CILS Centre - Certification of Italian as a Foreign Language

The CILS Centre is a research centre aimed at planning, developing, producing and administrating and validating the CILS certification. The CILS certification is a qualification issued by the university which declares the level of linguistic and communicative competences in Italian as a foreign language. The exams are designed to assess how learners use Italian to communicate in real-life situations.

The CILS exams offer an ample range of levels and uses that correspond to increasingly ample degrees of competence and to different social contexts of language use. There are six levels, following the guidelines in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: level A1, level A2, level ONE-B1, level TWO-B2, level THREE-C1, level FOUR-C2.

For levels A1, A2 and B1, CILS also offers modules for different types of participants:

o A1 and A2 module for integration in Italy, aimed at adult learners who live and work in Italy
o A1 and A2 for children aged 8 to 11 years who are in educational contexts in Italy and abroad
o A1 and A2 for adolescents aged between 12 and 15 years which are in educational contexts, in Italy and abroad
o B1 for adolescents aged between 14 and 18 years which are in educational contexts, in Italy and abroad.

The CILS Centre also offers exams for Chinese students on the Marco Polo – Turandot programme.
The exams take place at the exam centres, in Italy and abroad, authorized by the University of Foreigners of Siena. The exam administrators are trained by the CILS Centre.
The CILS Centre organizes training courses on language testing and assessment.
CILS is a member of EALTA (European Association for Language Testing and Assessment) and founding member of the CLIQ (Italian Certification of Quality).

The CILS Centre organizes teacher training courses on language testing and assessment.

CILS is a founding member of CLIQ (Italian Certification of Quality), a member of EALTA (European Association for Language Testing and Assessment) and a partner of ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe).

Why choose the CILS certification to certify your competence in Italian?

Because CILS

o guarantees the assessment of your competence in Italian as a foreign language, based on valid and reliable criteria
o is chosen each year by thousands of foreigners, young people and adults, in Italy and abroad; the exams open doors to higher education, such as enrolment at Italian universities, improve employment opportunities, and increase choice for study or work, and can be used in any further area in which a certain level of proficiency in the Italian language is required
o exams are held at exam centres which have been carefully examined and selected according to standards of quality and transparency and continuously monitored.