If you fly or control traffic in Europe, your ICAO English proficiency test is likely the ELPAC — English Language Proficiency for Aeronautical Communication, developed by EUROCONTROL. It is structured quite differently from interview-style tests like the TEA, and knowing the format in advance changes how you should prepare.
Is the ELPAC a EUROCONTROL Test?
Yes. The ELPAC — English Language Proficiency for Aeronautical Communication — was developed by EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation. It is delivered through EUROCONTROL-approved test centres and is one of the most widely used ICAO English proficiency tests across Europe, for both pilots and air traffic controllers operating in European airspace.
Because it comes from EUROCONTROL rather than a commercial exam provider, the ELPAC follows the ICAO Rating Scale closely and emphasises real aeronautical radiotelephony over general-English interview questions. If your authority or operator is based in Europe, the ELPAC is very likely the test you will take.
Where and How Do You Take the ELPAC?
The ELPAC is administered through EUROCONTROL-approved test centres across Europe. It was developed by EUROCONTROL in partnership with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and ENOVATE, which gives its scoring against the ICAO Rating Scale a solid research foundation.
Because the ELPAC is designed for air navigation service providers (ANSPs), aircraft operators, national supervisory authorities, and training organisations, the exact booking route depends on your national authority or employer. If you fly or control traffic in Europe, check with your local civil aviation authority (CAA) or ANSP to confirm whether the ELPAC is your required ICAO English test and where your nearest approved test centre is located.
📝 Real ELPAC exam reports: read first-hand accounts of Paper 1 and Paper 2 from pilots and controllers across Europe — browse ELPAC reports. Took the ELPAC yourself? Share your experience to help the next candidate.
The Big Picture
- Two papers: Paper 1 is a listening comprehension test (about 45 minutes); Paper 2 is an oral interaction test (about 20 minutes)
- Two examiners: Paper 2 is conducted by an operational examiner (pilot or ATC background matching yours) and an English language expert
- Levels assessed: 4 and 5, with an optional additional paper for Level 6 once you hold Level 5
- Two versions: ELPAC Pilots and ELPAC ATC — same structure, role-appropriate content
- Scoring: the six ICAO criteria, and you need your weakest criterion at Level 4 or above to pass
Paper 1: Listening Comprehension (~45 minutes)
🔗 Deep dive: ELPAC Paper 1 — full listening comprehension prep guide.
Paper 1 tests your understanding of real-world aeronautical communications — pilot-controller exchanges in both routine and non-routine situations. The recordings start short and simple (numbers, single words, readback-style items) and become progressively longer and more complex, eventually involving multiple communication partners.
Two preparation implications follow directly from this design. First, accent flexibility matters: the recordings reflect international aviation, not BBC English. Second, stamina matters: 45 minutes of focused listening is longer than most pilots ever practice. Train with extended listening sessions — live ATC feeds, aviation podcasts, incident recordings — rather than two-minute clips.
Paper 2: Oral Interaction (~20 minutes, two examiners)
🔗 Deep dive: ELPAC Paper 2 — full oral interaction prep guide.
Paper 2 is task-based. The early tasks stay close to your daily operational environment — communication in familiar working situations. The later tasks deliberately push you outside routine phraseology: unusual situations where standard words no longer cover what you need to say, and you must switch to plain English to describe, explain, and resolve.
This transition — from phraseology to plain English under pressure — is exactly what the ICAO requirements were created to test, and it is where preparation pays off most. The skill is narrating the unexpected: an unusual indication, a passenger issue, a runway obstruction. Practice describing abnormal situations out loud in plain English, with a clear structure: what happened, what you need, what you intend to do.
Our practice materials — built around non-routine scenarios with examiner follow-up questions — train precisely this narration skill, and our guide to asking for clarification professionally applies to the interactive tasks directly.
Level 6: The Optional Extra Paper
Unlike some national systems, ELPAC handles Level 6 through an additional optional assessment, available once you have achieved Level 5. If your goal is escaping the retest cycle permanently, the path runs through a strong Level 5 performance first — worth knowing when you plan your preparation timeline.
How ELPAC Preparation Differs from Interview-Style Tests
- Weight your listening practice heavily. A 45-minute listening paper is unusual among ICAO tests — many candidates underprepare for it.
- Drill the phraseology-to-plain-English switch. Take any routine transmission and extend it: “…and now the situation develops. Explain it in plain English.”
- Practice with an operational partner if possible. Paper 2’s two-examiner format includes an operational expert — your explanations need to satisfy a professional listener, not just a language teacher.
ELPAC vs TEA: Which Test Will You Take?
You usually do not choose — your civil aviation authority does. But if you operate across jurisdictions, the practical differences matter: the TEA is a single 25–30 minute interview with one examiner and no dedicated listening paper; the ELPAC splits listening into its own 45-minute test and puts two examiners in the room for speaking. TEA preparation leans toward interview fluency and picture description; ELPAC preparation demands serious listening stamina and comfort switching between phraseology and plain English. The six scoring criteria — and the lowest-score rule — are identical in both. Skills transfer almost completely; only the format changes.
Taking a different test? See our guides to the TEA and the ICAO level descriptors. And if you have taken the ELPAC recently, share your experience anonymously — every report helps the next pilot prepare.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ELPAC test?
ELPAC (English Language Proficiency for Aeronautical Communication) is a EUROCONTROL-developed ICAO English test for pilots and air traffic controllers, used by many European aviation authorities. It has a listening paper and a speaking paper.
How long is the ELPAC test?
ELPAC Paper 1 (listening comprehension) takes about 45 minutes, and Paper 2 (oral interaction) takes about 20 minutes. The speaking paper is conducted by two examiners: an operational expert and a language expert.
What ICAO levels does the ELPAC assess?
ELPAC assesses ICAO Levels 4 and 5. Level 6 is available through an additional optional assessment, offered only after a candidate has achieved Level 5.
Is the ELPAC harder than the TEA?
Neither is objectively harder; they test the same six ICAO criteria under the same lowest-score rule. The ELPAC demands more listening stamina (a dedicated 45-minute paper) and comfort switching between phraseology and plain English, while the TEA emphasises interview fluency and picture description.
Is the ELPAC the same as the EUROCONTROL English test?
Yes — the ELPAC is the English proficiency test developed and maintained by EUROCONTROL. When pilots refer to “the EUROCONTROL English test,” they almost always mean the ELPAC.