OVERVIEW

This is not a course, but a B2 level test, which must be taken after attending at least 3 years of laboratory. It is worth 2 credits.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The 'Prova di Idoneità' assesses the skills acquired by the students in English language: recognition and use of lexico-grammatical forms and oral and written text comprehension.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aims in this case are evaluative rather than formative. The test must be capable of assessing whether the students have achieved a degree of mastery of the English language that is comparable to a B2 of the common European framework of reference for languages.  In particular, the following skills will be evaluated:

1. Understanding a complex written text and answering detailed questions - both about content and linguistic form -pertaining to it;

2. Carrying out structured exercises in which missing language items must be inserted or selected with accuracy;

3. Understanding sentences and idiomatic expressions and paraphrasing them by using synonymous strings;

4. Showing a detailed comprehension of oral texts and instructions;

5. Drafting written texts about general discussion topics, showing command of the language and critical skills; 

6. Replying fluently and pofusely to questions about personal issues and current affairs, within all possible tense and modality frames;

7. Describing any image in detail;

8. Conducting a dialogue or role-play in everyday situations.

PREREQUISITES

Attendance of lab 3 must have been approved for the students to be admitted to the test.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching relative to the 'Prova di Idoneità' takes place in the English language laboratories 1-2-3-4-5 (v.)

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The test is made up of several different parts: 

1. A reading-comprehension with multiple choice questions

2. Two Use-of-English multiple-choice and/ or gap-filling excercises, testing the student's lexico-grammatical skills 

3. A writing excercise, which requires the student to produce a brief written text (letter, e-mail, essay, article)

4. Two multiple-choice and/ or gap-fill listening comprehensions

5. A speaking test including conversation on personal and current topics, picture description, role-play

If a health-related emergency should reoccur, the tests will be held online, on the Teams platform. Consequently, in these cases the exam format will be as follows: 

- 24 hours before the test, a written task will be assigned, requiring the production of a short text on a given topic, to be handed in before the start of the examination;

- the test will be conducted orally, as in point 5 above;

- at the end of the oral examination, the candidates will have to complete two exercises of the Use of English type, to be performed on the spot, after suitable time for reflection.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

see laboratories

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

January 2025

Class schedule

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

As stated abouve, the exam is made up of a written test (in 4 parts), of a listening test with written answers and of an oral test. At least for the January/ February session, however, the examination will be online, and comprise only the drafting of a written text, a series of personal and current affairs questions, the detailed desription of an image, a role-play and two Use of English exercises (fill in the blanks, sentence transformation).

Successful candidates are not assigned numerical marks, but a simple pass.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The different tests are aimed at assessing both oral and written, both receptive (comprehension, analysis, elaboration, conceptualization) and productive (text construction and organization, appropriacy, cohesion, fluency) skills. By means especially (but not only) of the Use of English exercises, the students' lexical and grammatical skills are also assessed, which are transversal to and integrated with the 4 skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking.

In particular, the examination is articulated into:

1. A structured written test including: a. detailed reading of one or more passages, with multiple choice questions or sentence insertion; b. filling in two exercises of different types (cloze test, sentence transformation, word transformation), testing accuracy and appropriacy of use. 
2. A semi-structured written test, in which the students have to produce a shot text (a letter, e-mail, essay or article) on a specific topic, carefully following the instructions given.
3. Two structured listening comprehensions of different types (multiple choice, gap-filling, matching), where detailed understanding of the texts is required.
4. A semi-structured oral test, in which the students must show grammatical accuracy, fluency and lexical skills in a variety of situations. The first two questions pertain to the personal sphere, moving from the here and now to more complex conceptual and grammatical constructions. The third question deals with current events or topics of general interest (e.g. education, pollution, the latest news). The candidates must then describe a complex picture with great lexical accuracy, while the final part is a role-play involving 2 or 3 candidates and testing their interpersonal and communicative use of the language. 
5. At least the January/ February session, which will take place online, will only include the semi-structured tests mentioned in 2 and 4 above, besides two structured exercises of the Use of English type. Reading and listening skills will thus be assessed on the basis of the candidates' ability to understand the written and oral texts included therein.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The English language 'Prova di Idoneità' (B2) can be taken from the end of the third year, i.e. after having attended - and obtained approval of - laboratory 3.

The students who do not pass the test can try it again, but only twice in year 3 (June and September), 3 times in year 4 (once per session) and 6 times in year 5 (twice per session, on non consecutive dates).

An internationally acknowledged B2 level certificate obtained outside the department can substitute for the Prova only if it was obtained in the preceding 2 years.

Students with DSA, disability or other special educational needs are recommended to contact the disability board referent within the School or the Department to agree on teaching and exam methods which, according to the course’s objectives, take into account the modalities individual learning and provide suitable compensatory tools.