CX ICAO english test

[tombo66]

Could anyone share you precious exp of cx ICAO english test? It would be great if some detials of test can be provided. I'm also wondering if it is only a listening and speaking test. Many thx

[Momogai]

Lasts about 30 min and is all verbal.

1) Start off with paraphrasing (explaining in different words)

2) Listen to about 7-8 short conversations between people with different accents (5 sentences max - e.g Indian/Chinese/Australian/US/British). You will then be asked to explain what they were talking about and will have to answer a few questions by the assesor in relation to each conversation. The sound quality from the speakers are alright but you will need to concentrate.

3) Analyse a picture and answer some questions in relation to it. E.g Describe what you see .../What do you think that person is thinking..../What would he/she do if something happened?

4) You will be asked to select some items from a list and you will have to explain why you have selected them. The scenario will be made clear to you before you are asked to choose.

5) Watch a short minute video clip (~1 min) and then summarise it. Then answer some questions from your assessor.

Native English speakers should find it fairly straight forward and should of course aim to get level 6 though it is not unheard of to be dropped to a level 5 which implies that you will have to do it in 4-5 years time. If you are deemed a level 5 in any of the six catagories you will be a level 5.

I know a few HK candidates who obtained a level 4. I thought they spoke fairly good English but they only just made it. If you have made it pass stage 2, your spoken English must be fairly decent. So just focus and try not to be too nervous on the day.

Advice - when asked to explain what a conversation was about, try to summarise it in a concise manner and avoid getting talking too much and getting bogged down in the small details. Get to the point!

Pay attention to exactly what the assessor has asked you to do. Sometimes you have to answer questions from another person's perspective, so start by saying " I think he/she would..." and not "I think".

The assesor spoke very clear english. Do ask for feedback and your scores. My feedback was very accurate and I acknowledged where I needed to improve to get to a level 6. I will nail it next time!

Good luck people!

[IpSiu]

Thanks for sharing!

[Aussie]

Since on the topic, anyone know if native speakers from Aus US UK ect still have to sit this exam?

[Harbour Dweller]

Aussie,

Prior to the regulation coming into effect all CX pilots including OZ / NZ / UK / USA were assessed.

Mostly it was done at a sim session with the instructor making their assessment during general conversation.

I'm not sure how they are assessing any new joiners.

[hongkongfooey]

I speak proper and they still maid me do it :}

[tombo66]

thank you so much for your information!!

[BuzzLightyears]

these might be helpfull!


ICAO Aviation English Courses and Testing for Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers (http://www.anglo-continental.com/en/uk/courses/Aviation/aviation-english-division.htm)

Test of English for Aviation - T.E.A. (http://www.maycoll.co.uk/aviation-english/tea.html)

[Sleeve_of_Wizard]

I just had it the box ticked if i remember right. Was just signed off after a sim without a mention of any test.

[BelArgUSA]

Hola, CX friends...
Stupid foreigner here. Sorry, need English language education.
Do you pronounce "tyre" or "tire"...?
Do you say "licence", sorry, I say "license"...
xxx
Saying the "c" sound is not that easy, as I live since 15+ years with the Spanish language.
I have occasionally a "hair on my tongue" to say "c" as in "licence"...
And for the "lorry", so difficult (low-wee), I pronounce it "trrrrruck"...
xxx
Opinion - That ICAO English proficiency is - ri-di-cu-lous.
Never had problems in the old days at KaiTak. You are better than LHR...
Except in NRT, they say REFT and LIGHT...
xxx
:}
Happy contwails...

[Lawrence0654]

Hello mates, may I ask a stupid question? Does anyone know about the passing score of this Exam? Must be level 6 or else, level 5?

I am going to take it in the 5 May, feeling ... nervous :P

Anyway, thanks so much for the information.

Regards,
Lawrence

[alexpun]

level 4 is the passing mark.
i will have mine on 5th too!
nervous now
:uhoh:

[Lawrence0654]

wow...Alex, we may meet at that time.

Cheer up man and Good luck~!!

[Lawrence0654]

Honestly, i have least confident in the first part, paraphrase. Since I really have no idea how hard is it. :\

Can anyone, who has undergone this test kindly give me some examples in this task?

Thousand thanks~!!

[Aussie]

Sat the exam a couple weeks ago, its fairly straight forward, nothing to stress about guys!

[Rex HK]

The passing mark is level 5. Level 4 is the general ICAO standard for flying across international boundaries. CX want people with ICAO level 5 English minimum because often someone with ICAO level 4 English will slip to ICAO 3.x during training.

One of the reasons for level 5 standard is that Cantonese speaking cadets will form small social groups while they are away during flight grading, where they just speak in Cantonese. When they come back their English is 3.x. I recommend that you integrate with other groups and speak in English as much as you can while in Adelaide.

