2/2/2016 ICAOLanguageProficiencyRequirements(LPRs)EnglishForAviation

ICAOLanguageProficiencyRequirements(LPRs)
forPilotsandAirTrafficControllers
TheInternationalCivilAviationOrganisation(ICAO)hasestablishedEnglishlanguageproficiencyrequirements
(LPRs)forallpilotsoperatingoninternationalroutes,andallairtrafficcontrollerswhocommunicatewithforeign
pilots.Thesestandardsrequirepilotsandairtrafficcontrollerstobeabletocommunicateproficientlyusingboth
ICAOphraseologyandplainEnglish.

FormalevaluationoflanguageproficiencywasrequiredasofMarch2008,butICAOeffectivelyextendedthe
deadlineto05March2011.

AllAirTrafficControllersandFlightCrewMembersengagedinorincontactwithinternationalflightsmustbe
proficientintheEnglishlanguageasageneralspokenmediumandnotsimplyhaveaproficiencyinstandard
ICAORadioTelephonyPhraseology.ThosewhodonothaveEnglishproficiencymustacquireit,orriskremoval
frominternationalflightroutes.

ICAOHolisticDescriptors

Proficientspeakersshall:

a.communicateeffectivelyinvoiceonly(telephone/radiotelephone)andinfacetofacesituations
b.communicateoncommon,concreteandworkrelatedtopicswithaccuracyandclarity
c.useappropriatecommunicativestrategiestoexchangemessagesandtorecognizeandresolve
misunderstandings(e.g.tocheck,confirm,orclarifyinformation)inageneralorworkrelatedcontext
d.handlesuccessfullyandwithrelativeeasethelinguisticchallengespresentedbyacomplicationor
unexpectedturnofeventsthatoccurswithinthecontextofaroutineworksituationorcommunicativetask
withwhichtheyareotherwisefamiliarand
e.useadialectoraccentwhichisintelligibletotheaeronauticalcommunity.

ICAOLanguageProficiencyStandards

ICAOgradesEnglishlanguageperformanceonascalefrom6(highest)to1(lowest):

Level6: Expert
Level5: Extended
Level4: Operational
Level3: Preoperational
Level2: Elementary
Level1: Preelementary

InordertoconformwithICAOLanguageProficiencyrequirements,Pilots,AirTrafficControllersandallothers
whouseEnglishinR/TcommunicationoninternationalroutesmustbeatICAOEnglishLanguageLevel4
(Operational)orabove.AnindividualmustdemonstrateproficiencyatLevel4inallsixcategoriesinorderto
receiveaLevel4rating.

ThosewhoareassessedatICAOLevel4(Operational)mustberetestedeverythreeyears.Thosewhofailmay
notbelicensedtooperateoninternationalroutes,soevenifapilotorcontrollerachievesLevel4once,further
Englishtrainingmaybeneededtomaintainthislevelofproficiency.

ICAOLanguageProficiencyRatingScale:

STRUCTURE
Relevant

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2/2/2016 ICAOLanguageProficiencyRequirements(LPRs)EnglishForAviation

PRONUNCIATION grammatical
structuresand
Assumesadialect
sentence
LEVEL and/oraccent VOCABULARY FLUENCY COMPREHENSION INTERACTIONS
patternsare
intelligibletothe
determinedby
aeronautical
language
community.
functions
appropriateto
thetask.

Expert Pronunciation,stress, Bothbasicand Vocabularyrange Abletospeakat Comprehensionis Interactswitheasein

