The TEA — Test of English for Aviation — is one of the most widely used ICAO English proficiency tests in the world. Developed by Mayflower College in the UK, it is accepted by dozens of civil aviation authorities across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. If your authority uses the TEA, here is exactly what to expect — and how to prepare for it efficiently.
The Big Picture
- Length: 25–30 minutes, face-to-face (or online) with a human examiner
- Structure: 3 parts — interview, listening comprehension, picture description & discussion
- What it tests: plain English in an aviation context — NOT standard radiotelephony phraseology
- Scoring: the standard six ICAO criteria (pronunciation, structure, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, interactions) — and your final level is the lowest of the six scores
That last point deserves repeating, because it applies to the TEA exactly as it does to every ICAO-compliant test: five criteria at Level 5 and one at Level 4 means you walk away with Level 4. Preparation should target your weakest skill, not your strongest.
Part 1: Experience Interview (7–8 minutes)
The examiner asks about your aviation background: your job, your aircraft, your routes, memorable situations. The question list is published in advance by Mayflower College, and there are no right or wrong answers — only fluent or hesitant ones.
Because the questions are known, this is the highest-return part to prepare. Build short spoken answers for each topic — your aircraft, a typical duty day, an abnormal situation you handled — and practice them out loud until they flow. Do not memorize scripts word-for-word; examiners recognize recitation, and one follow-up question collapses it. Practice the stories, not the sentences.
Part 2: Interactive Comprehension (8–12 minutes)
The listening section, in three blocks, all using recordings of international English speakers — expect a range of accents:
- 2A: Six recordings of a pilot or controller in a non-routine situation. After each one, you report what you understood. Each recording plays once; you may request one repetition.
- 2B: Recordings describing a situation — you respond by asking appropriate questions to get the full picture.
- 2C: Three recordings of general non-routine situations. After each, you get about 20 seconds to ask the speaker questions, and the examiner will ask what advice you would give.
The skill being tested here is exactly what the Interactions criterion describes: check, confirm, clarify. Asking a precise question after a partially-understood recording is not a weakness — it is the behavior the test rewards. (We wrote more about this in “Say Again?” Is Not a Weakness — the principle applies to the TEA directly.)
Part 3: Picture Description & Discussion (~10 minutes)
You receive two connected aviation photographs. You describe the first for about 30 seconds, answer questions about the second, then compare the two. The part ends with a broader discussion of aviation topics related to the pictures.
If you have practiced picture description for any national ICAO exam, this format will feel familiar — and the training is fully transferable. Our Single Picture practice sets were built from real exam scenarios (engine fires, evacuations, weather events, ground incidents) with examiner follow-up questions and key vocabulary for each scene. The scenes and the describing skill are the same ones the TEA draws on: aircraft, weather, people, and things going wrong.
A simple structure that works for any aviation picture: what I see → what is happening → what probably caused it → what happens next. Thirty seconds fills quickly when you have a framework.
How to Prepare: The Three Highest-Return Habits
- Speak out loud, daily. Silent preparation does not build spoken fluency. Ten minutes of spoken picture description a day beats an hour of reading.
- Record and review. Record your Part 1 answers and picture descriptions on your phone. Listening back reveals your filler words, grammar collapses, and pronunciation habits faster than any teacher.
- Train with varied accents. Part 2 uses international speakers deliberately. Aviation podcasts, ATC recordings from different regions, and international news broadcasts all build the comprehension flexibility the test demands.
Go Deeper: Part-by-Part Guides
- TEA Part 1: Typical Interview Questions and How to Build Strong Answers
- TEA Part 2 (2A, 2B, 2C): How to Handle the Listening Section
- Taking the ELPAC instead? Read our ELPAC guide
Took the TEA Recently?
Our exam report library is built by pilots, for pilots — and we want to extend it beyond Japan. If you have taken the TEA (or any national ICAO English exam), share your experience: what the pictures showed, what the recordings covered, what the examiner asked. It takes five minutes, it is completely anonymous, and it helps the next pilot walk in prepared.