Maturità Economico-Sociale common mistakes
Maturità Economico-Sociale · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In the tema di italiano, the candidate retells the content of the source document (article, graph, literary passage) for two or three columns before reaching any thesis of their own, so the essay reads as a summary rather than an argument.
The analytical prompt asks the student to 'analyze and comment', and under time pressure paraphrasing feels safe and productive; many candidates have also been trained in earlier years to demonstrate comprehension through summary.
What to do instead
Before writing, draft a one-sentence thesis and a two- or three-point outline on a separate sheet. Allow at most one short paragraph to frame the source, then move immediately to the candidate's own claim, supporting it with at least two textual references and one counterargument. Reserve the final ten minutes to check that every paragraph advances the thesis rather than restating it.
On the traccia di attualità or the saggio breve, the candidate builds the whole text on personal opinion and generic statements ('la società oggi è sempre più complessa') without citing the documents in the dossier or any verifiable data.
The prompt invites a personal take, and the candidate confuses 'esprimi la tua opinione' with 'write freely'; limited reading of the dossier during preparation leaves no concrete material to use.
What to do instead
Treat the dossier as mandatory evidence: annotate each document during the 15-minute reading phase, label them D1, D2, D3, and require every body paragraph to anchor at least one claim in a named document or a figure. Keep a personal voice in the conclusion and in the connective reasoning, not in place of the evidence.
In the seconda prova, the candidate recognizes a familiar exercise type and applies the memorized procedure without checking the specific data, units, or the question actually asked (for example computing an average when the question requires a median, or ignoring a percentage change in the dataset).
Practice on standard textbook exercises creates pattern-matching; under exam stress the brain matches the surface form of the problem and skips the careful reading of the actual request.
What to do instead
Adopt a fixed first step: rewrite the question in one line and list the given data with units before touching the calculator. After solving, re-read that line and verify the answer answers it, checking order of magnitude and units. In economia aziendale or matematica tasks, do a quick sanity check with an approximate estimate.
The candidate presents only the final numeric result in the seconda prova, omitting the formulas, the substitution step, and the interpretation of the result, losing all partial-credit points when the final number is wrong.
Students equate mathematics with the correct answer and do not know that the ministerial grading grid rewards method, correct setting, and commentary; haste also makes writing intermediate steps feel like wasted time.
What to do instead
Structure every solution in four visible blocks: formula or model, substitution with units, calculation, and a one-sentence interpretation ('il costo unitario scende quindi...'). Even when the arithmetic fails, the first two blocks earn credit. Practise under timed conditions so that writing the steps becomes automatic.
In the lingua straniera written paper, the candidate writes a long, fluent-sounding text that ignores the required genre and register: a formal email without opening or closing formulas, a report without headings, or an essay that never addresses the second bullet of the prompt.
Attention goes to vocabulary and grammar accuracy, which are easier to self-monitor, while task achievement and text organization are under-practised; candidates also run out of time and cut the final required point.
What to do instead
Before writing, underline each element of the prompt and convert it into a checklist (genre, register, recipient, number of points, word limit). Draft a skeleton with one paragraph per required point, use genre-appropriate formulas, and tick off the checklist in the final review. Aim to cover every required point briefly rather than one point at length.
In the colloquio, the candidate delivers a memorized 'tesina' or pre-packaged multidisciplinary speech that does not connect to the materials or documents the commission actually proposes, and answers follow-up questions with silence or a restart of the same speech.
Many candidates prepare a single polished presentation and rehearse it verbatim, assuming the interview is a monologue; they have never practised answering unscripted questions about their own work.
What to do instead
Prepare a map of links rather than a script: for each subject, know two or three anchor topics and one genuine connection with another discipline, plus the source that supports it. Rehearse with a peer who asks 'perché?' three times in a row. If a question is unclear, paraphrase it and ask for clarification instead of guessing.
When the commission shows a document, graph, or image and asks the candidate to comment on it, the candidate describes the surface ('è un grafico con due linee che salgono') without identifying the source, the variables, the trend, and the link to the programme.
Document analysis is usually practised in writing, not orally, and under observation the candidate defaults to description to gain time; the analytical vocabulary (asse delle ordinate, variabile dipendente, correlazione) is not consolidated.
What to do instead
Use a fixed oral routine: source and date, type of document, variables and units, main trend with one figure, an anomaly, and a link to a topic studied with a named reference. Practise on five documents of different types (graph, photo, table, short text, map) until the routine takes under a minute to start.
The candidate answers the colloquio in fragments, with no internal structure, jumping between ideas and leaving the examiner to infer the reasoning; the answer lasts twenty seconds when a two-minute reasoned response was expected.
Oral production is rarely timed or recorded in class, so candidates have no feedback on length and structure; anxiety accelerates speech and truncates it.
What to do instead
Train with the 'claim, evidence, link' pattern: state the thesis, give one piece of evidence or example, then connect it to another discipline or to current events. Record answers on a phone, time them at 90 to 120 seconds, and listen back for structure and filler words. Build a personal bank of ten such answers on core topics.
In the discussion of the PCTO (former alternanza scuola-lavoro), the candidate recounts the daily schedule of the placement ('sono arrivato alle 9, ho fatto fotocopie') instead of explaining the competences acquired, the organizational context, and the link to the course of study.
The experience was often passive and poorly documented, and no one asked the student to reflect on it during the placement; the candidate confuses narration with evaluation.
What to do instead
Prepare three structured points: the host organization and its sector, two specific tasks with the tools or skills used, and two competences gained (one technical, one transversal such as teamwork or problem solving) linked to a subject of the indirizzo. Bring the placement report or a concrete artefact as a prompt, and be ready for the question 'cosa rifaresti diversamente?'.
In the colloquio on Cittadinanza e Costituzione, the candidate cites institutions and norms from memory with wrong names, dates, or competences (confusing Camera and Senato procedures, or attributing regional competences to the State), and does not correct the error when prompted.
Civics content is often studied as a list of definitions without reference to the text of the Constitution, and the candidate fears appearing ignorant more than appearing inaccurate.
What to do instead
Anchor each civic topic to a small number of verifiable articles (for example articles 1, 3, 32, 41, 117) and to one current event illustrating it. When uncertain, state the source and the limit of your knowledge ('la Costituzione all'art. 32 tutela la salute; non ricordo la legge attuativa') rather than inventing a detail; examiners reward intellectual honesty and correct method.