Maturità 2026 begins: over 527,000 students face Italian test, Meloni and Renzi send wishes

Exam start

On Thursday 18 June 2026, at 8:30, the maturità exam got underway across Italy. A total of 527,747 candidates were admitted to the first written test – the Italian theme – common to all educational paths. The exam lasts a maximum of six hours and is worth up to 20 points. The number of candidates rose by 0.6% compared to 2025, with internal students at 513,738 and external at 14,009.

Topics revealed

Seven tracks, divided into three types, were proposed. Type A offered text analyses of works by Cesare Pavese and Vitaliano Brancati. Type B, argumentative texts, included a passage from the inaugural speech of President of the Constituent Assembly Giuseppe Saragat on the Constituent Assembly. Two current affairs themes completed the set (type C). The tracks, stored in an encrypted file, were unlocked at 8:30 when the Ministry distributed the decryption key.

2025524,415

2026527,747

2025

524415 students

2026

527747 students

Data from the article text

Political well-wishes

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted a video message:

“Dear graduates, good luck. Remember all the sacrifices you made to get where you are, all the times you thought you wouldn't make it and then you did, all the times you were proud of yourselves. Sum up all of this and bring it with you to the maturità exam, show who you are.”

Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia Viva, wrote on X:

“A thought for those who spent a sleepless and worried night, and for those who slept peacefully.... Good luck, guys!”

Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara encouraged students:

“We do not need perfect people but those who can reason about what they have learned and their mistakes.”

Reforms under Valditara

This year's exam is the first reshaped by the Valditara reform. The oral test now covers only four subjects instead of all; the commission is reduced from seven to five members. The final grade computation changed: bonus points are capped at three (previously five), conduct grades regain weight, and written scores are revealed only after the oral. A "blank-out" during the oral now leads to failure. The student's personal curriculum and a reflection on their path replace the former starting document.

Admitted96.8%

Not admitted3.2%

Admitted

96.8 %

Not admitted

3.2 %

Data from the article text

Logistics and rules

Candidates must carry only ID, pens, and an Italian dictionary; smartphones and other devices are banned under penalty of exclusion. The second written exam, subject-specific, follows tomorrow. 96.8% of the enrolled were admitted; 3.2% were not. Italy's schools decrypted the tracks at 8:30 sharp, ending the nocturnal "toto-tracce" speculation that had favoured authors from D'Annunzio to Grazia Deledda.