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Italian How to get a H1 in the Leaving Cert  

Italian Exam 

 

  by Aoife B. 

Aoife got a H1 in her higher Leaving Cert Italian paper. She’s now doing Accounting and Finance in DCU. Here she shares what she learned.  

Contents The Oral Exam 3 The Journalistic Passage 11 The Opinion Piece 14 The Guided Composition 17 The Formal Letter 20 The Aural Exam 23 Some final tips 27  

 

 

   

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The Oral Exam The Italian oral is probably the most daunting aspect of the exam. Accounting for 25% of your                                 

overall grade, this exam tests your ability to understand spoken Italian and your confidence                           

in speaking it. Although you can never be sure what exactly you’ll be asked, I have some                                 

general tips and tricks that will help you along the way and get you through difficult                               

questions! 

______ 

Knowing the structure of the exam is absolutely essential so you know what exactly you’ll be                               

getting yourself in for before entering the room. The exam will be about 15 minutes in total.                                 

You can be rest assured that the exam will always take this format: 

 

‣ Greeting: When you enter the room, you will be asked your to give your name, your                               

exam number, and to sign your name on a sheet for administrative purposes. Then the                             

examiner will click start on the recording machine - the exam has begun! 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 - 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 goes for 50 marks. 

 

‣ Role Plays: Next up are the 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 are that you can have them prepared before entering the exam. You’ll be so                               

used to them and will be ready for all possible questions. These last 3-4 minutes and go                                 

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for 25 marks. 

 

‣ Picture Sequence: Finally, you will be asked to choose one of the five picture                           

sequences. 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 of 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! 

 

Before I go into the different sections in more detail, here are some general tips for the exam: 

 

‣ 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. The oral exam is no           

exception! If you speak in         

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! Your Italian           

will sound more natural and fluent           

to the examiner. 

 

‣ Prononciation: 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! Eg; pesce (“pess- shay”)         

means fish but adding a h changes             

the pronunciation to pesche (“pess-         

kay”) and means peaches! Ask your           

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teacher how to say certain words           

and write the phonetics above         

difficult words!  

 

‣ Also, don’t be embarrassed to try to             

roll your Rs. Even if you find it               

difficult, you should make an effort           

and the examiner will see this and             

reward it. You’ll sound so much           

more fluent if you do this! 

 

‣ Practice: Most of us aren’t lucky           

enough to have family members         

who can speak Italian with, 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. (Obviously, if you have a           

family member who can speak         

Italian, you should take advantage of           

this and speak as much Italian as             

you can with them!) 

 

‣ Record yourself speaking: This is a           

great way to test yourself and           

highlight areas which you find         

difficult. Try recording yourself       

reciting the picture sequences and         

listen to them on your trip to school!               

I found this really helped me study! 

1. The General Conversation

This is definitely one of the most demanding aspects of the exam. You will have to think on                                   

the spot and be ready for all types of questions. However, it is important to remember that                                 

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although the examiner asks questions, it is you that leads the conversation. Here are my tips                               

to get you through… 

 

‣ Topics are predictable: Even though the questions are never exactly the same from                         

oral to oral, don’t worry because the examiners will always touch on certain topics: 

❏ Yourself 

❏ Your family and friends 

❏ Your house and area 

❏ Your hobbies and past-times 

❏ Sport 

❏ Your school and subjects 

❏ Holidays 

❏ Weekends 

❏ Your part-time job 

❏ Your future job 

❏ College 

❏ Italy vs Ireland 

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

 

‣ Keep an oral copy: To help you study for the oral exam, it is so important that you keep                                     

an oral copy/notebook and write sample answers for each subject area. Keep lists of                           

possible questions and handy phrases and vocabulary.  

 

‣ It’s okay if you don’t understand the question: Sometimes the examiners’ accents                         

can be difficult to understand or they can phrase things in ways you’re not completely                             

used to. BUT, if you don’t understand, just have a sentence ready to ask the examiner to                                 

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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!) 

 

‣ You control the conversation: You don’t have to talk about something if you don’t                           

want to. For example, if you dislike sports and don’t have much to say and the examiner                                 

asks you about it, it is perfectly fine to tell the examiner that you’re not interested in it.                                   

