PLIDA (Progetto Lingua Italiana Dante Alighieri)
The PLIDA Certificate
The PLIDA (Progetto Lingua Italiana Dante Alighieri) certificate is an official Diploma issued by the Società Dante Alighieri under an agreement with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is recognised by the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policies and by the Italian Ministry of University and Research as a qualification for the proficiency in the Italian language for foreigners.
The PLIDA certificates attest proficiency in Italian as a foreign language on a 6-level scale according to the parameters established by the Common European Framework for Languages (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
The PLIDA certificates do not require attending specific language courses in schools/colleges/universities. The Syllabus and many other materials, e.g. admission tests to verify the level of proficiency in Italian and trial exams, are available online on the PLIDA webpage. Lookout for 'Prove d'esame delle sessioni passate' (past exam papers).
The University of Manchester is the first and only Certifying Centre in the UK and holds two exam sessions every year (in November and May) for levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2 of the Plida Certificate and one session every year (in September from 2011) for the levels B1, B2 and C1 of the PLIDA Commerciale (Business PLIDA) which is intended for those who study and use Italian in the business and finance world.
Candidates may choose to take an exam at the level they feel is closest to their proficiency. Registration does not require having taken lower-level tests and it is possible to take tests of more than one level during the same session.
If the candidate passes at least three of the four required skills, s/he may repeat the test for that skill only in the following exam session.
To enrol, please complete the registration form (click on link below) and send via e-mail to liliana.f.smith@manchester.ac.uk or by post to: Liliana Foligno Smith, Italian Studies, School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures, S3.8, Samuel Alexander Building, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL.
Payment can be made by cheque or by credit card using this secure credit card form.
Exam Sessions
The exams are scheduled on fixed dates by the PLIDA administration in Rome and are the same for all Certifying Centres:
Tests |
May session |
November session |
Deadline for registration |
PLIDA A1 PLIDA A2 PLIDA B1 |
26 May 2011 28 May 2011 |
30 November 2011 listening, reading and writing 2 December 2011 speaking |
May session November session |
PLIDA B2 PLIDA C1 PLIDA C2 |
27 May 2011 28 May 2011 speaking |
1 December 2011 listening, reading and writing 2 December 2011 speaking |
May session November session |
Tests |
September session |
Deadline for registration |
PLIDA Commerciale B1 PLIDA Commerciale B2 PLIDA Commerciale C1 |
The exam schedule will be published as soon as it becomes available. |
All the PLIDA Juniores levels and exams are scheduled on 18 June 2011.
Exam Fees:
PLIDA A1: £54 (one-skill exam £17); A2: £58 (one-skill exam £21); B1: £62 (one-skill exam £25); B2: £67 (one-skill exam £29); C1: £79 (one-skill exam £34); C2: £92 (one-skill exam £34)
PLIDA Commerciale B1: £71 (one-skill exam £29); B2: £80 (one-skill exam £38); C1: £105 (one-skill exam £50)
Italian language courses open to members of the public are available at the University of Manchester through the Language Centre's LEAP programme (Language Experience for All Programme). For information on these courses, please contact Angela Aspden or visit the LEAP webpage.
For an EASY READ version of this page, please follow the link below:
- Easy Read version (PDF, 13 KB)