CELI

The "Certificato di Conoscenza della Lingua Italiana", (Certificate of Knowledge of Italian Language) or CELI is an internationally recognized qualification of the Italian language destined for foreigners wanting to validate their relative Italian fluency, offered by the Università per Stranieri di Perugia. It is accepted as an official qualification notably by the Italian Ministry of Education and Research and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is one of the qualifications used by foreigners to get entrance into any Italian university or higher education institution.

The CELI qualification represents one of the many Italian Language Examinations and is often taken by applicants with immigration, work and study needs or for pure passion.

Origins

First introduced in 1987, the CELI qualification has been designed to offer high quality in Italian language examinations, coming from a university with a history from 1921 of offering Italian language and culture studies to foreign students. Thus, the Università per Stranieri di Perugia is responsible for its creation, distribution, evaluation and awarding.

Structure of the qualification

The qualification is made up of five elemental levels whereby the successful passing of an examination in one of these levels will result in the rewarding of the qualification. CELI conforms with the requirements of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of the European Council. The qualification provides the testing of what is very popularly regarded as the fundamental elements of language acquisition: speaking, reading comprehension, writing composition and listening.

Qualification levels

* "CELI UNO" The first level examination tests basic Italian skills. A pass or fail are the results given once evaluation of the completed exam is finished.

* "CELI DUE" The second level increases in difficulty from the first examination. Each component is weighted with 25 percent of the total marks and A, B and C (for pass) or D and E (for fail) grades are given upon evaluation.

* "CELI TRE" The third level examination continues increasing in the difficulty of the Italian involved. Components take up unequal percentages of the total result with speaking carrying 30 percent, writing sharing 20 percent each with listening and reading accompanied by the 'structural competence' component. Grades from A to E are also awarded.

* "CELI QUATTRO" The same applies with the fourth level with a heavier weighting for writing and listening.

* "CELI CINQUE" This level of examination is the highest level in the CELI examinations series with the writing weighting higher than the oral component. Again A, B and C grades are awarded upon successful completion.

* "CELI CINQUE DOCENTE" This is a supplementary examination, of an even higher level that is aimed particularly to foreigners who wish to confirm a masterful ability in Italian to teach, in either an Italian or foreign institution.

Qualification eligibility

The Qualification is open to all foreign applicants wishing to validate their abilities in Italian language once registered.

Procedure

An applicant wishing to obtain the CELI qualification must register and pay (prices varying) to sit the examination that seems suitable for them, at least two months before the official sitting of the exam. When an applicant has completed the exam (registering and sitting can be done through various streams leading to the university), the Università per Stranieri di Perugia evaluates according to European Union guidelines and awards the official qualification, on average, three months after its sitting. Candidates who receive the qualification do so through successfully passing one of the examinations. The exams are held multiple times annually around the world.

Many organisations throughout the world offer preparation courses and studies for the exams so candidates can be familiar with what is required.

See also

* CILS (Qualification)
* DITALS
* CIC

External links

* [http://www.unistrapg.it/italiano]
* [http://www.cvcl.it]