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- characteristics of the introductory stage
- what you have to do to pass it well!
The ICAO4U exam starts with the introductory conversation. This stage of the exam takes from 7 to 10 minutes. There are 5 pre-recorded questions that the examiner will play to you. The questions are constructed in the simple, communicative manner. No reported speech, no mixed conditionals or other complicated constructions. Each question refers to different aspect of YOU in aviation, i.e.
- How did your aviation story begin?
- How important is proper preparation to a flight?
- What are the most typical weather phenomena in the region where you fly most often?
- How will aviation change in the years to come?
- What are character features that a pilot should have?
As you can see there are only open questions with no right/ wrong answers. Each question refers to a different aspect of flying.
Examiner’s comment”: don’t worry. If you don’t understand the question, you are allowed to ask the examiner to replay the question to you. Just say: say again, replay the question, etc. And if you don’t understand again, ask the examiner to paraphrase the question for you: say it in other words. Remember, the role of the examiner is to assist you. We want to help, just like in the cockpit.
The role of this stage of exam is to verify how fluent you are in general English communication in aviation context. You are supposed to speak clearly and provide answers which consist of a few sentences. Apart from listening comprehension, this stage facilitates the assessment on other ICAO criteria: pronunciation, fluency, structure, vocabulary, interaction. You are suppossed to provide from 45-to-60-second answers. The role of the examiner is to invent extension questions to the answers you produce and ask them in course of this stage.
So, when the original question is:
- How important is proper preparation to a flight?
Depending on what you say when you address this question, the extension questions might be:
- Is it possible to be 100% prepared?
- How does modern technology facilitate flight preparation?
- What is the role of briefing in preparation to the flight?
- What happens before the flight?
- What is pre-flight check?
Extension questions help the examiner evaluate your language production deeper. It checks how responsive you are, how you manage stress at the test, if additional (unexpected) questions put you into trouble or you can maneouvre safely.
All in all, it’s a very friendly stage of the exam. It lets vent the stress and puts you on the right track to the overall success.
- If you have any questions regarding this stage of the exam, don’t hesitate to aks. We will be pleased to assist.
- Choosing ICAO4U Aces’ Full Course will assure that you are well prepared to the test. Join us!
