Liceo linguistico is a type of secondary school in Italy. It is designed to give students the skills to progress to any university or higher educational institution. Students can attend the liceo linguistico after successfully completing middle school. The curriculum is devised by the Ministry of Education, and emphasises the link between the multiculturalism and language learning. It covers a complete and widespread range of disciplines. Students typically study for five years, and attend the school from the age of 14 to 19. At the end of the fifth year all students sit for the esame di Stato, a final examination which gives access to every university course. A student attending a liceo is called liceale, although the more generic terms studente and studentessa are also in common use. Teachers are known as professore or professoressa.
Subjects
During five years, students learn three foreign languages and acquire a rich humanistic and scientific culture. At the end of the final year, the language proficiency of students is minimum B2. This is the weekly schedule of liceo linguistico in 5 years:
Italian language and literature - Four hours during 5 years
Latin language and literature - Two hours in the first and second year
English language and literature - Four hours in the first and second year, then three hours in the last three years
Second foreign language and literature - Three hours in the first and second year, then four hours in the last three years
Third foreign language and literature - Three hours in the first and second year, then four hours in the last three years
History and Geography - Three hours in the first and second year
History - Two hours in the last three years
Philosophy - Two hours in the last three years
Mathematics and Computer science - Three hours in the first and second year
History of Art - Two hours in the last three years
Physical education - Two hours during 5 years
Religious education or other activity - One hour during 5 years
Final exam
According to the law, students of the liceo linguistico must sit several written tests alongside a final interdisciplinary oral test. The first written exam is the Italian one, in which the student has to choose one text to analyse between three main categories: a poetic text, an argumentative essay or a contemporary essay. The second written test includes two texts in two languages to analyse and two essays to write. Finally, there is an oral exam, in which the candidate is tested in several subjects.
EsaBac
If students study French language and literature in an EsaBac course, at the end of high school they must take a French history and French literature exam. Once passed, the student receive the Esame di Stato and the Baccalauréat. The language proficiency of students that attain that exam is minimum B2.
University
After Liceo Linguistico, a student can enter any university faculty. As well as in other licei in Italy, academic preparation is performed from the first to the last year.
