Free Practice Questions for CILS A2
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Key Facts: CILS A2 Exam
The CILS A2 is awarded by the Universita per Stranieri di Siena, one of Italy's main Italian-language certifying universities.
CILS A2 corresponds to CEFR level A2, the second of six CILS levels from A1 to C2.
The full CILS A2 exam assesses five abilities: listening, reading, grammar structures, writing, and speaking.
The CILS A2 Integrazione module meets the language requirement for Italy's EC long-term residence permit.
Candidates must pass every section of the CILS A2 to obtain the certificate, with a typical minimum near 11 out of 20 per section.
Passed CILS A2 sections can be retained for a later session through a process called capitalizzazione.
The CILS A2 module costs approximately EUR 40 in 2026, plus possible local exam-centre fees.
The CILS A2 written exam lasts about 2 hours 30 minutes plus a separate short oral interview.
CILS A2 listening tasks include dialogues, announcements, and voicemails about shopping, health, travel, and work.
The CILS A2 reading section uses authentic texts such as job ads, notices, menus, and personal messages.
CILS A2 is the elementary-level (CEFR A2) Italian-as-a-foreign-language certificate from the Universita per Stranieri di Siena, testing listening, reading, grammar structures, writing, and speaking; its 'Integrazione' module meets the language requirement for the Italian EC long-term residence permit.
Sample CILS A2 Practice Questions
Try these sample questions to review concepts for the CILS A2 exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.
1Ascolta il dialogo. Poi completa la frase. Commessa: "Buongiorno, mi dica." Cliente: "Vorrei un chilo di mele e mezzo chilo di pomodori, per favore." (Listen to the dialogue, then complete the sentence. Shop assistant: "Good morning, can I help you?" Customer: "I'd like a kilo of apples and half a kilo of tomatoes, please.") Il signore è... (The man is...)
2Ascolta il dialogo. Poi completa la frase. Adania: "Saif, hai fame? Vuoi cucinare qualcosa insieme stasera?" Saif: "Sì, volentieri! Facciamo la pasta." (Listen, then complete the sentence. Adania: "Saif, are you hungry? Do you want to cook something together tonight?" Saif: "Yes, gladly! Let's make pasta.") Adania chiede a Saif di... (Adania asks Saif to...)
3Ascolta il dialogo. Poi completa la frase. Signora: "Scusi, sa dov'è la stazione? Devo prendere il treno delle dieci." Passante: "Sì, vada dritto e poi giri a destra." (Listen, then complete the sentence. Lady: "Excuse me, do you know where the station is? I have to catch the ten o'clock train." Passer-by: "Yes, go straight on and then turn right.") La signora vuole... (The lady wants...)
4Ascolta il dialogo. Poi completa la frase. Antonella: "Sergio, dove sei? Ti aspetto da dieci minuti!" Sergio: "Scusa, sono ancora per strada, c'è molto traffico." (Listen, then complete the sentence. Antonella: "Sergio, where are you? I've been waiting for you for ten minutes!" Sergio: "Sorry, I'm still on the road, there's a lot of traffic.") In questo momento Sergio è... (Right now Sergio is...)
5Ascolta il dialogo. Poi completa la frase. Pietro: "Marina, la mia macchina non parte. Mi presti la tua per andare al lavoro?" Marina: "Mi dispiace, anch'io ho un problema con la mia auto, è dal meccanico." (Listen, then complete the sentence. Pietro: "Marina, my car won't start. Can you lend me yours to go to work?" Marina: "Sorry, I also have a problem with my car, it's at the mechanic's.") Marina... (Marina...)
6Ascolta il dialogo. Poi completa la frase. Irina: "Maurizio, puoi aiutarmi a studiare per l'esame di matematica?" Maurizio: "Certo, vieni a casa mia domani pomeriggio e studiamo insieme." (Listen, then complete the sentence. Irina: "Maurizio, can you help me study for the maths exam?" Maurizio: "Of course, come to my place tomorrow afternoon and we'll study together.") Maurizio... (Maurizio...)
7Ascolta l'annuncio alla stazione. Poi completa la frase. "Attenzione, il treno regionale 2345 per Firenze delle ore 14:30 parte oggi dal binario 7, e non dal binario 3." (Listen to the station announcement, then complete the sentence. "Attention, regional train 2345 to Florence at 2:30 p.m. departs today from platform 7, not from platform 3.") Il treno per Firenze parte dal binario... (The train to Florence departs from platform...)
8Ascolta il messaggio della segreteria telefonica. Poi completa la frase. "Buongiorno, sono il dottor Bianchi. La informo che il suo appuntamento di lunedì è spostato a giovedì alle ore 16:00. Grazie." (Listen to the voicemail, then complete the sentence. "Good morning, this is Doctor Bianchi. I'm informing you that your Monday appointment is moved to Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Thank you.") L'appuntamento è spostato a... (The appointment is moved to...)
9Ascolta il dialogo al bar. Poi completa la frase. Barista: "Cosa prende?" Cliente: "Un cappuccino e un cornetto, grazie. Quanto pago?" Barista: "Sono due euro e cinquanta." (Listen to the dialogue at the bar, then complete the sentence. Barista: "What will you have?" Customer: "A cappuccino and a croissant, thanks. How much do I pay?" Barista: "That's two euros fifty.") Il cliente deve pagare... (The customer must pay...)
