2026 A-levels, exam predictions for the first paper: D’Annunzio the favourite, but AI is also in the mix
According to Skuola.net’s survey, based on an instant poll of a thousand sixth-formers, D’Annunzio remains the favourite for the first exam
Key points
- Repubblica: Italian and mental health among the most eagerly awaited exam topics
Just a few days before the first exam of the 2026 Maturità, on 18 June, the exam predictions enter the decisive phase. Final-year students are narrowing down the range of possible topics and focusing on three main areas: institutional anniversaries, major authors of Italian literature and current affairs. Gabriele D’Annunzio remains at the top of the predictions, having been tipped as the favourite for years but never chosen for the text analysis so far. Close behind is the Grazia Deledda hypothesis, boosted by a significant anniversary: the centenary of the Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to the Sardinian writer.
D’Annunzio remains in the lead, Deledda a possible dark horse
This is the picture that emerges from the Skuola.net survey, the specialist portal that gauges students’ sentiments every year in the run-up to the state exam. A thousand sixth-formers took part in the instant poll. The result confirms a well-established trend: D’Annunzio continues to be the most anticipated name for the first paper. A ‘notable absentee’ from the official exam papers, he has thus become the symbolic candidate for the 2026 Totoesame.
But this year the race seems more wide open. Grazia Deledda is gaining ground in the betting pools, which would mark a first: a female author being selected for the text analysis. For many students, the anniversary of her Nobel Prize makes this a plausible possibility, not least because the choice would carry significant cultural and symbolic weight.
Alongside the two most frequently mentioned names, the authors considered the ‘safest’ choices remain in the running: Giovanni Verga, Giovanni Pascoli, Luigi Pirandello, Giuseppe Ungaretti and Eugenio Montale. A top ten that brings together school classics, anniversaries and hopes that never came to fruition.
Repubblica: Ia and mental health among the most eagerly awaited topics
The section on anniversaries carries significant weight in students’ predictions. The 80th anniversary of the 1946 constitutional referendum, the founding of the Republic and the convening of the Constituent Assembly is cited as an almost inevitable source of inspiration for an exam question on history, citizenship or current affairs. Among the anniversaries considered likely is also the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi.