BUT you must either give reasons why you’re not interested or else expand on your                             

answer by talking about something else you’re interested in instead! (“Non mi piace per                           

niente lo sport MA AMO LEGGERE…….) 

 

‣ Try to avoid single-sentence responses: Apart from your name, address and exam                       

number, there is absolutely 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, then                               

going on to talk about where you live, what your area is like and then could go on to                                     

talk about facilities in your area and school etc. 

 

‣ Be aware of ‘Leading 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! 

 

‣ REMEMBER though, you can use these leading topics to your advantage! If you have a                             

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particular thing which you want to talk about, you can bring it up. For example, I really                                 

wanted to talk about mental health, so I used sport as my gateway to this topic. I                                 

mentioned how sport can benefit your mental health and then this lead me onto the                             

subject of mental health! 

 

‣ Have a few handy colloquial phrases: It is important that you have a few useful                               

connecting phrases that make your conversation flow more fluently. (Eg; “senza                     

dubbio” = without a doubt, or “piove a catinelle” = it is raining cats and dogs etc) 

 

2. The Role Plays 

These are a very challenging aspect of the exam. Even though you know all five of them                                 

before going in, there are no ‘set’ questions, and the examiner has the power to make them                                 

as simple or difficult as they like. However, I have a few tips to help: 

 

‣ What are they?: Making sure you know how this part of the exam works is essential.                               

When you choose the Role Play, the instructions will be written in ENGLISH, but you                             

must answer in Italian! You usually take one minute or so to compose yourself and read                               

through it... 

 

‣ Speak in the formal: It is vital that you speak to the examiner in the formal. Using third                                   

person singular (LEI form) and the pronouns LE and LA. 

 

‣ Know them inside out: Make sure you know what happens in each role play and that                               

you are aware of the different questions the examiner asks and what points you need to                               

make. Even though you do have the instructions in front of you, once you get started, it                                 

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will not be easy to keep referring to them. 

 

‣ Keep it simple: If you write out sample dialogues before the exam, you really should                             

keep them as simple as possible. Don’t over-complicate them as it will inevitably                         

confuse you! 

 

‣ Practice: This is by far the most important of all of my advice! 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.) 

 

3. The Picture Sequence 

The picture sequence is the easiest 25 marks you will pick up. As I have said earlier, you won’t                                     

be interrupted and you know exactly what you will be saying. 

 

‣ Short and simple: There are 6 pictures in each picture sequence. All you need to do is                                 

describe what is happening in each picture. About 4 simple sentences each will do. 

 

‣ Learn it off by heart: 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. 

 

‣ If you forget...: If for example, on the day you have a blank and can’t remember it, the                                   

main thing is not to panic. You have been studying Italian for years and will be well able                                   

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to string sentences together! The examiner won’t notice so long as you don’t panic! 

‣ 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. (“Nella prima                               

immagine” etc) 

 

‣ Practice: Constant practice is the only way to guarantee you won’t forget it on the day! 

   

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The Written Exam - Journalistic Passage The Journalistic Passage is the first question, Section A, of the written paper. I think that                               

feeling comfortable answering this question is of utmost importance, as it sets your mood for                             

the entire exam. If it goes well, you will be confident starting the paper. 

 

‣ This one question accounts for 15% of your overall grade (60 marks!). The subject                           

matter is completely unpredictable and the passages tend to be very factual, with                         

quotes and statistics. Although the writing can be quite formal, with a high level of                             

vocabulary, if you practice regularly and use my advice, you will find this question a very                               

handy way to earn marks! 

 

Here are some of my top tips… 

 

‣ Know the format of this section: 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 

 

‣ Where to find the answers: Each           

question relates to a different         

paragraph, i.e. The answers to         

question one will be found in           

paragraph one and so on. This           

makes answering much easier as         

you can be sure where the answer             

is to be found.  

