Italian exam preparation
Italian exam preparation, from GCSE to CILS and CELI.
School Italian is a small, specialist market in the UK, and the Italian certification landscape is unfamiliar to most candidates. We prepare for both, and we start by telling you which certificate is the right one.
Which route are you on?
Three certification systems, all official, all slightly different.
Italy recognises several certifying bodies, and candidates often arrive having been told simply to 'get a B1'. The level matters more than the badge, but the papers are not identical and preparation differs.
- CILS
- Certification from the Università per Stranieri di Siena, sat at fixed CEFR levels, with a level specifically oriented towards citizenship applications.
- CELI
- Certification from the Università per Stranieri di Perugia, also at fixed levels, with versions oriented to general and to immigration purposes.
- PLIDA
- Certification from the Società Dante Alighieri, recognised by the Italian state and widely sat abroad, including in London.
- School examinations
- GCSE, IGCSE, A-Level and IB Italian, graded against a UK or IB specification rather than the CEFR.
The examinations
Italian examinations we prepare candidates for.
School and academic Italian
The school and academic route. Preparation is built around the board and specification the school actually follows, because the assessment objectives differ between them.
Many Italian candidates sit the examination privately rather than through a school. We prepare for the paper; entry is arranged through a centre that accepts private candidates.
- GCSE Italian
- Frequently taken as an additional or out-of-school language, sometimes with little classroom time behind it — which makes the preparation programme, not the school, the main engine.
- IGCSE Italian
- Prepared for against the specific board's specification and speaking arrangements.
- AS and A-Level Italian
- Literature and film essays in Italian, translation both ways, the research project and the oral.
- IB Italian
- Language B at SL and HL and Language ab initio, including the individual oral.
CILS, CELI and PLIDA
Official Italian certifications, prepared for against the specific body's format and criteria.
Certification bodies set their own sessions, deadlines and formats, and centres differ in what they offer. Choose the certificate first, then plan the term.
- CILS
- Fixed-level papers from A1 upwards, including a level specifically designed around citizenship requirements.
- CELI
- Fixed-level examinations with general and immigration-oriented versions.
- PLIDA
- Sat at fixed CEFR levels, with sittings available in the UK.
Italian citizenship language requirement
A B1-level requirement applies to certain Italian citizenship applications, and it is a language examination like any other.
Citizenship rules, accepted certificates and exemptions are set by the Italian authorities and change. Confirm your route's current requirement with them or with your adviser — we prepare for the examination, not the application.
- B1 certification for citizenship
- Sat through one of the recognised certifying bodies. We prepare candidates to a secure B1 across all four skills, since a marginal pass in one skill is where applications stall.
Preparation
What Italian exam preparation actually involves.
Two very different candidates arrive here: a sixth-former writing essays on Italian cinema, and an adult who needs a secure B1 for a citizenship file. The technique work is real in both cases, and it is not the same work.
The specialist is matched from our network for that examination and that candidate, with a chemistry call before you commit, a review at week six, and oversight through to the exam date.
- Essay and commentary structure in Italian for A-Level and IB
- Translation both ways, marked to specification criteria
- Oral examination rehearsal under timing
- Certification papers practised in full, to the body's own format
- Four-skill balance for B1 candidates, so no single skill drags the result
- Listening to authentic-speed Italian with note-taking technique
Two ways to prepare
Private Italian preparation, or a small exam cohort.
One candidate, one paper, one date.
A Italian specialist matched from our network for your examination, a programme written around your actual gaps, and scheduling that fits around school or work.
From £89/hr
See the investmentNo Italian exam cohort is open yet
Group exam terms run only where enough candidates share the same examination and level — we do not advertise cohorts that are not scheduled. Register your interest and you will hear first when a Italian exam term is timetabled.
Who we prepare
Trusted by families, schools and organisations.
Italian candidates reach us from two directions: pupils in schools that expect a grade, and professionals whose next step depends on a certificate. Both are prepared by a specialist matched from our network.
Corporate clients
Professionals sitting Italian and English tests
Employees at these organisations have prepared with us for language tests, official diplomas and the requirements attached to a move abroad.
Partner schools
Pupils preparing for school examinations
Pupils at these schools have prepared with us for Italian language papers, against the board and specification their school actually follows.
Investment
What Italian exam preparation costs.
Private preparation is bought as hours, used at the pace the exam date demands. The more hours you commit to, the lower the effective hourly rate — and every plan carries the identical service.
Hours of private exam preparation, delivered online and typically used at one hour a week. All prices include VAT. Face-to-face lessons in London, intensive revision courses and additional hours are quoted individually.
Flexi
4 hours
Month to month
£105/hr£420 in total
Discovery
12 hours
Up to 3 months
£100/hr£1,197 in total
Momentum
24 hours
Up to 6 months
£95/hr£2,268 in total
Mastery
48 hours
Up to 12 months
£89/hr£4,284 in total
Every private plan, whichever you choose, includes
Bespoke programmes — not lesson bundles.
- Exam and board diagnostic
- Specialist matched for that qualification
- Chemistry call before you commit
- Programme dated to the exam
- Marked past-paper practice
- Monthly progress reports
- Week-six review
- Timed mocks in the run-in
£950 for a ten-week term
Per learner, 10 × 90-minute sessions — 15 teaching hours. Including VAT. Maximum six candidates, one exam objective, one level.
Before you book
Italian exam preparation — your questions, answered.
- Which Italian certificate should I take for citizenship?
- The requirement is a level, not a particular brand, and several bodies are recognised — but the accepted list and the rules are set by the Italian authorities and do change. Confirm what your route requires, then we will prepare you for that body's paper.
- My school does not offer Italian. Can my child still sit GCSE Italian?
- Frequently yes, as a private candidate through a centre that accepts them. We prepare against the board's specification; you or the school arranges the entry.
- Do you prepare A-Level Italian literature?
- Yes — set texts and film, essay structure in Italian and the independent research project, with work marked against the board's assessment criteria.
- How long does B1 preparation take from scratch?
- From no Italian, a secure B1 is a long project measured in terms rather than weeks. From an intermediate base it is usually one to two terms of weekly work with marked practice. The diagnostic gives you an honest answer in the first fortnight.
- Is there a group Italian exam course?
- Not currently. Italian group terms are running as structured courses and conversation, and an exam cohort will be scheduled when enough candidates share a level and objective. Register interest and you will hear first.
Ready to work backwards from the exam date?
Schedule a chat with Maria.
Tell us which Italian examination, which board or level, and when it is sat. You will get an honest view of the gap and which specialist we would match you with.
Maria Toubbe
- 20 minutes
- A conversation, not a sales call.
- With Maria
- Our founder, every time — not a call centre.
- No obligation
- Advice you can use even if you never book.
20 min · video call · free
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