Leaving Certificate Italian Higher Level allocates 80 marks (20% of the total 400 marks) to the aural examination, which takes place on the same day immediately following the written paper. Section A tests short news bulletins, public announcements, and regional weather forecasts, using four-option multiple-choice questions printed in English. Because these broadcast monologues present dense factual information at rapid speed, high marks depend on instantly recognising formulaic reporting vocabulary, identifying regional adjectives, and eliminating distractors across every playing.
Exam Structure and the Section A Format
The Italian examination carries 400 marks overall: the oral examination accounts for 100 marks (25%), the written paper carries 220 marks (55%), and the aural examination provides the remaining 80 marks (20%). The listening test divides into two distinct parts with completely different answering requirements:
| Exam Component | Content and Recording Type | Answering Format |
|---|---|---|
| Section A | Short news items, travel announcements, public notices, and weather forecasts | Four-option multiple choice printed in English: choose (a), (b), (c), or (d) |
| Section B | Longer dialogues, interviews, and conversational exchanges | Short factual notes written in English (e.g. "give two details") |
In Section A, questions and multiple-choice options are printed entirely in English. The marking scheme awards the mark exclusively for indicating the correct letter or ticking the correct box. There are no penalty marks for incorrect guesses, so you must never leave a question blank. If you change your mind during a subsequent playing, cross out the incorrect tick clearly; ticking two options without an obvious correction automatically voids the mark.
Strategic Multiple-Choice Answering Technique
The recorded instructions and the examination paper state how many times each item will be played. Count the playings carefully before committing your final answer. Rather than scribbling continuous notes, adopt a targeted elimination technique suited to multiple-choice questions.
Before the Recording Starts
Use the pause before each item to read all four options. Underline the differentiating element in each option, such as a specific cardinal direction, an exact number, or a time of day. This preparation establishes exactly what detail will resolve the question.
Handling Distractors on First and Second Playings
Examiners deliberately build distractors using words that feature directly on the recording. If four options name four Italian regions, expect the speaker to mention at least two or three of them. Your task is connecting the specific condition in the question stem to the correct region.
Listen closely for negative particles and contrastive turnarounds such as non ci sarà pioggia (there will be no rain) or invece (whereas/instead). These conjunctions routinely overturn an option that sounds plausible at first hearing. If you are uncertain after the final playing, select the option that links the core vocabulary item directly to the verified geographic area.
Weather Vocabulary: Regions, Conditions, and Sea State
Forecast questions regularly test regional adjectives rather than basic place names. If an English option refers to "the East", the speaker will rarely say a est; they will say sul versante adriatico or nelle regioni orientali.
Cardinal Points and Territorial Areas
- settentrionale / le regioni settentrionali: northern / the northern regions (referring to il nord, la Pianura Padana, or le Alpi)
- meridionale / il Mezzogiorno: southern / southern Italy (la Calabria, la Puglia, la Campania)
- orientale / il versante adriatico: eastern / the Adriatic coast
- occidentale / il versante tirrenico: western / the Tyrrhenian coast
- centrale: central (il centro, gli Appennini, la Toscana, il Lazio)
- le isole maggiori: the major islands (la Sicilia, la Sardegna)
- in tutta la penisola / su tutto il territorio nazionale: across the whole country
Conditions, Precipitation, and Warnings
Forecasts rely on the future tense using third-person singular -rà and plural -ranno: sarà (it will be), pioverà (it will rain), and ci saranno (there will be). Note these core meteorological terms:
- la pioggia (rain), i rovesci / gli acquazzoni (showers), la pioggia intensa (heavy rain), la grandine (hail), la neve (snow)
- il temporale (thunderstorm), i tuoni e i fulmini (thunder and lightning), l'alluvione (flood), la siccità (drought)
- sereno (clear), poco nuvoloso (fairly clear), coperto (overcast), la schiarita (sunny spell), variabile / instabile (unsettled)
- mite (mild), fresco (cool), afoso / l'afa (muggy / mugginess), il gelo / il ghiaccio (frost / ice)
- le raffiche di vento (gusts of wind), il mare mosso / agitato (choppy / rough sea)
- l'allerta meteo (weather warning), issued by la protezione civile (civil defence)
Danger Numbers, Time Expressions, and the 24-Hour Clock
Numbers and times decide many multiple-choice options. Train your ear on pairs ending in -dici versus -anta, because mishearing these endings causes frequent errors under exam pressure.
High-Risk Number Pairs
- tredici (13) versus trenta (30)
- quattordici (14) versus quaranta (40)
- sedici (16) versus sessanta (60)
- diciassette (17) versus settanta (70)
- diciotto (18) versus ottanta (80)
- diciannove (19) versus novanta (90)
Stress provides the auditory distinction: sedìci stresses the second syllable, while sessànta places strong emphasis on the -anta syllable that marks a multiple of ten. Write digits immediately in the exam margin rather than spelling words.