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‣ Before you start: The first thing I             

did when answering this question         

was read question 5. This is the             

general question in English relating         

to the entire passage. I liked to             

have time to mull over in the back               

of my mind when answering the           

other questions, and I found that           

reading the complete passage       

before looking at the questions         

wasted too much time, so I instead             

read each paragraph as I answered           

each question. (E.g. read question         

one, then read paragraph one, then           

write the answer, etc.) 

 

‣ Do not copy your answers directly           

from the text: 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! 

 

‣ Understand the wording of the         

question: Knowing the question       

words (Eg; perché/ chi/ quali sono/           

spiegate…) is essential, otherwise       

you will give the wrong answer! 

 

‣ Only answer what is asked: Your           

answer should fit on the lines           

given. It should not be too long and               

should definitely 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 really useful             

while answering as it meant I didn’t             

lose the answer and could easily           

see it. 

 

‣ Guess if you’re not sure: Even if             

you have no clue what the answer             

is, make sure you write something.           

Hazard a guess and you never           

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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. 

 

Some typical questions: Be prepared for these common questions: 

 

❏ Find a phrase in the text that means X : For this question just copy the exact                                 

phrase straight from the passage 

❏ Find certain grammar forms: Again, just take the words directly from the piece.                         

Also make sure you are able to recognize and understand these grammatical terms                         

and forms in Italian. E.g. find a verb in the infinitive/ find a feminine plural noun etc) 

❏ Find words that reference X: For example, find words that refer to the city. 

 

‣ Practice makes perfect: As always, the more of these you practice, the better you                           

will get. They get much easier with constant practice. Make sure you set yourself                           

time limits (30 mins approximately) and practice using the past papers (made easy                         

by Studyclix)! 

 

   

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The Opinion Piece 

The Opinion Piece is often considered the most challenging question on the exam. Not only                             

are they completely unpredictable and require a lot of thought and personal knowledge, they                           

also test your ability to express your opinion in Italian, which usually implies the use of the                                 

subjunctive form (a very complicated grammar area). This question is based on the                         

Journalistic Passage and usually asks you for your thoughts on some of the discussed topics. 

  

‣ This particular question goes for 25 marks (6.25% of the overall grade!) With lots of                             

practice and the use of my tips and tricks though, I guarantee you that this difficult                               

question will be a walk in the park! 

 

‣ Know the format: A good opinion piece requires 3 parts: 

❏ Strong opening: Grab the reader’s attention. 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. 

 

❏ 3-4 short paragraphs: This is where you answer the questions you have been                         

asked. It is your chance to express your personal opinion and make general                         

comments. It is essential to reference your own personal experiences too. 

 

❏ Conclusion: Every opinion piece’s conclusion MUST BEGIN WITH ‘IN                 

CONCLUSIONE’. It is vital that you include this phrase in your final paragraph.                         

Here you can give your final impressions and opinions on the topic you have been                             

discussing. 

   

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➧ Answer every question asked:       

There are usually between 3 and 5             

questions asked. You must answer         

each of these, giving your OWN           

PERSONAL OPINION! 

 

➧ Be enthusiastic: No matter how         

dull and boring the subject of the             

question is, it is extremely         

important that you come across         

really enthusiastic about it and         

show an interest in it. 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!         

(Eg; ‘secondo me è vantaggioso’ is           

much easier than ‘penso che sia           

vantaggioso’) 

 

➧ Quality, not quantity: As usual, keep           

your answer short, snappy and         

simple with careful attention to         

detail, grammar and spelling. About         

one A4 page will be enough. (The             

length of the lined page in the             

answer-book is perfect if you have           

medium sized writing). But, for a H1             

answer, it is vital that you expand on               

your points. Bulk out your         

paragraphs by adding extra       

information and details.  

 

➧ How is it marked: There are 25             

marks in total on offer, divided into             

10 marks for language (i.e. quality of             

expression, grammar and spelling)       

and 15 marks for content (i.e.           

referencing all of the questions,         

presenting a logical series of         

arguments and keeping on topic at           

all times). HOWEVER, it’s important         

to note that if you score below 5 in                 

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the language section, your content         

will be marked out of 10 instead of               

15. Basically, if you lose 5 marks for               

bad spelling, grammar etc you         

automatically lose 5 marks for         

content, so be careful! 