10Ascolta il dialogo. Poi completa la frase. Giulia: "Pronto, ciao Luca! Vieni alla festa di Anna sabato sera?" Luca: "Mi dispiace, sabato lavoro fino a tardi. Posso venire solo domenica." (Listen, then complete the sentence. Giulia: "Hello, hi Luca! Are you coming to Anna's party on Saturday evening?" Luca: "Sorry, on Saturday I work until late. I can only come on Sunday.") Perché Luca non viene alla festa sabato? (Why doesn't Luca come to the party on Saturday?)
About the CILS A2 Exam
The CILS A2 (Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera, level A2) is an official Italian-as-a-foreign-language certificate awarded by the Universita per Stranieri di Siena, one of Italy's two main Italian-language certifying universities. At CEFR level A2 it confirms an elementary command of Italian: understanding frequently used expressions about personal and family information, shopping, local geography, work, health, and everyday services. The full exam assesses five abilities — listening (Ascolto), reading (Comprensione della lettura), grammar and language structures (Analisi delle strutture di comunicazione), writing (Produzione scritta), and speaking (Produzione orale) — and candidates must pass every section. The A2 'Integrazione in Italia' module is especially important because it satisfies the Italian-language requirement for the EC long-term residence permit (permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo). This free practice bank focuses on the three objective, multiple-choice sections (Ascolto, Comprensione della lettura, and Analisi delle strutture di comunicazione), simulating listening tasks with written transcripts so learners can practise the exact question types found on the real exam.
Exam sponsor: Universita per Stranieri di Siena (Centro CILS), delivered through Italian Cultural Institutes, universities, and authorised exam centres worldwide.. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.
Questions
100 questions
Time Limit
About 2 hours 30 minutes of written tests plus a short oral interview. Indicative section timings: Ascolto ~20 min, Comprensione della lettura 30 min, Analisi delle strutture di comunicazione 30 min, Produzione scritta 40 min; the oral test is held separately.
Passing Score
Candidates must reach the minimum threshold in EVERY section (listening, reading, structures, writing, speaking) to pass the full A2 certificate; a typical minimum is around 11 out of 20 per section. Passed sections can be retained for a future session (capitalizzazione).
Exam / Certification Fees
Approximately EUR 40 for the A2 / A2 Integrazione module (2026), varying by exam centre and country, often plus a local administration fee. Confirm the exact fee with your chosen exam centre.
Exam sponsor websiteFees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.
Our practice resources: topics covered
We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.
Ascolto (Listening Comprehension)
Short everyday dialogues, voicemails, announcements, and forecasts; complete sentences or pick the information present. Focus on numbers, times, prices, places, and key actions.
Comprensione della lettura (Reading Comprehension)
Job ads, notices, messages, e-mails, menus, and schedules; gap-fill cloze from a word list and matching messages to coherent replies.
Analisi delle strutture di comunicazione (Grammar and Structures)
Verb tenses, articles, prepositions, object and reflexive pronouns, adjective agreement, comparatives, and the partitive, tested through gap-fill and selection tasks.
Preparing for the CILS A2 Exam
What You Need to Know
- Passing score: Candidates must reach the minimum threshold in EVERY section (listening, reading, structures, writing, speaking) to pass the full A2 certificate; a typical minimum is around 11 out of 20 per section. Passed sections can be retained for a future session (capitalizzazione).
- Exam length: 100 questions
- Time limit: About 2 hours 30 minutes of written tests plus a short oral interview. Indicative section timings: Ascolto ~20 min, Comprensione della lettura 30 min, Analisi delle strutture di comunicazione 30 min, Produzione scritta 40 min; the oral test is held separately.
- Exam / certification fees: Approximately EUR 40 for the A2 / A2 Integrazione module (2026), varying by exam centre and country, often plus a local administration fee. Confirm the exact fee with your chosen exam centre. Official sources
Using Our Practice Resources
- Work through all 100 available questions
- Review every answer and explanation
- Track weak areas and revisit them
- Use our AI tutor for tough concepts
CILS A2: Suggested Study Strategy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CILS A2 and who awards it?
The CILS A2 is an official elementary-level (CEFR A2) Italian-as-a-foreign-language certificate awarded by the Universita per Stranieri di Siena through its Centro CILS. It certifies basic ability to understand and use everyday Italian about personal, family, work, and service situations.
Why do many people take the CILS A2 Integrazione module?
The CILS A2 'Integrazione in Italia' module satisfies the Italian-language requirement for the EC long-term residence permit (permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo), so many foreign residents in Italy take it to qualify for long-term residency.
What sections does the CILS A2 exam have?
The full CILS A2 exam has five sections: Ascolto (listening), Comprensione della lettura (reading), Analisi delle strutture di comunicazione (grammar and structures), Produzione scritta (writing), and Produzione orale (speaking). This practice bank covers the three objective sections.
How do I pass the CILS A2 exam?
You must reach the minimum score threshold in every one of the five sections, typically around 11 out of 20 per section. If you fail one section, you do not pass overall, but you can keep your passed sections for a later session through 'capitalizzazione'.
How much does the CILS A2 exam cost in 2026?
The CILS A2 module costs approximately EUR 40 in 2026, although the exact fee depends on the exam centre and country and may include a local administration surcharge. Always confirm the price with your chosen exam centre.
When can I take the CILS A2 exam in 2026?
The Universita per Stranieri di Siena holds several CILS sessions across 2026 (for example in February, April, June, July, October, and December). Not every level is offered at every session, so check the official cils.unistrasi.it calendar and your local exam centre.