The world around us
Navigate places and services, discuss the environment and technology, and describe shopping, size, shape and materials.
Section C · The world around us
Exam scope and assessment notes
All Italian passages, prompts, model answers, listening scripts and tasks are original StudyForA material, not Cambridge assessment content. Cambridge's separate 2028 vocabulary spreadsheet is linked through its subject page but has not been reconciled word by word. Grammar groups need item-by-item specialist checking, and an Italian-language teacher should review the original Italian before publication is described as complete. Browser speech synthesis is not Cambridge audio and cannot guarantee a regional accent, natural pace or pronunciation. Speaking is rehearsal and self-review, not a centre assessment or examiner mark; writing answers are self-checked, not Cambridge-marked. No complete timed specimen or 130-hour course is included. Confirm your exam year, entry option and centre availability with Cambridge and your school. Use the 2025–2027 or 2028–2030 paper lesson that matches your exam year. Cambridge lists 7164 as available in a limited number of administrative zones; for June, the published notice names zone 3 and centres in Oman and UAE. Confirm the applicable series and entry with your centre.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which direction is easiest to follow?
What you will learn
- Ask for directions and information about local places, services and shopping.
- Discuss nature, environment, climate and weather using suitable evidence.
- Explain how communications and digital tools are used.
- Describe measurements, shapes and materials clearly.
Give directions another person can follow
Area C includes people and places; the natural world and weather; communication and technology; services, cities and shopping; and measurements, shapes and materials.
Use «davanti a», «dietro», «accanto a», «tra» and «di fronte a» to place a landmark. Articulated prepositions matter: «a + la» becomes «alla», and «di + il» becomes «del». Give an action such as «gira a sinistra» (turn left).
Keep evidence in proportion
Weather is a short-term condition; climate is a long-term pattern. «Ieri ha piovuto» reports a day's weather, not a climate trend.
For a product, include the unit with a measurement and a useful property: «È lungo trenta centimetri ed è fatto di legno» (It is 30 centimetres long and made of wood). For digital tools, explain the action, not only the device name.
Sources for this lesson
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Italian 7164 subject page
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Italian 7164 syllabus for exams in 2025–2027
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Italian 7164 syllabus update for 2025–2027
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Italian 7164 syllabus for exams in 2028–2030
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Italian 7164 2028 vocabulary list
Pause and explain
A report says heavy rain fell on Tuesday. Which claim is supported?
Worked example
A notice says: «La biblioteca è di fronte al mercato. Apre dalle 9 alle 17. La fermata dell'autobus è a 300 metri.» Give the library's location and hours and the bus-stop distance.
Show the worked solution
- Use «di fronte al» for the library's position.
- Read the opening interval.
- Attach 300 metres to the bus stop.
Answer The library is opposite the market and opens from 9 to 17. The bus stop is 300 metres away. The notice does not state walking time.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Give an Italian route from the station to a shop next to a library, then describe a notebook made from recycled paper.
Give me a hint
Use a landmark, «accanto a» and «fatto di».
Compare my reasoning
- Name the starting point.
- Give a direction and relative position.
- Describe the material.
Example: «Dalla stazione, vai fino alla biblioteca; il negozio è accanto alla biblioteca. Cerco un quaderno fatto di carta riciclata.»
Look for these in your work
- Starts at the station
- Uses a landmark and position
- Names the material
Read: «Ieri ha piovuto molto e oggi il parco è chiuso. La biblioteca, a due chilometri, chiude alle 19.» What is closed, how far is the library, and when does it close?
Give me a hint
Keep the two places and each detail distinct.
Compare my reasoning
- Identify the closed place.
- Attach the distance to the library.
- Read the library's closing time.
The park is closed today. The library is two kilometres away and closes at 19:00. The text does not say when the park will reopen.
Look for these in your work
- Names the park
- Attaches the distance to the library
- Reports closing time without invention
A visitor needs a pharmacy and has a phone with little battery. Give directions using a landmark and one practical technology suggestion.
Give me a hint
Make the route concrete; keep the phone advice relevant.
Compare my reasoning
- Establish the visitor's starting point.
- Give a route with a landmark.
- Suggest one way to save battery or keep the address available.
Example: «Sei vicino al museo? La farmacia è di fronte alla stazione; cammina per due isolati. Salva l'indirizzo e attiva il risparmio energetico.»
Look for these in your work
- Uses a landmark
- Gives a usable route
- Connects technology to the situation
Common mistakes
- Using a direction without a landmark
- Treating one rainy day as evidence of climate
- Giving a measurement without its unit or object
What can you explain now?
What can «Ieri ha fatto molto caldo» establish?
Compare with the explanation
It was very hot yesterday
One observation describes that day's weather, not the region's long-term climate.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Before leaving the world around us, explain one idea from memory, answer the checkpoint and name one point to practise again.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.