Greeting

When you enter the room, you will be asked to give your name and your exam number. You will then be asked to sign your name on a sheet for administrative purposes. Then, the examiner will click start on the recording machine and that's the beginning of the exam. It’s really important that you know about these things before going in so you’re not thrown off.

General conversation

The examiner will start off by asking you general questions about yourself. Knowing the basics is essential as the examiner isn’t looking to catch you out, they are actually looking to give you marks and want you to be comfortable speaking to them. This section lasts about 8 minutes and is worth 50 marks.

Role plays

Typically, the examiner will lay out the 5 role plays face down on the table and will ask you to choose one. The best thing about the role plays is that you can have them prepared before entering the exam so you’ll be used to them and will be ready for all possible questions. These last 3-4 minutes and are worth 25 marks.

Picture sequences

Finally, you will be asked to choose one of the five picture sequences and this is by far the easiest part of the exam. As boring as it is, all you have to do is learn off by heart a story about the pictures. They take 3 or 4 minutes and are worth 25 marks. You will be asked no questions and the examiner won’t interrupt. Know these inside-out and upside-down and there’s no doubt that you will get full marks.

Don’t be nervous

As much as possible, try to remain cool, calm and collected. If you’re nervous, you’ll find it difficult to remember everything you’ve learned. Bring a bottle of water in if you think you’ll need it for your voice.

Speak with enthusiasm

There’s nothing worse than someone who speaks with no expression in their voice and the oral exam is no exception. If you speak in a monotone, your sentences will sound learned off and will really bore the examiner. Try to put some enthusiasm in your voice and you’ll sound 100 times better because your Italian will sound more natural and fluent to the examiner.

Pronunciation

When writing in Italian, pronunciation is not important. However, in this exam, good pronunciation is key to earning high marks. Incorrect pronunciation sometimes changes the meaning of the word and will really confuse the examiner, for example, 'pesce' (pess- shay) means fish but adding a 'h' changes the pronunciation to 'pesche' (pesskay) and means peaches. Ask your teacher how to say certain words and write the phonetics above difficult words.

Practice makes perfect

Most of us aren’t lucky enough to have family members who can speak Italian but practicing is a must. If you don’t practice, you won’t feel comfortable speaking Italian and when it comes to the day of the exam, it will be much more daunting. I would really recommend asking your teacher to do a practice oral exam before class or to go over a particular area you find difficult after school. You could also find an Italian study buddy with whom you could practice things that are hard to study alone such as the role plays. Speaking to yourself in the mirror is another great way to practice.

Record yourself

This is a great way to test yourself and highlight areas which you find difficult. Try recording yourself reciting the picture sequences and listening to them on your way to school. I found this really helped me study.

Yourself

Your family and friends

Your house and area

Your hobbies and pastimes

Sport

Your school and subjects

Holidays

Weekends

Your part-time job

College and your future job

Italy vs Ireland

Difficult topics (usually not asked unless you specifically bring them up)

Not understanding a question

Sometimes the examiners’ accents can be difficult to understand or they can phrase things in ways you’re not completely used to. If you don’t understand, just have a sentence ready to ask the examiner to repeat the question, e.g. “Può ripetere per favore?”. Don’t worry if you have to do this once or twice, you won’t lose any marks.

Don't give one-line answers

Apart from your name, address and exam number, there is no excuse to ever give a one-line answer. The trick is to just keep talking until the examiner interrupts. This shows that you’ve plenty to say and are comfortable chatting. For example, if they ask you “How many are in your family?” instead of just saying the number, you can expand on it by describing your family and then going on to talk about where you live, what your area is like, etc.

Avoiding topics

If you are unprepared for certain questions, it is absolutely vital that you recognise that you must avoid talking about certain things that could potentially lead the examiner to question you about your undesired topic. In my experience, I really didn’t want the examiner to ask me about Brexit, so I completely avoided talking about doing business or economics in school, just in case it led into a conversation about the economy.

Colloquial phrases

It is important that you have a few useful connecting phrases that make your conversation flow more fluently, for example, “senza dubbio” (without a doubt) or “piove a catinelle” (it is raining cats and dogs), etc.

Keep it formal and simple

It is vital that you speak to the examiner formally, i.e. use the third person singular (lei form) and the pronouns le and la. If you write out sample dialogues before the exam, keep them as simple as possible. Don’t overcomplicate them as it will inevitably confuse you.

Know them inside out

Make sure you know what happens in each role play. Be aware of the different questions the examiner might ask and what points you need to make. Even though you do have the instructions in front of you, once you get started, it will not be easy to keep referring to them.

Practice

This is by far the most important thing to remember: practicing is the key to a good grade. You become more comfortable speaking and you get used to the different routes the examiner can take with the questions, e.g. knowing the examiner might say that the ticket machine is broken, etc.

