by Guisela Chiarella
More than half a million final-year high school students across Italy are set to begin the Esame di Maturità, the state exam required to earn the Italian public high school diploma, on Wednesday, June 18.
The first test, scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m., is a written Italian exam. Students will have up to six hours to complete an essay that involves analysis or critical reflection on one of seven different literary texts. The essay prompts are divided into three categories: two focused on text analysis, three requiring argumentative writing, and two addressing current events.
On Thursday, June 19, students will take the second exam, which varies according to the type of school they attend. For example, students in classical high schools will be tested on Latin, those in scientific high schools will face a mathematics exam, and students in business technical institutes will take a business economics test. The duration of this second test ranges from six to eight hours depending on the school program, with some institutions, such as artistic high schools, administering exams over multiple days.
The Maturità exam format includes these two written tests—one in Italian and the other focused on a subject related to the student’s course of study—followed by an oral exam covering various subjects studied during the final years of high school.
Final scores combine credits earned during the last three years of school, with a maximum of 40 points, and results from the Maturità exams themselves, which can contribute up to 60 points. These 60 points are evenly split among the three exam phases: 20 points each for the first written test, the second written test, and the oral exam.
This examination marks a pivotal moment in the academic journey of Italian students, determining their eligibility for higher education and future opportunities.