Time Markers and Public Schedules
Announcements use the 24-hour clock. Convert times instantly into 12-hour format: alle ore quattordici e trenta is 2.30 p.m., while alle diciotto is 6.00 p.m. Forecasts anchor their predictions using specific temporal phases:
- in mattinata / nelle prime ore del mattino: during the morning / early morning
- nel primo pomeriggio / nel tardo pomeriggio: in the early / late afternoon
- in serata / in nottata: in the evening / overnight
- a partire da domani: starting from tomorrow
- entro il fine settimana: by the weekend
News Bulletins and Public Travel Announcements
Section A items also cover public announcements, transport delays, and news items. Completed actions are reported in the passato prossimo (è successo un incidente, ha causato disagi), while the passive voice highlights institutional action: le scuole sono state chiuse (schools have been closed), il ladro è stato arrestato (the thief has been arrested).
Essential Public Announcement Vocabulary
- il binario: platform (e.g. il treno per Roma parte dal binario cinque)
- in ritardo / cancellato: delayed / cancelled (e.g. viaggia con venti minuti di ritardo)
- i passeggeri sono pregati di: passengers are requested to
- l'ingresso è gratuito: admission is free
- per ulteriori informazioni: for further information
News Incidents and Casualty Terms
Official reports distinguish casualty categories with precision. Do not conflate injuries with fatalities:
- l'incidente stradale / lo scontro: road accident / crash
- lo sciopero: industrial strike
- i feriti gravi / lievi: seriously / slightly injured persons
- le vittime: victims (this includes anyone impacted or harmed, not strictly fatalities)
- i morti / i deceduti: the dead / fatalities
- i dispersi: the missing persons
- i vigili del fuoco: the fire brigade
- il sindaco: the mayor
Signal Connectors and Note-Taking Grids
Broadcast syntax uses conjunctions to contrast regions or introduce causes. Learning these markers allows you to anticipate whether a clause confirms an option or sets up a distractor.
Key Signal Words
- a causa di / in seguito a / poiché: because of / following / since (introducing the direct cause of an event)
- mentre / invece: while / whereas or instead (signalling an immediate regional shift)
- tranne / eccetto: except / apart from (introducing the exception, which is frequently the correct answer)
- in aumento / in calo: rising / falling (link aumento to 'augment' to recall that it signifies an increase)
- fino a: up to (establishing a ceiling, such as fino a ventotto gradi)
- intorno ai: around / approximately
The Margin Grid for Forecast Items
When a forecast question requires tracking multiple areas across playings, sketch a quick shorthand template in your paper margin:
| Area | Condizione (Condition) | Temperatura (Temp) |
|---|---|---|
| NORD | pioggia / coperto | in calo (~10°C) |
| CENTRO | schiarite (pomeriggio) | mite |
| SUD / ISOLE | sereno | fino a 28°C |
Populating this grid prevents you from attributing southern sunshine to a northern question box.
Key terms
- settentrionale
- Northern; refers to the north of Italy (il nord, la Pianura Padana).
- meridionale
- Southern; refers to the south of Italy (il sud, il Mezzogiorno).
- orientale
- Eastern; often expressed in weather bulletins as sul versante adriatico.
- occidentale
- Western; often expressed in weather bulletins as sul versante tirrenico.
- la schiarita
- A sunny spell or temporary clearing in an otherwise cloudy sky.
- in aumento
- Rising or increasing; used to describe climbing temperatures or statistical figures.
- in calo
- Falling or decreasing; indicates declining temperatures or numerical measures.
- lo sciopero
- An industrial strike, commonly cited as the reason for transport cancellations.
- a causa di
- Because of or due to; directly introduces the causal factor behind an incident.
- le vittime
- The victims of an accident or disaster, encompassing injured and affected individuals as well as fatalities.
- i dispersi
- Missing persons following an accident, storm, or natural disaster.
- i vigili del fuoco
- The fire brigade or firefighters in emergency reporting.
- il binario
- The railway platform in station announcements.
- tranne
- Except or apart from; signals an exception that frequently resolves a multiple-choice question.
Check yourself
What is the answer format for news items, announcements, and weather in Section A?
Four-option multiple choice printed in English: (a), (b), (c), or (d).
Which English direction corresponds to the forecast phrase 'nelle regioni settentrionali'?
The North (northern regions).
What time is expressed by the broadcast phrase 'alle ore diciannove e quaranta'?
7.40 p.m. (19:40 in 24-hour time).
What is the numerical difference between 'sedici' and 'sessanta'?
'Sedici' is 16; 'sessanta' is 60.
What reporting role is served by the connectors 'a causa di' and 'in seguito a'?
They introduce the cause or underlying reason behind an incident or disruption.
What weather condition is indicated by 'la grandine'?
Hail.