Certifications
CILS Exams at the Italian Institute of Culture – Sydney
CILS is an internationally recognized certification of proficiency in Italian as a foreign language, offered by the Università per Stranieri di Siena. Further information about the certification is available on the official CILS website.
The Italian Institute of Culture in Sydney is currently in the process of becoming an accredited CILS examination centre. Details regarding enrolment procedures and exam dates will be available on our website starting in 2026.
CILS examinations will be held at our offices twice a year, typically in June and December, starting from 2026
Exam Samples
To help you prepare and familiarize yourself with the structure of the exam, sample tests are available on the Università per Stranieri di Siena website.
General information of the certifications of Italian as a Foreign Language
There are several certifications of proficiency in Italian as a foreign language offered by Italian universities.
They are addressed to citizens of foreign countries, people with Italian roots living abroad and foreign immigrants living in Italy.
Please click on the below links for further details on the exams offered by each university:
Siena University for Foreigners (CILS) – List of exam centres HERE
Perugia University for Foreigners (CELI) – List of exam centres HERE
“Roma Tre” University (IT) – List of exam centres HERE
Società “Dante Alighieri” (PLIDA) – List of exam centres HERE
Equivalence between the Certifications and the Common European Framework
| CEFRL | Perugia University for Foreigners | Siena University for Foreigners | RomaTre University | Dante Alighieri |
| LEVEL C2 Command |
CELI 5 | CILS Quattro-C2 | IT | PLIDA C2 |
| LEVEL C1 Advanced |
CELI 4 | CILS Tre-C1 | —— | PLIDA C1 |
| LEVEL B2 Higher Intermediate |
CELI 3 | CILS Due B2 | —— | PLIDA B2 |
| LEVEL B1* Intermediate |
CELI 2 | CILS Uno B1 | ele.IT | PLIDA B1 |
| LEVEL A2 Elementary |
CELI 1 | CILS A2 | —— | PLIDA A2 |
| LEVEL A1 Basic |
CELI IMPATTO | CILS A1 | —— | PLIDA A1 |
*As of December 4, 2018 (Italian law No. 132, of December 1, 2018) an adequate knowledge of the Italian language is required for obtaining Italian citizenship pursuant to art. 5 and 9 of Law 91/1992. Adequate knowledge is defined to be no less than level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Fulfillment of this requirement is met by the acquisition of a title/certification issued by an institution of public education/educational institution or a certification issued by an authorized/recognized certifying body.