For hundreds of thousands of students in Italy, the most important part of the school year is about to begin: The 2026 Maturità, the Italian equivalent of the Abitur, is entering its decisive phase. It kicks off with the dreaded first written exam.
The first part is the „prima prova,“ which begins nationwide on Thursday, June 18, at 8:30 a.m. Candidates have six hours to choose one of seven given topics and write an essay on it. Traditionally, there is intense speculation in the run-up to the exam about which authors and topics the Ministry of Education has chosen this time—a nationwide guessing game that makes headlines every year.
How the 2026 Maturità Will Work
The first exam focuses entirely on the Italian language. The seven tasks are divided into three categories: the analysis of a literary text—one prose piece and one poem—an argumentative essay on a factual topic, and an essay on a current social issue. Up to 20 points can be awarded for this first text.
But that’s not all: The „prima prova“ is followed by a second written exam in the respective major subject and, finally, the oral „colloquio.“ Up to 20 points can be earned in each of these as well. Those who pass all stages will ultimately receive the „diploma“—the ticket to university and professional life. This applies equally to German-speaking high school graduates in South Tyrol as it does to their peers in the rest of the country.