 

➧ Follow the order: Try to answer this             

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. In this way, the               

ideas will be still fresh in your head! 

 

➧ Don’t copy sentences from       

Journalistic Passage: You can of         

course use the passage to get ideas             

or one or two key words, 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           

and allowing them to be read easily.             

(eg; insomma /quindi/ anche se/         

dato che etc.) 

 

➧ Practice makes perfect: This goes         

without saying! Practice, practice       

and more practice is your 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! 

 

   

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The Guided Composition The guided composition was definitely one of my favourite aspects of the written exam. This                             

question gives you the freedom to create your own short story, while being guided by key                               

words in the question. Even though they only go for 25 marks, they’re still extremely                             

important, accounting for 6.25% of your overall grade. They may look easy at first glance, but                               

examiners penalize heavily for incorrect spelling and bad grammar. However, with the use of                           

my top tips below, those 25 marks will be within reach! 

 

➧ Follow the guide: This is crucial if             

you want to earn full marks. Make             

sure you clearly reference the key           

points laid out in the box at the top                 

of the page. Yes, you can make the               

story as personal as you like, but you               

MUST show the examiner that you           

understand the question! 

 

➧ Use all the points given: There are             

usually about 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. 

 

➧ Quality, not quantity: This tip         

applies to all of the written pieces;             

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.  

 

➧ Details: For a H1 answer, it is vital               

that you expand on your points. Bulk             

out your paragraphs by adding extra           

information and details. My advice         

would be to write about 4 SIMPLE             

sentences on each idea given. 

 

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➧ Past Tense: This particular exercise examines your knowledge of the past tense.                       

REMEMBER, in Italian, we use a variety of past tenses. This question is your way to show                                 

these off to the examiner! 

❏ Il Passato Prossimo: for completed actions in the past (eg; ‘ho mangiato’) 

❏ l’Imperfetto: for descriptions and habitual actions in the past (eg; ‘mangiavo’) 

❏ Il Trapassato Prossimo: for actions which happened before a completed action 

(eg: ‘avevo mangiato’)  

❏ Il Passato Prossimo Progressivo: for continuous past actions (eg; ‘stavo 

mangiando’) 

 

➧ Order is important: You need to           

order your story as the words are             

ordered in the question. This gives           

your story a good structure. 

 

➧ 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       

recognize when a verb is needed           

(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 (question says         

‘andare in gita scolastica’ you will           

change andare from the infinitive to           

‘siamo andati in gita scolastica’). 

 

➧ Have a few key phrases to use:              

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. 

 

➧ Grab the reader's attention in the           

opening line:: (E.g. I will never forget             

that day/Listen to what happened!) 

 

➧ Include emotions : Know how to         

express your feelings about       

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situations (I was happy/ I was upset/I             

was surprised etc.) 

 

➧ Make a reference to the weather : In             

nearly every story you can say           

something about the weather. (Eg; It           

was a stormy day so we stayed…../             

the sun was shining so we went..) 

 

➧ Know your conjunctions: To write a           

good Guided Composition you must         

use connecting words to link your           

story and make it flow naturally. (eg;             

dopo/ poi/ di conseguenza/ inoltre/         

comunque etc.) 

 

➧ Use time expressions: These are of           

utmost importance to give the         

reader a sense of time and place,             

making your story clearer and easier           

to follow. (Eg; l’estate scorsa/ l’anno           

scorso/ inseguito/ ieri etc) 

 

➧ Include proverbs : knowing a few         

general proverbs will really impress         

the examiner! They are a great way             

to finish a story too. (Eg; Don’t judge               

a book by it’s cover etc) 

 

➧ Practice makes perfect: As always,         

the more of these you practice           

before the exam, the better you will             

get. Try doing one a week and time               

yourself (20-25 mins). It won’t take           

long and you will become so much             

more confident! Use the past exam           

papers as examples too! 

