Information on the English 1 and English 2 Exams ARCO Curriculum – Department of History and Cultures (DiSCi) (Academic Year 2024/25 and previous cohorts) – updated as of March 2, 2026
This notice updates and supplements the information regarding the English 1 and English 2 exams, in light of some questions that have emerged during recent exam sessions.
Students are kindly invited to read all sections carefully.
📌 English 1 Exam (English Language 1)
The exam consists of two parts:
🔹 1. ORAL EXAM
Texts to study:
Duration: approximately 15 minutes
The oral exam consists of:
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2 questions (one in English, one in Italian) on: plot, characters, socio-historical context, language, style, symbols, and themes;
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1 translation exercise (English → Italian) based on a short paragraph taken from the texts.
📑 Assessment rubric – English 1 Oral Exam
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Knowledge and understanding of the texts
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Ability to analyse and critically comment
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Ability to reflect and provide personal interpretation
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Use of the English language
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Translation and linguistic comprehension of the passage
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Clarity, coherence, and interaction
🔹 2. WRITTEN EXAM (only for students who still need to take it)
The written exam consists of three multiple-choice exercise types:
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fill-in-the-gaps
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word formation
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cloze test
Total: 60 questions – 50 minutes
Required level: B1–B2
Practice materials:
👉 https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/henry.monaco/avvisi
Grammar resources:
👉 https://www.unibo.it/it/studiare/insegnamenti-competenze-trasversali-moocs/insegnamenti/insegnamento/2024/367534
📊 Assessment method – English 1
The final grade is calculated as the arithmetic average of:
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written exam (50%)
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oral exam (50%)
The oral exam may also be taken before passing the written exam.
📌 English 2 Exam
The English 2 exam consists of a written exam only, structured similarly to the English 1 written exam, but with a higher required level (B2–C1).
Materials:
👉 https://www.unibo.it/it/studiare/insegnamenti-competenze-trasversali-moocs/insegnamenti/insegnamento/2024/367770
👉 English 2 may be taken even if English 1 has not yet been passed.
📅 Exam sessions and important updates
Students with pending English 1 and 2 exam requirements (ARCO curriculum) are informed that three additional exam sessions have been scheduled on March 18, 2026 (already available on AlmaEsami). On that same day, students may choose to:
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take all parts on the same day (English 1 - written and oral; English 2 - written); or
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take the written and oral exams in different sessions, according to their needs.
⚠️ Important – administrative instructions (students enrolled in a.y. 2024/25 and previous cohorts)
The following instructions apply to students enrolled in academic year 2024/25 and previous academic years, who included English 1 and/or English 2 in their study plan before the current academic year.
For administrative reasons, it is not possible to schedule exam dates on AlmaEsami beyond March 31, 2026 for these cohorts.
Students are therefore strongly advised to complete both parts of the English 1 exam (written and oral) by the March 18, 2026 session, in order to allow proper grade registration and avoid administrative issues.
ℹ️ Future structure of the English 2 exam
Starting from the May exam sessions, the English 2 exam will follow the structure of the new course (in continuity with the previous structure, but with different content).
All exam dates are published on AlmaEsami and are open for booking:
👉 https://almaesami.unibo.it/almaesami/welcome.htm
Any further updates will be communicated promptly.
📩 Administrative questions or special cases
For administrative questions or unclear situations, students may contact:
ARCO Programme Coordinator:
anna.sirinian@unibo.it
ARCO Tutor:
ilaria.cicola@unibo.it
