakes by category, each with a corrected version you wrote yourself.

Week 4

Write 2 formal letters of 120-140 words using consistent formal register throughout
Read 3 short articles and answer 5 true/false plus 5 multiple-choice questions on each within 15 minutes per article
Practise scanning: locate 15 specific facts inside a 400-word text in under 6 minutes
Self-assess both letters against a 4-point checklist you design for task adequacy, range, accuracy and coherence

Two polished formal letters plus scored results from 3 timed reading sets, recorded in a simple tracking table.

Week 5

Summarise 4 reading passages in about 40 words each without copying phrases from the source text
Write one 120-word opinion text in 25 minutes with an introduction, two arguments and a conclusion
Expand 50 words across the themes of work, health, school and housing, each with one common collocation
Identify and reuse 8 expressions for expressing opinion and disagreement in your own writing

A timed 25-minute written production, self-rated 1-5 on each of your four checklist criteria, with one concrete improvement noted per criterion.

Week 6

Record 8 one-minute monologues on typical topics (la mia famiglia, il mio lavoro, il mio quartiere, perché chiedo la cittadinanza)
Role-play 3 five-minute interactions: asking for information at the comune, describing a problem, making a formal request
Transcribe two of your recordings and annotate 5 recurring errors
Maintain the ear with a 5-minute listening session every day, using faster, unscripted audio

Eight recorded one-minute monologues with transcripts annotated for recurring errors and a list of 5 target corrections.

Week 7

Rehearse the oral exam flow end-to-end three times with a timer: introduction, describing an experience, interaction with the examiner
Complete one full timed reading-plus-writing simulation of 90 minutes in a single sitting
Eliminate your 10 most frequent errors from the error log by writing 3 correct sentences for each
Answer 6 follow-up questions on a topic you did not prepare, speaking for 45 seconds each

Full timed simulation results with a score breakdown per domain and a written list of the 10 errors you commit to eliminating.

Week 8

Complete 2 full timed mock exams under real conditions, including a spoken component
Record 4 mock oral interviews and listen back to each within 24 hours, noting 3 adjustments
Review the error log and personal glossary for 15 minutes daily
Rehearse timing strategy for each section so no task is left unfinished

Final mock exam score per domain plus a one-page exam-day checklist covering timing, documents to bring and oral strategies.

Week 2: You can answer listening items at 30 seconds per item with at least 60% accuracy and your personal glossary reaches 60 entries.

Week 4: You produce two formal letters of 120-140 words in under 25 minutes each and score at least 60% on three timed reading sets.

Week 6: You have 8 recorded monologues and can speak for 60 seconds on an unprepared familiar topic with fewer than 5 major errors.

Week 8: Both full mock exams are completed within official timings, with every section attempted and a per-domain score recorded.