     

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The Formal Letter Formal letters can seem quite daunting at first, and so many people neglect them deeming                             

them unimportant, and ultimately forgetting that they earn TWICE the amount of marks as                           

the two other written pieces (the guided composition and the opinion piece): a staggering 50                             

marks, which is 12.5% of the overall grade! Definitely don’t disregard this section! Obviously                           

this section isn’t completely simple, but with practice and a good knowledge of some higher                             

level vocabulary, a high grade is very achievable, so don’t let them scare you. 

 

‣ Quality, not quantity: 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 slightly you will pick up full marks for content.                             

Remember, the more you write, the more they have to judge you on!  

 

‣ They’re predictable: As you know, the majority of the Italian paper is completely                           

unseen and it’s usually very difficult to be certain of what will come up. But luckily for                                 

us, this section is extremely repetitive and the topics tend to be similar year after year.                               

Here are the most common topics: 

❏ 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  

 

‣ Write in a formal tone: This is absolutely 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                                 

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its functionality. Make sure to use capital letters for La, Le, Lei, il Suo, la Sua, Vi, Voi, il                                     

Vostro, la Vostra.  

 

‣ Know the layout: Writing a good formal letter requires perfect format 

❏ Your name, address and the date on the top right  

❏ Their name and address on the top left, or ‘DESTINATARIO: and OGGETTO:’ for                         

an email (Remember that emails are becoming more and more common on                       

the paper, so don’t let an email address throw you off) 

❏ Opening of the letter (i.e. ‘Spettabile Direzione’ / ‘Gentile Famiglia Rossi’ etc.) 

❏ A strong opening paragraph explaining your reasons for writing the letter (i.e.                       

Le scrivo per ringraziarLa per….) 

❏ An informative body of the letter, which makes reference to all the targets in                           

the question. 

❏ A concluding paragraph, usually thanking the person or asking them to write                       

back. (‘In attesa di una Sua risposta’ is a handy sentence which works in every                             

type of formal letter ) 

❏ Ending of the letter (Distini Saluti, (insert your name)) 

 

‣ Think about who are you writing to: Recognising whether you’re writing to a single                           

person or a group of people is absolutely essential. Writing using the ‘Lei’ form (i.e. 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                               

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‘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 wide and broad range of words and verbs. 

 

‣ Practice: Honestly, the more of these you practice, the easier they will get! I would                             

recommend doing extra ones at home and handing them up to your teacher, (Don’t                           

worry, they won’t mind as they’ll be happy to see you doing extra practice!) 

 

   

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The Aural Exam If you think the aural exam is something that is either not possible or not worth studying for,                                   

you are completely mistaken! 80 marks - 20% of your overall grade - depends on this exam,                                 

almost as much as the entire oral exam. It is most definitely worth putting time into and I                                   

personally found it a great way to pick up marks. However, don’t trick yourself into thinking                               

you can earn these marks without study! Here are my top tips to ace the aural! 

 

‣ Know the layout: The aural exam is usually approximately 40 minutes long and takes                           

place after the written exam. It is made up of 3 sections: 

 

❏ Section 1: In this part you will hear 8 NEWS STATEMENTS. It’s very simple, you                             

hear each statement twice, you are given 4 options as answers and all you                           

have to do is circle the most appropriate one. Each is worth 2 marks, so this                               

section is worth 16 marks in total. 

❏ Section 2: Here we listen to 2 CONVERSATIONS. You hear each conversation                       

three times, with gaps between each question on the 2nd hearing (so you will                           

have plenty of time, don’t worry!). There are usually about 4 questions for each                           

conversation, with the answers being only a line long. Each answer is worth 4                           

marks, so each conversation goes for 16 marks. 

❏ Section 3: And finally we have an INTERVIEW. This part is like the conversations                           

in section two, except it’s just one long piece of dialogue. Again, you will hear it                               

3 times, with pauses between answers on the 2nd hearing. There are typically                         

8 questions worth 4 marks each, so this section goes for 32 marks! 

 

➧ Answer in English: Make sure all of               

your answers are in English! Don’t           

get mixed up and make it difficult for               

yourself by trying to answer in           

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Italian! My general rule of thumb is to               

answer in the language the question           

is asked in (i.e. if the question is in                 

English, answer in English) 

 

➧ 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! I promise         

you that you will 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! (Eg..           

