ICAO Language

Proficiency Requirements

Presented by
Elizabeth Mathews
Linguistic Consultant, ICAO
 Why….

¾ Why not a test?

¾ Why a scale?

¾ Why an ICAO scale?

 An “ICAO”
test?

¾ Resources
¾ Expertise
¾ Not practical
¾ Not ‘best practice’
¾ Beyond ICAO mandate or practice
¾ Need testing service, not ‘a test’
 Why a scale?

¾ Usual testing practice in modern

language teaching
¾ Best practice for the assessment of
speaking and listening proficiency
¾ Direct assessment (or semi-direct)
vs.Indirect assessment
 Why an ICAO
scale?

¾ Many language rating scales:

¾ILR; IELTS; ISLPR; ACTFL; ALTE;
OPRS; SOLOM; ENAC; PELA
¾ Aviation context
¾ Aviation communications specific
 Language
Requirements

Holistic Descriptors
+
Rating Scale
 Holistic Descriptor a)

Proficient speakers shall

communicate effectively in
voice-only
(telephone/radiotelephone) and
in face-to-face situations
 Holistic Descriptor b)

Proficient speakers shall

communicate on common,
concrete and work-related topics
with accuracy and clarity
 Holistic Descriptor c)

Proficient speakers shall use

appropriate communicative
strategies to exchange
messages and to recognise and
resolve misunderstandings (e.g.
to check, confirm, or clarify
information) in a general or
work-related context
 Holistic
Descriptor d)

¾ Proficient speakers shall handle

successfully and with relative ease
the linguistic challenges presented
by a complication or unexpected
turn of events that occurs within the
context of a routine work situation
or communicative task with which
they are otherwise familiar
 Holistic Descriptor e)

Proficient speakers shall use a

dialect or accent which is
intelligible to the aeronautical
community
Six Levels:
Expert-6 Pre-operational-3
Extended-5 Elementary-2
Operational-4 Pre-elementary-1

Five Areas of linguistic performance

Pronunciation Fluency
Structure Comprehension
Interactions
 Pronunciation

Level 4

Pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and

intonation are influenced by the
first language or regional variation
but only sometimes interfere with
ease of understanding.
 Structure

Level 4

Basic grammatical structures and

sentence patterns are used creatively
and are usually well controlled. Errors
may occur, particularly in unusual or
unexpected circumstances, but rarely
interfere with meaning.
 Vocabulary

Level 4
Vocabulary range and accuracy are usually
sufficient to communicate effectively on
common, concrete, and work-related topics.
Can often paraphrase successfully when
lacking vocabulary in unusual or unexpected
circumstances.
 Fluency

Level 4
Produces stretches of language at an
appropriate tempo. There may be
occasional loss of fluency on transition
from rehearsed or formulaic speech to
spontaneous interaction, but this does
not prevent effective communication.
Can make limited use of discourse
markers. Fillers not distracting.
 Comprehension
Level 4

Comprehension mostly accurately on

common, concrete, and work-related
topics when the accent or variety used
is sufficiently intelligible for an
international community of users. When
the speaker is confronted with a
linguistic or situational complication or
an unexpected turn of events,
Comprehension may be slower or
require clarification strategies.
 Interactions

Level 4
Responses are usually immediate,
appropriate, and informative. Initiates and
maintains exchanges even when dealing
with an unexpected turn of events. Deals
adequately with apparent
misunderstandings by checking,
confirming, or clarifying.
 Retesting

¾ Level 6 No recurrent testing

¾ Level 5 Every six years
¾ Level 4 Every 3 years
¾ Recommended practice
¾ Why?
„ Safety net
• Language skills slip
• Level 4 not a perfect level of proficiency
¾ “Native speakers?”
¾ Expert speakers
¾ mono-lingual speakers
¾ bi-lingual speakers
¾ multi-lingual speakers
 Problem
solved?

¾ Half of the problem solved

¾ A new set of problems

¾Infrastructure
 Infrastructure

¾ Tests
¾ Training programs
¾ Teachers
¾ Teacher training programs
¾ Materials