Also this is advertised on Facebook, and it says they are in Hong Kong.
Login | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101689646680&ref=mf).
Their website is Home | aviationenglish.com (http://www.aviationenglish.asia)

[alexpun]

wt a bad news for me
:{:{:{

[rmadrid]

why? have CX called you back?

[alexpun]

no..
but i don't think i can get a level 5:ugh::ugh:

[rmadrid]

but what I heard from the ICAO assessor, CX just requires level 4~

i think i'm gonna call them.....I've been waiting for more than 2 weeks:sad:

[blackbear]

rmadrid,

I've learnt that you could ask if you have passed the test right after finishing it, isn't it?

[rmadrid]

i asked for comments but he didn't say pass/fail

i guess if your english is exceptionally good, he may pass you right after the assessment...but usually the result is released later

[blackbear]

got it. best of luck to you!!

[Broomstick Flier]

Suppose I arrive already with an English level granted, is it accepted or they will ask me to make it again?

[tombo66]

I'm a bit confused, may i ask if CX requires 4 or 5 for the passing grade of ICAO English test?

[holdmetight]

does anyone have any idea on CX's policy for people who already hold an ICAO rating for english? are these candidates also required to complete (and pass) the CX test before proceding to Stage 2?

if so, would their previously granted rating be of any influence to the CX english assessment?

[NickFry]

They would most likely test you again I would presume, that way they know it's both current and accurate.

[Michael Egerton]

An existing ICAO certification would be largely irrelevant during the interview. The English test is part of the recruitment process and I cannot imagine that an existing certification will warrant exclusion from that stage of the test. As mentioned above, it can be out of date and language is something that needs to be maintained with regular practice. I know this from my own experience learning Cantonese.

There are some advantages to obtaining a prior certification - you can go into the assessment with greater confidence. My company Home | aviationenglish.asia (http://www.aviationenglish.asia) offer this service, I'm sure that other companies will follow us in the future. However, I would not recommend that CPP applicants try to obtain certification privately unless that have significant flying experience. PM me if you would like to know why.

A further reason is that ICAO certification is a relatively undeveloped concept, there are countless scandals where pilots have obtained certification by obtaining a rubber stamp from a testing centre. At the moment ICAO testing is done by the airlines themselves in Hong Kong. This is for a good reason.

The airlines are the parties with something to risk. Would an airline prefer a rating from xyz language school or its own rating department?

Think about it - What does xyz risk to lose if the rating is inaccurate? At most credibility. What can they gain? - money. Do they have any external control? - not really.

What does an airline lose if an accident caused by miscommunication occurs? Potentially aircraft and responsibility for countless lives.

There is also the matter of whether the CX CPP ICAO test is really an ICAO test at all.

btw, nice to meet you all.

Mike

[ming2345]

It is apparent that the test is more focused on general english, but not aviation related english. Actually, how many %/ which part of the test requires aviation english proficiency? What will those about? (eg, aviaiton science? radio communication? aircraft technical terms? ATC ? etc)
Well, for application with little or none aviation experience. Is taking ICAO course the only way to shape ourself for the test?
Thanks for the detail answer!

[orangeboy]

Hey ming,

The ICAO english test does not require the knowledge or use of technical aviation language at all.

It is based on general english skills i.e listening, comprehension and verbal skills.

E.g. 1 - given a picture, describe what is happening or describe a certain aspect of the picture.

E.g 2 - listen to a recorded conversation between a number of people, then answer questions based on that conversation

E.g. 3 - watch a video and then explain what happened


It is really trying to see if you can 1) understand english and 2) use english proficiently enough to get your point across.

[Remus T]

Also there is paraphrasing at the beginning of the test... (this bit kills a lot of Hong Kongers I guess)

E.g. 1: What does it mean by 'let go'?

E.g. 2: What does 'crash course' mean to you.

Another one is the examiner asks you to pick several items from a card and explain why you choose it..

E.g. : Pick 5 items that you want to bring in a survival camp. (this bit is easy!)

Hope this helps. Remember this examination is nothing about aviation.

Remus ;)

[MaximumAlpha]

I heard from a lot of LEPs that the examiner who runs the test is very illegitimate. I will not comment on if his assessment is fair or not but what I will say that when the test subject fail the test, the examiner will refer him to a friend of his, for private aviation English tuition, which costs tens of thousands of dollar. This is highly inappropriate, to say the least. If weren't working for the company, I would have contacted the ICAC.

Guys, be aware!

[flyinryan76]

I had a female examiner for this test and she was great. Not too sure what you are talking about there maximumalpha but she was nothing but professional!

[de facto]

Does anyone have an address/phone number/name of a school or organisation that provides EASA approved ICAO English test in Hong Kong?

Thank you much.

[Kasompe]

Has Cathay really sunk THIS low? Thanks, RH, you must be SO proud.:(