“Why did he want to go to Ireland?” –                 

is pretty self-explanatory!) 

 

‣ Read through the questions       

beforehand: Before each section         

you will be given a minute or so to                 

read through the questions. Don’t sit           

and stare into space! 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. Make sure you take a               

highlighter to the key words so you             

know what to listen out for! 

 

‣ Details: For section 2 and 3 you have               

loads of time to listen to the details               

and write them down, so make sure             

your answers contain as much         

information as possible. The       

marking schemes change year on         

year, and they can be picky about             

including certain words etc. In this           

way you don’t give the examiner any             

opportunity to dock you marks!  

 

‣ Read through at the end: When the              

exam finishes, make sure you re-read           

your answers, making sure you have           

answered (or guessed) every single         

question on the paper. Make sure           

your writing is legible and that your             

sentences make sense. 

 

‣ Sometimes the news is predictable:         

Here are some common topics that           

usually appear. Make sure you create           

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lists of vocabulary that relate to           

these topics!  

❏ Weather forecast 

❏ Incident (fire/storm/ floods/     

robbery etc) 

❏ Strikes 

❏ Statistics 

 

‣ Practice: To get a H1 in your aural               

exam it is absolutely essential that           

you maintain consistent practice       

throughout 5th and 6th year. 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. In this             

way, you tune your ear into the             

Italian, while finding the questions         

themselves more manageable! 

 

‣ Even if you don’t practice in school,             

doing one a week is still great! Or               

better still, using Studyclix’s       

resources to do a shorter part of a               

listening each day. (E.g. do the 2012             

news statements Section A on         

Monday) 

 

‣ Use the marking schemes: It’s good           

practice to use the marking scheme           

to test yourself- see how many           

marks you would have lost, or what             

words you missed.  

 

‣ Make a list of new vocab: The only               

way you will improve at 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             

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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! 

 

‣ Track your progress: I kept a list of                

my scores on each listening exam           

as I practised. I think it’s such a               

great motivator when you see         

yourself improve week after week         

with practice. A great incentive to           

study! 

  

  

   

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Some final tips Learning a new language is never easy, and I gladly welcomed any extra help I could get.                                 

Making small changes to your everyday routine to benefit your Italian is a great way to                               

subconsciously study! Here’s what I did! 

 

➧ Set your phone to Italian: Seeing Italian popping up on your screen will really help                             

you to familiarize yourself with the language! 

 

➧ Listen to Italian podcasts: This really benefited my Italian. I found some really                         

interesting Italian podcasts which I listened to on my trip to school or even before                             

bed. There are even ‘Italian for Beginners’ podcasts where the speakers speak more                         

slowly to aid your understanding. 

 

➧ Watch Italian TV and movies: There are some really great Italian tv shows and movies                             

out there which are not only super enjoyable, but also of great help to your Italian.                               

Reading the English subtitles while listening to Italian is great practice! Either change                         

the language on the movie or watch actual Italian movies and shows on Netflix. 

 

➧ Read Italian books and magazines: Just like movies and tv, these are great ways to                             

learn Italian, (while not getting bored!). Reading Italian improves your level of                       

vocabulary. Keep a dictionary beside you to look up new words! 

 

➧ Download some apps: Apps like Duolingo and other Italian games are super handy to                           

learn Italian on the go. Even 10 minutes a day is great to learn one or two new words                                     

or phrases. 

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➧ Speak to a classmate in Italian: Find a classmate which you are comfortable                         

speaking Italian to. I personally think this is the best way to practice your spoken                             

Italian. You can talk about things you’re interested in, while speaking in Italian and                           

becoming really confident. You’ll notice your Italian will flow much faster with regular                         

practise. By the time you get to your oral exam, speaking Italian will feel so natural! 

 

➧ Check out YouTube: Having trouble with the subjunctive? Forget how to conjugate                       

‘isc’ verbs? Just pull up Youtube on your screen and there are bank of videos waiting                               

for you! 

 

 

 

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