GUIDE FOR TEST-TAKERS
AND TEACHERS
WHAT IS THE TEA TEST?
•
A test of plain English in an aviation context for licensing
purposes – it is not a test of aviation phraseology
•
A test of ability to communicate in English – not a test of
operational knowledge
•
A face-to-face, human interaction test with 1 examiner who asks
questions for detailed responses
•
A 25-30 minute test that consists of 3 parts. We will look at each
of parts these below.
TEA IS NOT A TEST OF OPERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE
TEA examiners are familiar with aviation and are sometimes pilots or
controllers. Nevertheless there are no extra marks to be gained from
talking about correct operational procedures. Equally, nothing is lost
by not knowing about a particular area of operations.
TEA tests plain English, not phraseology – the ICAO language
standards have been introduced to improve communication when
phraseology is insufficient.
THE ICAO DESCRIPTORS
ICAO has developed the criteria by which your English will be judged.
The full descriptors can be viewed here
TEA candidates can score from Level 1 to Level 6 but most candidates
score Level 3, 4 or 5. A simplified version of Levels 2 - 5 is below.
Candidates are awarded a score from 1 to 6 for each of the 6 skills:
pronunciation, structure, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, interactions.
It is the LOWEST of these 6 marks which decides the overall score.
In the next sections will look at each part of the test, and give some advice
on how to do your best.
