Snow-covered mountains seen through the windscreen of an airliner flight deck — From the flight deck, final approach at Hong Kong's south runway, and two pilots at work. The exam is built from scenes like these.

Two pilots at work on an airliner flight deck — From the flight deck, final approach at Hong Kong's south runway, and two pilots at work. The exam is built from scenes like these.

ICAO Level 4, 5 and 6 language proficiency exams for pilots, air traffic controllers, cabin and ground crew, technicians and drone operators. Booked online, taken on screen with a live examiner.

Aviation English, rated by aviators

From aviators, to aviators

The control tower at Blackbushe Airport, a white tower with a red-framed cab above a brick building — Blackbushe Airport control tower, Hampshire.

Talk&Fly was set up by people who fly and control traffic for a living, tired of language tests about holidays and hobbies.

So the exam is built from the job: a go-around in gusting wind, a medical emergency on board, a runway incursion, a drone where it should not be. Your examiner knows the phraseology, and knows the moment plain English has to take over.

Every exam is recorded and kept for at least five years, for review and audit, as ICAO requires. Pilots and controllers can sit it in English or in Spanish.

A hand holding a small aircraft pin up against a blue sky, an airliner passing overhead — One in the hand, one overhead.

A radar operator at a console lit in blue, a radar screen to her left — At the radar console. U.S. Navy photograph.

Six descriptors, one level

Every exam is rated against the ICAO language proficiency rating scale. Each of the six descriptors gets its own level, and your level is the lowest of the six.

Level 5 in five descriptors and Level 4 in one makes you Level 4. The table below sets out what each operational level asks for. Levels 1 to 3 fall below the operational minimum for a licence endorsement.

The operational levels of the ICAO rating scale, summarised in our words. Source: ICAO Doc 9835. The official wording always prevails.
Descriptor	Level 4 Operational	Level 5 Extended	Level 6 Expert
Pronunciation	Accent, stress and intonation show the first language, and only sometimes get in the way of being understood.	The first language still shows, but rarely gets in the way of being understood.	An accent may remain, and it almost never gets in the way.
Structure	Basic grammar is usually well controlled. Errors turn up in unusual situations but seldom change the meaning.	Basic grammar is consistently well controlled. Complex structures are tried, with errors that rarely change the meaning.	Basic and complex structures are consistently well controlled.
Vocabulary	Enough range and accuracy for common, concrete and work-related topics. Can often paraphrase when a word is missing.	Enough range for work-related topics, with consistent paraphrase and some idiomatic use.	Wide, accurate and idiomatic across familiar and unfamiliar topics, with a sense of register.
Fluency	Speaks in stretches at a working tempo. May lose fluency moving from rehearsed to spontaneous speech, without stopping the exchange.	Speaks at length with relative ease on familiar topics, using connectors to hold the thread.	Speaks at length with a natural, unforced flow, and varies it for effect.
Comprehension	Mostly accurate on work-related topics. Slower when the situation takes a complication or an unexpected turn.	Accurate on work-related topics and mostly accurate through complications and unexpected turns.	Consistently accurate in nearly all contexts, including subtle ones.
Interactions	Replies are usually immediate and appropriate. Checks, confirms and clarifies when a misunderstanding appears.	Replies are immediate, appropriate and informative, and the exchange is managed well.	Interacts with ease in nearly all situations, picking up verbal and non-verbal cues.

How long is your level valid?

Enter the date of your last assessment and see when your endorsement runs out.

When the level must be reassessed, under EASA rules
Level	Pilots	Controllers
Level 4	Every 4 years	Every 4 years
Level 5	Every 6 years	Every 6 years
Level 6	No expiry	Every 9 years

Sources: EASA Part-FCL, FCL.055 (pilots) and Regulation (EU) 2015/340 (controllers). Your authority's records always prevail.

Booked, assessed, certified

Three stages, all of them online: from the session you pick to the certificate in your inbox, with a live examiner in the middle.

Booked
Pick a session online in under ten minutes. Groups of five or more get a date of their own.
Assessed
Listening and speaking tasks on screen, then a recorded interview with a live examiner.
Certified
Your e-certificate within five working days, and a paper copy by post about a week later.

An airport apron at dusk, aircraft at their stands under a pink sky — The apron at dusk, a drone operator at work, a tail at sunrise. Everyone here talks on the radio.

A drone operator in a high-visibility vest looking up from his controller — The apron at dusk, a drone operator at work, a tail at sunrise. Everyone here talks on the radio.

Who sits the exam

Pilots and air traffic controllers

Licence endorsement at Level 4, 5 or 6. The exam is also available in Spanish for pilots and controllers.

English and SpanishBook a session

Crew and technicians

Cabin crew, ground crew and maintenance technicians, rated on the same six descriptors by people who know the cabin, the ramp and the hangar.

Levels 4 to 6Book a session

Drone operators

Radiotelephony English for operators who need to fly in controlled airspace.

RadiotelephonyBook a session

Ops rooms and offices

Dispatchers, schedulers and planners, whose English reaches the crews and the controllers every day.

Operations staffBook a session

Airlines, ANSPs and authorities

For airlines, air navigation service providers, flight schools and authorities: group sessions on your dates from five people, one contact for every renewal, and the group's results in five working days.

From five peopleWrite to us

Five groups, one rating scale. Booking for a team? Write to us and we will set the dates with you.

Questions, answered

How do I book? Choose Book an exam, pick a session and pay online. It takes under ten minutes. If you already have an account, sign in first.

When do I get my result? Your e-certificate arrives within five working days, usually sooner. The paper certificate is posted about a week later.

How long is it valid? Under EASA rules, Level 4 is reassessed every four years and Level 5 every six. Level 6 has no expiry for pilots and lasts nine years for controllers. Check your own date. Your authority's records always prevail.

We are a group of ten. Can we have our own session? Yes. Any organised group of five or more can have its own session. Write to us with your dates.

We are an airline, an ANSP or an authority. Can you work with us? Yes. We run group sessions on your dates and keep track of your people's renewals, with one contact for all of them.

What if I disagree with my result? The full record, including the recorded interview, is kept for at least five years. You can appeal within one calendar week of receiving your e-certificate by email.

What if I do not reach the level I need? You get the examiner's full report with advice on what to work on, and you can book again as many times as you need.

Can I take the exam in Spanish? Pilots and controllers can. More languages may follow later.

Book your
next rating

Pick a session online in under ten minutes. For a group, a question or anything else, write to contacto.talkandfly@gmail.com or call +34 655 396 421.

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