Scores

In the ICAO Level exam, you are evaluated according to 6 criteria:

Pronunciation
Structure
Vocabulary
Fluency
Comprehension
Interactions

Whichever of these 6 criteria you get the lowest score, will be your ICAO Level score. For example, you got 6 points out of 5 criteria but 4 points from Vocabulary. In this case, your general test score is processed as Level 4.

Levels 4, 5 and 6 are considered passing scores.

If your score is;

Level 4, you will take this exam every 4 years,
Level 5, you will take this exam every 5 years,
Level 6, you are exempt from this exam throughout your piloting career.

Levels 1, 2 and 3 are considered unsatisfactory and you are given the right to retest.

If your score is;

Level 1, you can retake the exam after 45 days,
Level 2, you can retake the exam after 30 days,
Level 3, you can retake the exam after 15 days,

You have the right to take the ICAO Level Exam as many times as you want.

ICAO Rating Scale

ICAO Language Proficiency Rating Scale ranges from 1 to 6. You can find the details in the table below:

Level 1 / Pre-Elementary
PRONUNCIATION Assumes a dialect and/or accent intelligible to the aeronautical community.	Performs at a level below the Elementary level.
STRUCTURE Relevant grammatical structures and sentence patterns are determined by language functions appropriate to the task.	Performs at a level below the Elementary level.
VOCABULARY	Performs at a level below the Elementary level.
FLUENCY	Performs at a level below the Elementary level.
COMPREHENSION	Performs at a level below the Elementary level.
INTERACTIONS	Performs at a level below the Elementary level.

Level 2 / Elementary
PRONUNCIATION Assumes a dialect and/or accent intelligible to the aeronautical community.	Pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation are heavily influenced by the first language or regional variation and usually interfere with ease of understanding.
STRUCTURE Relevant grammatical structures and sentence patterns are determined by language functions appropriate to the task.	Shows only limited control of a few simple memorized grammatical structures and sentence patterns.
VOCABULARY	Limited vocabulary range consisting only of isolated words and memorized phrases.
FLUENCY	Can produce very short, isolated, memorized utterances with frequent pausing and a distracting use of fillers to search for expressions and to articulate less familiar words.
COMPREHENSION	Comprehension is limited to isolated, memorized phrases when they are carefully and slowly articulated.
INTERACTIONS	Response time is slow and often inappropriate. Interaction is limited to simple routine exchanges.

Level 3 / Pre-Operational
PRONUNCIATION Assumes a dialect and/or accent intelligible to the aeronautical community.	Pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation are influenced by the first language or regional variation and frequently interfere with ease of understanding.
STRUCTURE Relevant grammatical structures and sentence patterns are determined by language functions appropriate to the task.	Basic grammatical structures and sentence patterns associated with predictable situations are not always well controlled. Errors frequently interfere with meaning.
VOCABULARY	Vocabulary range and accuracy are often sufficient to communicate on common, concrete, or work-related topics, but range is limited and the word choice often inappropriate. Is often unable to paraphrase successfully when lacking vocabulary.
FLUENCY	Produces stretches of language, but phrasing and pausing are often inappropriate. Hesitations or slowness in language processing may prevent effective communication. Fillers are sometimes distracting.
COMPREHENSION	Comprehension is often accurate on common, concrete, and work-related topics when the accent or variety used is sufficiently intelligible for an international community of users. May fail to understand a linguistic or situational complication or an unexpected turn of events.
INTERACTIONS	Responses are sometimes immediate, appropriate, and informative. Can initiate and maintain exchanges with reasonable ease on familiar topics and in predictable situations. Generally inadequate when dealing with an unexpected turn of events.

Level 4 / Operational
PRONUNCIATION Assumes a dialect and/or accent intelligible to the aeronautical community.	Pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation are influenced by the first language or regional variation but only sometimes interfere with ease of understanding.
STRUCTURE Relevant grammatical structures and sentence patterns are determined by language functions appropriate to the task.	Basic grammatical structures and sentence patterns are used creatively and are usually well controlled. Errors may occur, particularly in unusual or unexpected circumstances, but rarely interfere with meaning.
VOCABULARY	Vocabulary range and accuracy are usually sufficient to communicate effectively on common, concrete, and work-related topics. Can often paraphrase successfully when lacking vocabulary in unusual or unexpected circumstances.
FLUENCY	Produces stretches of language at an appropriate tempo. There may be occassional loss of fluency on transition from rehearsed or formulaic speech to spontaneous interaction, but this does not prevent effective communication. Can make limited use of discourse markers or connectors. Fillers are not distracting.
COMPREHENSION	Comprehension is mostly accurate on common, concrete, and work-related topics when the accent or variety used is sufficiently intelligible for an international community of users. When the speaker is confronted with a linguistic or situational complication or an unexpected turn of events, comprehension may be slower or require clarification strategies.
INTERACTIONS	Responses are usually immediate, appropriate, and informative. Initiates and maintains exchanges even when dealing with an unexpected turn of events. Deals adequately with apparent misunderstandings by checking, confirming, or clarifying.

Level 5 / Extended
PRONUNCIATION Assumes a dialect and/or accent intelligible to the aeronautical community.	Pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation, though influenced by the first language or regional variation, rarely interfere with ease of understanding.
STRUCTURE Relevant grammatical structures and sentence patterns are determined by language functions appropriate to the task.	Basic grammatical structures and sentence patterns are consistently well controlled. Complex structures are attempted but with errors which sometimes interfere with meaning.
VOCABULARY	Vocabulary range and accuracy are sufficient to communicate effectively on common, concrete, and work-related topics. Paraphases consistently and successfully. Vocabulary is sometimes idiomatic.
FLUENCY	Able to speak at length with relative ease on familiar topics but may not vary speech flow as a stylistic device. Can make use of appropriate discourse markers or connectors.
COMPREHENSION	Comprehension is accurate on common, concrete, and work-related topics and mostly accurate when the speaker is confronted with a linguistic or situational complication or an unexpected turn of events. Is able to comprehend a range of speech varieties (dialect and/or accent) or registers.
INTERACTIONS	Responses are immediate, appropriate, and informative. Manages the speaker/listener relationship effectively.

Level 6 / Expert
PRONUNCIATION Assumes a dialect and/or accent intelligible to the aeronautical community.	Pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation, though possibly influenced by the first language or regional variation, almost never interfere with ease of understanding.
STRUCTURE Relevant grammatical structures and sentence patterns are determined by language functions appropriate to the task.	Both basic and complex grammatical structures and sentence patterns are consistently well controlled.
VOCABULARY	Vocabulary range and accuracy are sufficient to communicate effectively on a wide variety of familiar and unfamiliar topics. Vocabulary is idiomatic, nuanced, and sensitive to register.
FLUENCY	Able to speak at length with a natural, effortless flow. Varies speech flow for stylistic effect, e.g. to emphasize a point. Uses appropriate discourse markers and connectors spontaneously.
COMPREHENSION	Comprehension is consistently accurate in nearly all contexts and includes comprehension of linguistic and cultural subtleties.
INTERACTIONS	Interacts with ease in nearly all situations. Is sensitive to verbal and non-verbal cues and responds to them appropriately.

Prepared by: Zehra Buberoğlu