Learn it off

Your teacher will either give you a script or else ask you to write one out. Make sure you learn it off by heart, inside out and upside down so that you are 100% confident reciting it off without mistakes.

Going blank

If you have a blank on the day and can’t remember something, the main thing is not to panic. You have been studying Italian for years and will be well able to string sentences together. The examiner won’t notice so long as you don’t panic. Constant practice is the only way to guarantee you won’t forget it on the day.

Identify which picture you’re referring to

To be sure that the examiner is following along with you, it’s a good idea to say which picture you’re talking about, e.g. “Nella prima immagine”, etc.

Know the question format

There are typically 5 questions which you must answer. Questions 1-4 are in Italian and must be answered in Italian. They are composed of 2 parts: (a) and (b). Question 5 is in English and must be answered in English. It relates to the passage as a whole and usually asks you to write about 60 words.

Finding the answers

Each question relates to a different paragraph, i.e. the answers to Question 1 will be found in paragraph 1 and so on. This makes answering much easier as you can be sure where the answer is to be found.

Write in your own words

All of your answers need to be written in your own words. Once you find the answer in the text, manipulate the wording and the order of the sentence to write the same thing in a different way. You will lose lots of marks if you don’t do this.

Only answer what is asked

Your answer should fit on the lines given. It should not be too long and should not contain any irrelevant information, e.g. if you were asked where she got married, you shouldn’t include the date of the wedding in your answer. This information is not needed and makes the examiner think that you didn’t understand what you were asked. I found that highlighting the answer in the text was useful while answering as it meant I didn’t lose the answer and could easily see it.

Don't leave anything blank

Even if you have no clue what the answer is, make sure you write something. Hazard a guess and you never know, you might pick up a few marks. Remember that if you write nothing, you automatically score zero. The examiner wants to give you marks.

'Find a phrase in the text that means X'. For this question, copy the exact phrase straight from the passage.

'Find words that reference X'. For this kind of question, find words that refer to the city, for example.

'Find certain grammar forms'. Again, just take the words directly from the piece. Make sure you are able to recognise and understand these grammatical terms and forms in Italian, e.g. find a verb in the infinitive and find a feminine plural noun, etc.

Answer layout

A good opinion piece requires 3 parts. Grab the reader’s attention with a strong opening. Give your general ‘take’ on the question and reference the main ideas expressed in the journalistic passage. Explain what you are going to talk about. Then, you need 3-4 paragraphs where you answer the questions you have been asked. This is your chance to express your personal opinion and make general comments. It is essential to reference your own personal experiences too. Finally, every opinion piece’s conclusion must begin with the words 'in conslusione'. Here, you can give your final impressions and opinions on the topic you have been discussing.

Be enthusiastic

No matter how dull and boring the subject of the question is, it is extremely important that you come across as enthusiastic. Even if you don’t have opinions, make them up. This engages the examiner and makes it more relatable and interesting. If you’re bored writing it, think how bored the examiner will be reading it.

Avoid the subjunctive

As I’ve said, the subjunctive tense is very complicated and difficult to master. It is used when expressing opinions and doubts and must also be used in impersonal sentences. However, in my notes, I have some clever phrases which don’t need the subjunctive, for example, 'secondo me è vantaggioso' is much easier than 'penso che sia vantaggioso'.

Quality over quantity

Keep your answer short, snappy and simple with careful attention to detail, grammar and spelling. About one A4 page will be enough and the length of the lined page in the answer book is perfect if you have medium-sized writing. However, for a H1 answer, it is vital that you expand on your points and bulk out your paragraphs by adding extra information and details.

When to answer this question

Try to answer this question directly after completing the
journalistic passage question. Seeing as these two questions are linked, it’s a good idea to do them one after the other and this way, the ideas will be fresh in your head.

Don't copy from the journalistic passage

You can of course use the passage to get ideas or one or two keywords but you will be heavily penalised if you copy and paste sentences straight from the comprehension text into your opinion piece. Yes, they are connected but the opinion piece is looking for your personal opinion.

Know your conjunctions

To write a H1 opinion piece, you must use connecting words to link your ideas to allow them to be read easily, e.g. insomma/quindi/anche se/dato che, etc. Practice, practice
and more practice is the key to those 25 marks. You will become more aware of how to avoid the subjunctive and the connecting phrases will come more naturally to you.

Il passato prossimo is for completed actions in the past, e.g. ho mangiato.

l’imperfetto is for descriptions and habitual actions in the past, e.g. mangiavo.

Il trapassato prossimo is for actions which happened before a completed action, e.g. avevo mangiato.

Il passato prossimo progressivo is for continuous past actions, e.g. stavo mangiando.

Use all the points given

There are usually around 8 different ideas which you need to include but if you don’t understand (and can’t guess) one of them, the marking scheme says that it is okay to omit one element. If you can, however, it’s best to include them all.

