TEST OF ENGLISH FOR AVIATION PERSONNEL (TEAP)

TEST SPECIFICATIONS

TEST STRUCTURE

Number of Two components – Listening Comprehension and Oral Interaction.

sections/parts
Listening Test consists of 3 sections and is delivered in a pencil and paper format.
Speaking Test consists of 3 parts and is delivered in the format of oral face-to-face
interview with one voice-only task.

Listening Test:
Number of Section 1 includes 2 tasks.
tasks/questions Task 1 – questions 1-9.
per section/part Task 2 – questions 10-14.
Section 2 includes 1 task.
Questions 15-20.
Section 3 includes 1 task.
Questions 21-30.
Speaking Test (Oral Interview):
Part 1 Warming-up: guided by examiner’s/interlocutor’s questions.
Part 2 Task A - Conversation guided by a printed prompt on a cue card.
Task B - Voice-only task followed by comments guided by a cue card.
Part 3 Conversation guided by visual prompts (2 color photos with aviation image).
Sequence of The two test components can be delivered at any order.
parts/tasks

TEST TASK SPECIFICATIONS

Listening Test / total 23 min/

Purpose To assess aural comprehension ability against the language proficiency criteria
contained in ICAO Rating Scale and the ICAO Holistic descriptors of operational
language.
Pre-test phase:

Time allotment Introductory instruction – 2 min

Filling in the answer sheet cover page – 2 min
Up to 23 min Reading the answer sheet – 2 min

Test-taking phase: writing answers in the answer sheet – 15 min

Section 1 Section 2 Section 3

Task 1 Questions 1-9 Task 3 Questions 15-20 Task 4 – Questions 21-30
Task 2 Questions 10-14

After-test phase: checking/refining the answers – 2 min

Instructions The general instruction for the candidates at the time of test administration is
 presented orally in Ukrainian/Russian by the test administrator in front of the
candidates just before the test is taken. It includes:
- statement of the purpose for which the test is intended;
- statement of the language abilities that the test is intended to measure;
- specification of the listening procedures and tasks;
- specification of the scoring method, including criteria for correctness.
The task instruction is not a part of the input to which the candidates are expected to
respond directly. The task instruction is printed in English in the answer sheet and is
followed by an example. The instruction language is simple. During the general
instruction the instruction to each task is read aloud by the test administrator.
Channel/format: aural, from CD via tape recorder/computer, each piece of the audio
material is played once.

Characteristics Text type/length: short radio telephony simulated and authentic transmissions
of input/texts featuring interacting speakers; narration of a single speaker beyond aeronautical
communication.

Section 1 Section 2 Section 3

2 pieces of R/T 1 piece of R/T Single speaker’s

exchanges between a exchanges between a narration
pilot and a controller pilot and a controller

Text language in Sections 1 and 2 as specified in Doc 9835, Appendix B Language of

aeronautical Radiotelephony communications.
Text language in Section 3 – a story about an event in aviation narrated in plain
English by a native speaker.
Task/Item types Section 1
Task 1 Questions 1-9
Labelling of statements with letters P (pilot) or C (controller)

Rationale: ‘Information transfer’ technique makes minimal demands on productive

skills; the task serves as a lead-in activity at the beginning of the listening
component.

Task 2 Questions 10-14

Completion of the statement by putting down one word or numbers.

Rationale: ‘Information transfer’ technique makes minimal demands on productive

skills; correct spelling is not required for a response to be scored as correct, however
a response has to provide evidence of the candidate’s having recognized the missing
word/number.

Section 2
Task 3 Questions 15-20
Multiple choice items with 3 options indicated by A, B, C (circling the chosen letter)

Rationale: ‘Multiple choice’ technique with three options – one is a correct answer,
two others are distracters; requires no productive skills; 3 options are more reliable
than 4 to avoid some disadvantages of multiple choice techniques (e.g./choosing
good distracters).

Section 3
 Task 4 Questions 21-30
Multiple choice items with 3 options – ‘Right’-‘Wrong’-‘Doesn’t say’ – indicated by A,
B, C (circling the chosen letter)

Rationale: ‘Multiple choice’ technique with three options – one is a correct answer,
two others are distracters; requires no productive skills; the technique is effective to
check comprehension of details in a story.

The comprehension checks are presented in the same order as the details of
information are sequenced in the recordings.

Expected Tasks 1-3 in Sections 1 and 2

response
A candidate will be expected to:
- understand gist and details of a radio telephony communication between English
speaking (with at least two different accents) controller and pilot in routine and non-
routine situations and in optimum and complicated (background noise) conditions.
The candidate is expected to put the correct answer on the paper answer sheet
under Section 1 Task 1, Task 2 and Section 2 Task 3 as required.

Task 4 in Section 3

A candidate will be expected to:

- identify correctly specific factual information contained in a narration of a single
speaker.
The candidate is expected to put the correct answer on the paper answer sheet
under Section 3 Task 4 as required.

Corrections are permitted.

Scoring method Objective method: the candidate’s answers are compared with key/right answers;
number of correct answers is calculated as a sum of scores. The scoring of Listening
Test is performed by a marker using arithmetic calculation of correct answers. The
results of the scoring are put down at a special space on the answer sheet cover
page.
Each correct answer weights 1 score, maximum score for the test – 30, which is
equivalent to 100%.
Range of scores correlated with levels 3, 4, 5 of ICAO Rating Scale:
Level 3 – 60% -75% (score 18-22)
Level 4 – 76% -90% (score 23-26)
Level 5 – 91% -100 % (score 27-30)
There is no pass mark.

Speaking Test /total 22 min/

Purpose To assess speaking ability (to use plain English in aeronautical communication)
against the language proficiency criteria contained in ICAO Rating Scale and the ICAO
Holistic descriptors of operational language.

