For 500,000 Italian students, tomorrow sees the start of the much anticipated Maturità – the final year high school diploma exams – that will also be the first experiment of being back in the classroom after months of distance learning. But it will be a first for the state exam and very different from the past, in that it will be held according to the new rules dictated by the health emergency and, above all, will involve only the oral exam.

Studenti.it, a digital point of reference in Italy for the world of education, asked over 10,000 users of the site what they thought about the upcoming exams: for 59% of the interviewees the exam will be easier, while 41% think it will be more difficult. So, an exam that is seen as a relief for Italian students, followed, however, by a more complex autumn. In fact, some 27% of students, say that they have changed their plans for September because of the Covid-19 emergency: 7% have given up the idea of studying away from home, a further 7% will no longer take up study options abroad, while 13% have changed their minds about which type of course to follow.

Data from the survey show that those finishing high school in 2020 expect an exam based on what they have actually studied: and 18% are convinced that the multi-disciplinary path previously defined with teachers will help them to face the most difficult test, the oral exam.

STUDY MATERIALS AND LIVE SOCIAL EVENTS WITH EXPERTS

Helping Italian students prepare for and pass this important milestone for more than 20 years, Studenti.it, the Mondadori Group brand, with over 4.3 million monthly users on Audiweb and a Facebook page with around 500,000 fans, supports students with updates and news, replies to their most frequently asked questions, video lessons and new podcasts on the syllabus of the last year of high school which, in one month, has totalled 100,000 downloads.

Studenti.it has also developed the format TG Maturità, a schedule of live Facebook events in which teachers and experts alternate providing advice on how to prepare and face the exam.

 TWO SPECIAL MATHS TEACHERS

Lorenzo Baglioni, the artist with a degree in mathematics, and Elia Bombardelli, a maths teacher, very popular on YouTube, have produced a highly entertaining double-interview for the social media profiles of Studenti.it (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2853418641450164) talking to candidates about the exam and on the subject of mathematics, together with useful advice and suggestions. Plus,  Lorenzo Baglioni has added a lighter touch with a new version of the song  Maturandi, this musical project, a co-production with Studenti.it, last year became the anthem of the  Maturità (with more than di 1 million listens on the web and on social media), out in this new form with a special dedication to all those who will take the  exam in 2020, in the middle of considerable adversity.

Finally, this afternoon, on the social medial channels of Studenti.it (Facebook and Youtube), an exceptional student will send her special best of luck wishes, live to all candidates: Eleonora Gaggero, class of 2001, YouTuber, actress and writer, who herself will be facing the maxi oral exam of the  Maturità 2020.