The PLIDA Certification is issued by the Central Site of the Dante Alighieri Society. It gives the linguistic qualification in Italian as a foreign language. According to the Common European Framework for Languages of the European Council, six levels of graduations are available (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).

AWARDS AND CONVECTIONS
The Rome Branch of the Dante Alighieri Society is an Official Center of examination for the issuing of PLIDA Certification.

The PLIDA certification of the Dante Alighieri Society is officially affiliated with ALTE, Association of Language Testers in Europe, see ALTE website at this link.

The PLIDA becomes part of the European Association which has been promoting multilingualism in Europe since 1989, establishes the standards of linguistic evaluation, promotes the quality and ethics of language testing and groups together linguistic certifications recognized as valid in Europe.Affiliation is an important recognition of the work and quality of PLIDA.

The PLIDA certification is officially recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Convention No. 1903 - 04/11/1993), by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies (decree 18/10/2002), by the Ministry of Education of the University and of Research (convention 11/02/2004) and is released with the scientific approval of the University "La Sapienza" of Rome (convention 29/06/2004).

Below is a list of the awards received by the PLIDA Certification (for more information click here).

• Agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Agreement with the University "La Sapienza" of Rome
• Renewal with the "La Sapienza" University of Rome
• Agreement with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies
• Agreement with the Ministry of University and Research 2013
• Note from MIUR for students enrollment
• Ministry of the Interior for the purpose of obtaining the EC residence permit for long-term residents by non-EU citizens
• CLIQ Convention

With the PLIDA Certification:

• You can clearly indicate you level of Italian knowledge on your C.V.;
• You can enrol to the Italian University without taking the exam of Italian language (level B2 o C1);
• You can obtain the residence permit for long stay

ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES
The PLIDA certificate is intended for people whose mother tongue is not Italian. All Italian or foreign citizens of Italian mother tongue who need a certificate of competence in Italian for study, work or other reasons also have access to the PLIDA.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE EXAMINATION
The PLIDA exam is divided into six levels, which are those proposed in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of the Council of Europe (CEFR): (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).

Beginning Italian	Plida A1	= A1 Q.C.E. (Level of contact)
	Plida A2	= A2 Q.C.E. (Level of survival)
Fundamental Italian	Plida B1	= B1 Q.C.E. (Level of threshold)
	Plida B2	= B2 Q.C.E. (Level of progress)
Professional Italian	Plida C1	= C1 Q.C.E. (Level of Efficacy)
	Plida C2	= C2 Q.C.E. (Level of Mastery)

Each PLIDA exam consists of four tests that assess the linguistic competence in the four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking. The duration of the exam varies depending on the level:

The score is expressed in thirtieths for each test. The certificate is obtained immediately with a minimum score of 18/30 in each of the four tests. Otherwise, it is possible to keep the scores obtained for a year and try to pass the other tests in the following sessions. To know the contents of the test, consult the New Syllabus of PLIDA Certification.

A1

Elementary
Base competence

He/She understands and uses expressions of everyday use and basic sentences aimed at satisfying needs of a concrete nature. He/She can introduce himself/herself and others and is able to ask questions and answer about personal details such as where he or she lives, the people he/she knows and the things he/she has. He/She easily interacts as long as long as the other person speaks slowly and clearly and is willing to cooperate.

A2

Pre-Intermediate
Base competence

He/She understands frequently used sentences and expressions relating to fields of immediate relevance (eg. personal and family information, doing shopping, local geography, employment). He/She communicates in simple and routine tasks that require a simple exchange of information about familiar and common topics. He/She can describe in simple terms some aspects of his/her background, of the surrounding environment and he/she can express immediate needs.

B1

Intermediate
Independent competence

He/She understands the key points of family topics related to school, leisure, and so on. He/She can move easily in situations that may occur while travelling in the country where the language is spoken. He/She is able to produce a simple text related to familiar or self-interest topics. He/She is able to describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly explain the reasons of his/her opinions and plans.

B2

Upper-Intermediate
Independent competence

He/She understands the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. He/She is able to interact with a certain degree of fluency and spontaneity that make a natural interaction possible with native speakers effortlessly for the interlocutor. He/She can produce a clear and detailed text on a wide range of topics and explain a point of view on a subject by providing the pros and cons of the various options.

C1

Advanced
Mastery competence

He/She understands a wide range of complex and long texts and he/she recognises the implicit meaning. He/She expresses himself/herself with gentleness and naturalness. He/She uses the language in a flexibly and effectively way for social, professional, and academic purposes. He/She can produce clear, well-constructed, detailed texts on complex topics, showing a secure control of the textural structure, connectors and cohesion elements.

C2

Mastery
Mastery competence

He/She easily understands almost everything he/she hears and reads. He/She can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reorganizing the topics into a coherent presentation. He/She can expresses himself/herself spontaneously, in a very fluid and precise way, by identifying the subtlest nuances of meaning in complex situations

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