Time allotment Pre-interview phase:

Introductory instruction, filling in and signing the interview protocol – 2 min
Up to 22 min
Part 1 – 4-5 min
 Part 2 – 7-8 min
Part 3 – 6-7 min

Instructions The general instruction for the candidates at the time of test administration is
presented orally in Ukrainian/Russian by the test administrator just before the
Speaking Test is taken. It includes:
- statement of the purpose for which the test is intended;
- statement of the language abilities that the test is intended to measure;
- specification of the oral interview parts and tasks;
- specification of the scoring method, including criteria for correctness.
The task instruction is not a part of the input to which the candidates are expected to
respond directly.
In Part 1 there is no special instruction.
In Part 2 the instruction is provided in English orally by an examiner/interlocutor and
prompts are printed in English on the cue cards. The instruction language is simple.
In Part 3 the instruction is provided in English orally by an examiner/interlocutor.

Characteristics Channel/format: live verbal interaction (dialogue), longer response (monologue).

of input
The interview is recorded.

Text type/length:

Speaking Test is a one-on-one oral interview guided by an examiner’s/interlocutor’s

questions and supported by printed, aural and visual prompts.

Rationale:
Task types Oral interview is a technique of direct assessment of speaking ability. The candidates
are given a choice of topics (through questions and prompts) and an opportunity to
perform at their best. Following a standardized examiner/interlocutor interview
frame, a specially trained examiner/interlocutor facilitates the interaction, asking
questions, instructing and setting the tasks.
Due to possibility of the method of interview to be an effective means of elicitation
of unrehearsed spontaneous speech an examiner/interlocutor applies interlocution
strategies to guide a candidate’s oral discourse to become measurable against the
ICAO Rating Scale.
Thus the interview is semi-structured and relatively flexible in its content (questions
asked) and delivery (number of questions and their difficulty), allowing for
adaptation and customization appropriate to the level of oral discourse and
operational environment of an individual candidate.

The interview consists of three parts:

Part 1 – warm up segment guided by an examiner’s/interlocutor’s questions;

Part 2
Task A – the candidate is given a printed card and is asked to speak on a specific
topic (unusual/emergency situation) related to his/her area of professional activity;
the candidate’s speaking is guided by 3 prompts printed on a card and, if needed, by
an examiner’s/interlocutor’s questions; the candidate is given 1 minute to focus on
the topic and prompts.
Task B – voice-only segment: the candidate listens to short exchanges on
unusual/emergency situation and is asked to comment on it; the candidate’s
response is guided by a cue card.
 Part 3 – the candidate is asked to describe two photos with aviation image related to
their area of professional activity; the photos are given in sequence and may be
guided by an examiner’s/interlocutor’s questions.

Language, communicative functions: as specified in Doc 9835, Appendix B ‘Language

of Aeronautical Radiotelephony Communications’. The candidates are assessed to
use plain English on various topics that are related to radiotelephony
communications without replicating radiotelephony communications specifically. In
particular these are the topics of non standard/emergency situations.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Verbal questions of an Prompts printed on the cue Visual prompts (static
examiner/interlocutor card (a verbal problem task image – two photos
asked face-to-face. followed by 3 prompts to with aviation image in
guide a candidate’s oral the context of
discourse); unusual/emergency
a piece of R/T transmission situation) guided by
on unusual/emergency questions of an
event guided by prompts on examiner/interlocutor.
the cue card.

Expected The candidates gain no credit for rehearsed language.

response
During the oral interview with an examiner/interlocutor a candidate is expected:

In Part 1 – The candidates are given an opportunity to speak spontaneously on issues

related to their personal life and work area of professional activity.

In Part 2 - The candidates are expected to speak spontaneously and accurately on

issues related to non standard situations according to the topic in the cue
cards/sound file.

In Part 3 – The candidates are expected to give detailed description of a photo and to
supplement the description with their comments/opinion/ on the situation/event
depicted.

Throughout the whole interview for minimum operational level the candidates are
expected to be able to:

- speak fluently on common, concrete and work-related topics,

- produce oral speech in stretches of language at an appropriate tempo,
- confirm, negotiate, clarify if needed
- understand a communicator by responding immediately, informatively and
appropriately,
- use fillers, connectors appropriately,
- take turn to maintain/initiate interaction,
- paraphrase if needed,
- continue to communicate effectively in unexpected turn of events or when
confronted with linguistic or situational complication,
- keep fluency though it may be slower and clarification strategies may be used,
- communicate accurately with proper pronunciation, intonation, range of
vocabulary and good control of basic grammatical structures,
 - provide information relating to present, past or future events,
- provide information concerning necessity, feasibility, capacity,
- express agreement/disagreement, appreciation, opinions,
- describe events, people, place, sequence of events, procedure or process,
- compare, explain, justify, assess, present, instruct, advise, approve, permit, etc.
Scoring method Subjective method of scoring based on individual judgment of a specially trained
rater. Speaking component is assessed through rating oral speech samples against six
descriptors of language profiles in ICAO rating scale. The candidate’s speaking ability
is scored on pronunciation structure, grammar structure, vocabulary range, fluency,
comprehension and interaction within the constructs defined individually for Level 3,
4 and 5. The rating is conducted by at least two trained raters. They use standard
protocols/assessment sheets to record evidences of inaccuracy, errors, etc. They are
guided by the instructions on the rating process.

Final score for The candidates are awarded a rating within one of the six levels contained in the
the test as a ICAO Rating Scale in each of its discrete features of language: pronunciation,
whole structure, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and interactions. The candidates
receive an overall rating equivalent to that of the lowest rating achieved in any one
of the six features.