Test Preparation Tips

ICAO English Language Proficiency

Language Department
 ICAO English Language Proficiency | Test Preparation Tips

Part 1
Introduction questions
These questions will generally be about yourself – why you decided to become a
pilot, what you might have decided to do if you hadn’t become a pilot, your current
job, your likes and dislikes about flying, plus possibly asking about your thoughts
on your future aviation career.

Its important to spend some time thinking about your answers and avoiding
common errors made in your spoken English.

It’s a very good idea to prepare by writing down information sentences about
yourself, checking for grammar mistakes and then to practice saying your
answers with another person before taking the actual test.

It will be worth it.

Note! Do not give one word answers and use this opportunity to express yourself while talking about
something you know very well (yourself and the aviation industry).
 ICAO English Language Proficiency | Test Preparation Tips

Part 2
Describing a picture
The picture will be an image related to some sort of aviation situation. So, make
sure you use some aviation related vocabulary when describing the picture i.e
various parts of the plane, general aviation terminology (crosswind, bird strike,
pilot error, go around, emergency situation, crash landing, fuselage, ATC,
overshot the runway, turbulence, nose gear etc).

Talking about the picture is your opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of

the industry in English and you can do this by using some specialist (aviation)
vocabulary.

Thinking about how to talk about the picture in the correct way can also help you.
It is good to describe what you can see and also to talk about possibilities i.e. “I
can see a plane / hills / fuel tanks / a road / a forest in the background or
foreground” and “The man / men in the picture could be / might be an engineer /
maintenance crew / security / engineer(s) / ground staff / mechanic(s)” etc. It is
very positive to express what you think might have already happened in the
situation seen in the image, getting your ideas from the image itself.

Tip: Use this speaking opportunity to demonstrate your English level to the best of your ability.
 ICAO English Language Proficiency | Test Preparation Tips

Part 2
Describing a picture

Example 1:
The plane could have + past participle to express what you think might have already happened to the plane.
“The plane could have aborted take off after."

Example 2:
The plane might have + past participle.
“The plane might have run out of fuel and made a forced landing in a field.”

Tip: Use this speaking opportunity to demonstrate your English level to the best of your ability.
 ICAO English Language Proficiency | Test Preparation Tips

Part 3
Read back section - Radio Telephony
This is the section where you receive instructions from ATC and you ‘read back’
as if you were the pilot receiving the instruction. You will be given your callsign
and any other relevant information.

You only have to readback the information that is required by ICAO. Just treat the
exercise as a flight you are currently operating.

Many pilots listen and write down the instructions or abbreviated instructions and
symbols (arrows, abbreviated terminology) to help them remember and confirm
the information. This is considered a good, authentic (real world situation) method
to use in this section of the test.

Also remember, your overall level will not be affected if you listen to the
instruction a second time.

Tip: Use the option to listen twice to make sure you understand all the important parts of the instruction.
 ICAO English Language Proficiency | Test Preparation Tips

Parte 4
Identifying a miscommunication between a pilot and ATC
Think about what might be the cause of a miscommunication (i.e.
misunderstanding of: coordinates, ATC instructions, callsign etc.). This will help
you identify the miscommunication between ATC and the pilot.

The radio communication is an interaction between an ATCO and a pilot, so be

ready to listen and write down the information exchanged.

Compare the information or instructions given by the pilot or controller to identify

the misunderstanding. Typical information that causes miscommunication is
mentioned above.

Also remember, your overall level will not be affected if you listen to the
instruction a second time.

Note! Use the option to listen twice to give yourself the best chance of identifying the miscommunication.
 ICAO English Language Proficiency | Test Preparation Tips

Part 5
Describing a video clip
After watching the short video clip you have to describe what you saw using past
tenses. Try your best to use Past Simple, Past Continuous or Present Perfect
correctly. You could also use the Past Perfect and conditional sentences if you
feel this would clarify what you saw.

For this part of the test you are not allowed to take notes and you are only
allowed to watch the video once, so you must try to remember the main sequence
of events and then talk about them.

Try to remember any small details you see in the video and mention them. This is
an opportunity for you to demonstrate your English, so don’t give very short
sentences. Try to give as much information as you can and possibly comment on
what might have happened.

After giving your description of the video, you will be asked questions about what Watch this example video
you saw in the video. Please answer in complete sentences. If you’re not sure of
the facts, just give your opinion.

For instance:
“The plane aborted take off, probably due to an engine stall. The aircraft drifted to the left, so the pilot applied
right rudder to get the airplane on the center line. He did a very good job.”
 ICAO English Language Proficiency | Test Preparation Tips

Part 5
Describing a video clip
After giving your description of the video, you will be asked questions about what
you saw in the video.

Please answer in complete sentences. If you’re not sure of the facts, just give
your opinion.

Example question1:
What speed do you think the pilot was going when he aborted take off?
Answer:
“He was probably going about 80-90 knots.”

Example question2:
Why was fire seen coming from the stalled engine?
Answer:
“The fire could have been caused by an incorrect mixture of air and fuel.”
 ICAO English Language Proficiency | Test Preparation Tips

Part 6
Listening to an Aviation Related Incident
In this section you will have to listen to a person giving a report of an ‘aviation
related incident’, and the speaker will usually have an accent (French, Dutch,
South African, Spanish, etc) which makes listening more of a challenge, so
please take notes while listening.

After listening you have to retell the events that took place in your own words.

You can also listen to the events twice, so make sure you do.

In order to re-tell all of the important events from the story in your own words,
write down the important events that you hear in sequence and then tell the story
again using your own words.

You will find an example of the type of

situation you will hear being reported is
in this link.

Tip: Use this speaking opportunity to demonstrate your English level to the best of your ability.
 ICAO English Language Proficiency | Test Preparation Tips

Part 7
General questions about aviation
This part involves answering 2 questions about general aviation situations such
as landing, approach, the weather, runways etc.

Try to speak naturally and don’t use any complicated grammar that you are not
sure of.

Keep it simple and informative.

If you are not sure how to express something or don’t know the vocabulary, try to
‘paraphrase’ (describe what you want to say using other words that you do know).

Practice some good ways to begin sentences to give your opinion.

Use, for instance:

“In my opinion…”, “From my point of view this situation…”, “Speaking generally I think…”
Good luck!

These test tips were put together by Aviation English specialists and examiners of FTEJerez Language Department

FTEJerez · Flight Training Europe S.L.

Base Aérea La Parra, Jerez de la Frontera 11401 (Cádiz)
[email protected] · Tel. +34 956 317 806 · Fax. +34 956 182 433
www.ftejerez.com