Certifications

CILS

1. What is it? What is it for?

CILS (Certificate of Italian as a Foreign Language) is an official document issued by the CILS Centre of the University of Siena and certifies the degree of linguistic-communicative competence in Italian as a foreign language. It is recognised by the Italian government, accepted internationally and has no expiry date.

The Certificate CILS Level B1 is one of the recognised examinations for the acquisition of Italian citizenship by marriage.

2. Levels

The CILS is divided into different levels following the model of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/

Basic learner CILS A1, CILS A2

Independent learner CILS UNO-B1, CILS B1 FOR CITIZESHIP – CILS TWO-B2

Proficient learner CILS THREE-C1, CILS FOUR-C2

3. How to prepare

On the website www.cils.unistrasi.it it is possible to view the complete structure of all the CILS exam levels and to practise independently by taking online exam papers administered in previous years.

You can also join our preparation courses, to find out more about them visit the section Language courses. https://iicpretoria.esteri.it/it/lingua-e-cultura/i-corsi-di-lingua/

4. When is CILS considered passed?

The CILS exam is considered passed if the candidate achieves, both in the Written and in the Oral Test, the minimum mark established by the CILS Centre of the University for Foreigners of Siena www.cils.unistrasi.it.

Candidates who have not passed the Written Test (consisting of reading comprehension, written production, linguistic competence) and who have instead passed the Oral Test or vice versa (Written Test passed and Oral Test not passed), may capitalise on the partial result obtained for 12 months, by retaking the insufficient part of the test and paying only the fee related to it.

5. Results

The results are published by the University for Foreigners of Siena within 90 days of the date of the exam.

Candidates can access them from the University website www.cils.unistrasi.it, by consulting the area reserved for them.

The certificates will be issued by the University and sent to the Italian Cultural Institute of Pretoria, which will forward them to the candidates.

6. Examination dates

The places available for each examination level are limited. Consequently, once the maximum number of enrolments has been reached, enrolments for the level will be closed, regardless of the deadlines mentioned in the table.

Entries received before the opening date or after the closing date will not be considered. 

7. Examination venue

The CILS examination will be administered by the IIC exclusively at its premises in the city of of Pretoria.

8. Registration procedure

Registration for the examination takes place in two stages:

1) you must send the following documents to iicpretoria.corsi@esteri.it :

– Copy of an identity document with photo

– Completed and signed personal details form

The documents, which must be submitted in PDF or JPG format, may not exceed 5MB in total.

2) The IIC, after having checked the documents sent, forwards to the candidate the data necessary for the payment of the application fee. In order to complete the procedure, the candidate must send the receipt of payment to iicpretoria.corsi@esteri.it .

The candidate’s registration is considered valid only after the registration fee has been credited to the current account of the IIC. The candidate will receive an e-mail from the IIC confirming their registration.

9. Entry fees

Please note that once they are paid, fees are not refundable.