Italian Upper Intermediate (full syllabus)

Set out over one year, our upper intermediate Italian syllabus will develop your skills to navigate more complex conversations.

You’ll be introduced to new tenses, including the condizionale passato to express the future in the past, such as ‘he told me he would come to visit’.

We draw on the rich world of Italian art to develop your speaking skills and give cultural context, so you can describe the work of da Vinci or Caravaggio.

Authentic film and literary texts are used to encourage you to read chapters from Italian novels and give a review. As the course draws to a close, you’ll be asked to participate in a short debate, arguing topics from both sides.

Who is it for?

You’ll need to be communicating at low CEFR B1 level to keep up in class. This equates to around 180 hours of learning. It is the next level after completing the Italian intermediate (year 3) syllabus. You’ll find more information in the eligibility section.

Timetable

The course includes 60 hours of learning and is taught across three terms, starting in October and finishing in July.

October – December (part 1)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for ten consecutive weeks.

Christmas Break

January – March (part 2)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for ten consecutive weeks.

Easter Break

April/May – July (part 3)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for ten consecutive weeks.

Benefits

• Follow the Common European Framework of languages (CEFR) and reach B1/B2 level
• Signing up for the full year is the most cost-effective way to learn
• Taught in small class, often of just five or six
• Develop confidence to take part in discussions and complex conversations

By the end of this course, you will be able to

• inquire and respond in more complex contexts
• give descriptions of a film or literary text
• express opinions, wishes, hopes and preferences in greater detail
• read and understand authentic literary work
• express views on simple newspaper articles and literary extracts
• describe and explain a festival, a tradition or a work of art
• listen and extract specific information from interviews
• ask for clarification and propose solutions
• take part in a short debate in favour or against a topic
• write simple articles.

Grammatical structures

• consolidation of all past tenses
• congiuntivo passato
• trapassato prossimo
• consolidation of condizionale presente, future and passato remoto tenses
• congiuntivo imperfetto
• condizionale passato
• further relative pronouns (advanced)
• use comparatives.

You will be awarded an official City, University of London certificate on completion of the course if you attend over 70 per cent of the classes. The course is not formally accredited.

Assessment

There may be informal assessment to evaluate your progress during this course.

Teaching

We combine a mix of teaching styles, and at this level, the emphasis is on participation in class. You’ll practise your speaking skills through role-plays, take part in short debates and learn to extract and summarise key information from audio interviews and newspaper articles.

You will need to carry out independent study, to keep your learning on track.

It is the right level if one of the following applies:

• you can communicate at low B1 level, according to the Common European Framework Reference of languages
• you have completed our full Italian Intermediate syllabus, or equivalent course elsewhere
• you have studied formally for 180 hours.

You should already be able to:

• express a desire and give advice
• make requests, suggestions and proposals
• talk about your future holiday plans
• use the conditional and future tenses.

Think you might need to start at a lower level? See the other Italian courses we offer.

English requirements

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to enrol on this course.