The Italian B1 exam — CILS UNO-B1 from the University for Foreigners of Siena, or CELI 2 from the University for Foreigners of Perugia — is not a single test of "how good is your Italian". CILS B1 is made up of five separately assessed parts: listening (ascolto), reading (comprensione della lettura), a language-structures section that tests grammar in context (analisi delle strutture di comunicazione), writing (produzione scritta) and speaking (produzione orale). That structures section is the part many candidates do not expect, and it rewards exactly the details everyday conversation lets you skip: articles, prepositions merged with articles, pronouns, the right past tense. Reading and listening are objectively scored; writing is judged on task fulfilment, coherence, vocabulary and grammar; speaking is a face-to-face exchange with an examiner. Asagno's exam packs are built on the same content as the regular B1 lessons, wrapped in real exam conditions — a server-enforced clock per section, audio you can only replay a limited number of times, and an AI examiner that scores writing and speaking against a rubric and returns a corrected version with specific feedback, not just a pass/fail number.
What you'll learn
- The CILS B1 structure — five parts, each assessed separately — and how CELI 2 organises the same skills into its own written and oral parts
- The language-structures section: articles, prepositions merged with articles (al, della, nel), pronouns and verb forms in context
- Reading strategy: read the question before the text, and match by meaning rather than a single shared word
- Listening strategy: use the pause before each recording to predict the topic; replays are limited, exactly as in the exam
- Writing under time pressure: cover every point in the task, with the right greeting and closing for the text type
- A full practice exam with a server-timed clock, resumable if you get interrupted, and a detailed results breakdown per skill
Two real task types
Reading: a short ad — "Affittasi monolocale arredato, 450 € al mese, spese incluse, libero da subito." (Furnished studio for rent, €450 a month, bills included, available immediately.) — followed by a question such as "Are the bills included in the rent?" You are not asked to translate it; you prove you extracted the one fact the question targets. Speed matters as much as accuracy.
Language structures: a gap-fill such as "Sono arrivato ___ stazione alle otto." The answer is "alla" (a + la) — no vocabulary trick, just a preposition merged with an article, exactly the kind of detail the CILS structures section checks.
Frequently asked questions
Is CILS the same as CELI?
No — CILS is issued by the University for Foreigners of Siena and CELI by the University for Foreigners of Perugia. Both are CEFR-aligned and widely recognised in Italy (as are some others, such as PLIDA from the Società Dante Alighieri), but check which certificate a specific office, university or employer asks for before booking. Siena also offers a B1 variant aimed at citizenship applicants, so confirm which version you need.
Does Asagno reproduce official past exam papers?
No. Practice exam content is original, written to match the public structure and difficulty of these exam formats — it is not copied from any official past paper, and Asagno is not affiliated with the University for Foreigners of Siena or of Perugia.
Can I try a section before buying the exam pack?
Yes — every exam pack includes one free sample section so you can see the real format and timing before deciding.