Italian CILS

We are a centre for La Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera (CILS) internationally recognised Italian language exams organised by the University of Siena (Italy).

We run language courses that can help you prepare for these examinations.

Examinations take place in June each year, with registration during March and April 2026.

The exam date for 2026 is Tuesday 16 June.

B1 Cittadinanza

In order to obtain Italian citizenship, proof of B1 competences in Italian is needed. The Centro CILS has created this examination specifically for people applying for Italian citizenship. The examination is shorter and tests fewer competences than the standard B1 examination, as such the B1 Cittadinanza can only be used for citizenship applications and is not valid as a certification for work or study purposes.

If you require B1 certification for work or study, you will need to sit the full B1 Standard examination. Please note that the B1 Cittadinanza examination is a pass/fail examination, if a candidate fails one part of the examination, the candidate must resit the whole examination, there is no possibility to resit individual units.

Exam fees

Level	Fee	Resit fee per unit
A1	£70	£25
A2	£70	£25
B1	£135	£40
B1 Cittadinanza	£120	N/A
B2	£150	£45
C1	£165	£50
C2	£180	£55

In addition to the exam fees established by the University of Siena, we charge an administration fee to cover our expenses. The administration fee is included in the exam fees table.

Practice papers

Practice papers are available from the Università per Stranieri di Siena. The Università per Stranieri di Siena has produced a guide (in Italian only) to the language skills tested for each paper. There is also information for candidates on how to prepare.

Registration

To register for the exam please complete and return the registration form.

Please also provide a copy of valid photo ID (passport, driving licence etc) with your registration form and send by email to languages@cardiff.ac.uk. You will be sent a secure online payment link following receipt of your registration documents.

Registration is not complete until payment has been made. If you have previously taken a CILS exam, please also supply your matricula number. The deadline for registration for 2026 is 30 April.

Upon successful registration you will receive a confirmation of enrolment. Closer to the examination date you will receive a statement of entry confirming the exam date and time.

Contact

• languages@cardiff.ac.uk
• +44 (0)29 2068 8832