Be concise

The more you write, the more the examiner has to judge you on and the greater the likelihood of spelling mistakes. Once again, about one A4 page will be enough. You need to order your story as the words are ordered in the question. This gives your story a good structure.

Grab the reader's attention

Grab the reader's attention in the opening line, e.g. 'I will never forget that day' or 'Listen to what happened!'. Make sure to include emotions and know how to express your feelings about situations, e.g. I was happy/I was upset/I was surprised, etc.

Manipulate the question phrases

The key phrases in the question are deliberately without verbs or else the verbs are not conjugated. It is absolutely essential that you recognise when a verb is needed, for example, if the question says 'momenti di panico’, you could say in your story ‘ho avuto dei momenti di panico’ or when you need to conjugate the verb used in the question, for example, if the question says ‘andare in gita scolastica’ you will change andare from the infinitive to ‘siamo andati in gita scolastica’.

Key phrases

Even though it is almost impossible to predict what will come up, I guarantee you that there are some sentences and topics you can talk about in most answers. For example, in nearly every story you can say something about the weather (it was a stormy day so we stayed…/the sun was shining so we went..., etc.).

Know your conjunctions

To write a good guided composition, you must use connecting words to link your story and make it flow naturally, e.g. dopo/poi/di conseguenza/inoltre/comunque, etc. 

Time expressions and proverbs

Time expressions are of utmost importance in order to give the reader a sense of time and place, making your story clearer and easier to follow, e.g. l’estate scorsa/l’anno scorso/inseguito/ieri, etc. Knowing a few general proverbs will really impress the examiner too and they are a great way to finish a story, e.g. don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

A letter of thanks for your stay/holiday/year of work in Italy.

A job application (often about a job in Italy).

A letter of complaint (usually to a company about a faulty product).

A letter of enquiry (about booking a holiday or asking questions and looking for information).

Scholarship application.

Use a formal tone

This is key when writing a formal letter. Instead of ‘ti scrivo’ we say ‘Le/vi scrivo’. Failing to do this will mean the letter loses its formality and its functionality. Make sure to use capital letters for La, Le, Lei, Il Suo, La Sua, Vi, Voi, Il Vostro, la Vostra, etc.

Answer the question asked

Formal letters are a form of functional writing and definitely shouldn’t be too long-winded as they lose their purpose. Once you hit the targets set in the question and expand on it, you will pick up full marks for content. Remember, the more you write, the more they have to judge you on.

Think about who you're writing to

Recognising whether you’re writing to a single person or a group of people is essential. Writing using the ‘lei’ form (to
a single person) when the letter specifically asks you to write to a group of people (requiring the ‘voi’ form) will cause you to lose a lot of marks so be careful to read the question carefully.

Use fancy vocabulary

To write a H1 formal letter, ‘fancy’ words are a must. For example, a different way of saying ‘to do’ (i.e. fare) is ‘svolgere' or instead of saying ‘to have’ using the more common verb ‘avere’ you could use ‘possedere'. Not only do these simple changes to your vocabulary accentuate the formality of the letter, it allows you to show the examiner that you have a range of vocabulary.

Guess if you’re not sure

I can’t stress enough how important it is to write something down, even if you think it’s completely wrong. Don’t be embarrassed by guessing because you might pick up attempt marks even if you get only one or two words. Most questions are easy to guess anyway and you can usually make a good estimate, for example, the question 'Why did he want to go to Ireland?' is pretty self-explanatory.

Read the questions carefully

Before each section, you will be given a minute or so to read through the questions so make the most of it. This is valuable
time for you to familiarise yourself with the questions and it also gives you a good idea of what the dialogue will be about. Take a highlighter to the keywords so you know what to listen out for.

Read over your work

When the exam finishes, make sure you reread your answers and make sure you have answered (or guessed) every question on the paper. Ensure that your writing is legible and that your sentences make sense.

Past papers

To get a H1 in your aural exam it is essential that you maintain consistent practice throughout 5th and 6th years. I found the past papers great for getting myself used to the exam structure and style of questions. The voices tend to be the same year on year so going over past papers is such a fantastic way to get used to the accents. If you’re in 5th year and are finding the higher-level papers too difficult, try using the ordinary-level papers. The actual tape is the exact same but the questions are easier. This way, you tune your ear into the Italian while finding the questions themselves more manageable.

Track your progress

It’s good practice to use the marking scheme to test yourself and see how many marks you might have lost or words you missed. I kept a list of my scores on each listening exam as I practiced. I think it’s such a great motivator when you see yourself improve week after week with practice. It's a great incentive to study.

Make a list of new vocab

The only way you will improve your aural comprehension is to improve your general vocabulary. The marking scheme contains the written script of the dialogue which is a brilliant resource to use to find and highlight new words. I kept a word-bank in my copy of new words I learned in each listening. Not only did this make my level of vocabulary better, I also found that the difficult words seem to come up again and again each year so it’s worth knowing them.