rhythm,andintonation, complex andaccuracyare lengthwitha consistentlyaccuratein nearlyallsituations.
6 thoughpossibly grammatical sufficientto natural, nearlyallcontextsand Issensitivetoverbal
influencedbythefirst structuresand communicate effortlessflow. includes andnonverbalcues
languageorregional sentencepatterns effectivelyonawide Variesspeech comprehensionof andrespondsto
variation,almostnever areconsistently varietyoffamiliar flowforstylistic linguisticandcultural themappropriately.
interferewitheaseof wellcontrolled. andunfamiliar effect,e.g.to subtleties.
understanding. topics.Vocabulary emphasizea
isidiomatic, point.Uses
nuanced,and appropriate
sensitivetoregister. discourse
markersand
connectors
spontaneously.
Extended Pronunciation,stress, Basic Vocabularyrange Abletospeakat Comprehensionis Responsesare
rhythm,andintonation, grammatical andaccuracyare lengthwith accurateoncommon, immediate,
5 thoughinfluencedby structuresand sufficientto relativeeaseon concrete,andwork appropriate,and
thefirstlanguageor sentencepatterns communicate familiartopics relatedtopicsand informative.
regionalvariation, areconsistently effectivelyon butmaynotvary mostlyaccuratewhen Managesthe
rarelyinterferewith wellcontrolled. common,concrete, speechflowas thespeakeris speaker/listener
easeofunderstanding. Complex andworkrelated astylistic confrontedwitha relationship
structuresare topics.Paraphases device.Can linguisticorsituational effectively.
attemptedbutwith consistentlyand makeuseof complicationoran
errorswhich successfully. appropriate unexpectedturnof
sometimes Vocabularyis discourse events.Isableto
interferewith sometimes markersor comprehendarangeof
meaning. idiomatic. connectors. speechvarieties(dialect
and/oraccent)or
registers.
Operational Pronunciation,stress, Basic Vocabularyrange Produces Comprehensionis Responsesare
rhythm,andintonation grammatical andaccuracyare stretchesof mostlyaccurateon usuallyimmediate,
4 areinfluencedbythe structuresand usuallysufficientto languageatan common,concrete,and appropriate,and
firstlanguageor sentencepatterns communicate appropriate workrelatedtopics informative.Initiates
regionalvariationbut areused effectivelyon tempo.There whentheaccentor andmaintains
onlysometimes creativelyandare common,concrete, maybe varietyusedis exchangeseven
interferewitheaseof usuallywell andworkrelated occassional sufficientlyintelligible whendealingwith
understanding. controlled.Errors topics.Canoften lossoffluency foraninternational anunexpectedturn
mayoccur, paraphrase ontransition communityofusers. ofevents.Deals
particularlyin successfullywhen fromrehearsed Whenthespeakeris adequatelywith
unusualor lackingvocabulary orformulaic confrontedwitha apparent
unexpected inunusualor speechto linguisticorsituational misunderstandings
circumstances, unexpected spontaneous complicationoran bychecking,
butrarelyinterfere circumstances. interaction,but unexpectedturnof confirming,or
withmeaning. thisdoesnot events,comprehension clarifying.
preventeffective maybesloweror
communication. requireclarification
Canmake strategies.
limiteduseof
discourse
markersor
connectors.
Fillersarenot
distracting.
Pre Pronunciation,stress, Basic Vocabularyrange Produces Comprehensionisoften Responsesare
operational rhythm,andintonation grammatical andaccuracyare stretchesof accurateoncommon, sometimes
areinfluencedbythe structuresand oftensufficientto language,but concrete,andwork immediate,
3 firstlanguageor sentencepatterns communicateon phrasingand relatedtopicswhenthe appropriate,and
regionalvariationand associatedwith common,concrete, pausingare accentorvarietyusedis informative.Can
frequentlyinterfere predictable orworkrelated often sufficientlyintelligible initiateandmaintain
witheaseof situationsarenot topics,butrangeis inappropriate. foraninternational exchangeswith
understanding. alwayswell limitedandtheword Hesitationsor communityofusers. reasonableeaseon
controlled.Errors choiceoften slownessin Mayfailtounderstanda familiartopicsandin
frequently inappropriate.Is language linguisticorsituational predictable
interferewith oftenunableto processingmay complicationoran situations.Generally
meaning. paraphrase preventeffective unexpectedturnof inadequatewhen
successfullywhen communication. events. dealingwithan
lackingvocabulary. Fillersare unexpectedturnof
sometimes events.
distracting.
Elementary Pronunciation,stress, Showsonly Limitedvocabulary Canproduce Comprehensionis Responsetimeis
rhythm,andintonation limitedcontrolofa rangeconsisting veryshort, limitedtoisolated, slowandoften

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2/2/2016 ICAOLanguageProficiencyRequirements(LPRs)EnglishForAviation
2 areheavilyinfluenced fewsimple onlyofisolated isolated, memorizedphrases inappropriate.
bythefirstlanguageor memorized wordsand memorized whentheyarecarefully Interactionislimited
regionalvariationand grammatical memorized utteranceswith andslowlyarticulated. tosimpleroutine
usuallyinterferewith structuresand phrases. frequent exchanges.
easeofunderstanding. sentence pausinganda
patterns. distractinguse
offillersto
searchfor
expressions
andtoarticulate
lessfamiliar
words.
Pre Performsatalevel Performsata Performsatalevel Performsata Performsatalevel Performsatalevel
elementary belowtheElementary levelbelowthe belowthe levelbelowthe belowtheElementary belowthe
level. Elementarylevel. Elementarylevel. Elementary level. Elementarylevel.
1 level.
Source:ICAO.(2004).PublicationofDoc9835AN/453,ManualontheImplementationofICAOLanguageProficiencyRequirements.

ContactEnglishforAviationandletusassistyouinreachingyourgoalstogetyourorganisationtoLevel4
(Operational).

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