✈ ELP TEST GUIDE
Understanding the ICAO ELP Test
What the test actually measures, how it's structured, and how to prepare — from pilots who've been through it.
What is the ICAO ELP Test?
The Aviation English Language Proficiency (ELP) certification is a national qualification required to operate international flights. It's commonly misunderstood as a test of whether you can understand routine ATC — but it's much more than that.
The ELP test was established to prevent aviation accidents caused by language barriers between non-native English speaking pilots and controllers. Simply understanding routine ATC is not enough.
Under ICAO ANNEX and aviation authority guidelines, the ELP certification evaluates the following five criteria:
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1
Can communicate effectively in voice-only conversations and face-to-face interactions
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2
Can communicate accurately and clearly on general and work-related topics
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3
Can use appropriate communication strategies to check, confirm, and clarify in routine and non-routine situations
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4
Can manage language challenges arising from complex situations or unexpected events in day-to-day and professional contexts
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5
Can use aviation terminology and accents familiar to the international aviation community
The six individual rating scales (pronunciation, structure, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, interaction) are tools used to support the holistic assessment — the final level decision is always based on these five overall criteria.
Test Structure
The ELP test (EGT format) consists of five sections. Only three are formally evaluated — the opening Warm-up and closing Cool-down are not scored.
Section 1
Warm-up
Not evaluated
Section 2
Picture Description
Evaluated
Section 3
ATC Roleplay
Evaluated
Section 4
Sequence Picture
Evaluated
Section 5
Cool-down
Not evaluated
The Warm-up covers daily topics and questions about your aircraft type and flight experience — it's a warm-up exercise, not a test. The Cool-down covers upcoming schedule and similar casual topics.
What Each Section Requires
You'll be shown one aviation-related picture and asked to describe the situation in simple, clear sentences. Since this simulates radio communication, do not point at the picture — describe everything verbally. There is no single correct answer; structure your description from the general to the specific.
Example response
- This is a picture of a dispatch room.
- The flight crew is having a briefing with the dispatcher.
- They look worried because it is snowing outside.
- The airplane has lots of snow on it.
- It needs to be de-iced before departure.
Key points
- Use simple, complete sentences to describe the situation
- Never point — describe everything in words
- Start with the overall scene, then move to details
- Use present progressive tense (is landing, are de-icing)
- Use third person consistently (subject-verb agreement)
You'll be given a scenario card describing a flight situation, including an abnormal or emergency event. Conduct the ATC communication as you normally would — your phraseology is evaluated, but as a JAL pilot your standard operating skills are sufficient for this part.
After the roleplay, the examiner will ask you to describe what happened. This retrospective description is the main evaluation point — use past tense and first person.
Example retrospective description
- We were approaching Haneda airport.
- During descent, we encountered moderate turbulence caused by CAT.
- We made a pilot report to ATC.
- Luckily, we had no injuries. We continued the flight and landed safely at Haneda.
Key points
- Describe events in chronological flight order
- Use past tense throughout the retrospective description
- Use first person (we / I)
- Keep it concise — brief and clear is better than long and hesitant
You'll be shown 4 or 6 connected images depicting an aviation event. Unlike Section 2, the goal is not to describe each picture individually — you need to build one connected story. Imagine yourself as the pilot and narrate it as something that happened to you on a flight.
Example (bird strike scenario)
- One day last week, we took off from runway 16R.
- Soon after departure, we encountered a flock of birds.
- Unfortunately, one of the birds hit our right engine and the engine fire warning came on.
- We decided to declare an emergency.
- We made an air turnback and landed safely on runway 16R.
- Fire trucks were standing by on our arrival.
Key points
- Build one narrative story — don't describe each panel separately
- Use past tense throughout
- First person makes the story simpler and more natural
- Don't say "Picture #1 shows..." — just tell the story
- Get the overall story arc in mind before you start speaking
How to Prepare
Many pilots who end up at Level 3 walk into the test unprepared — stumbling on grammar, speaking too slowly, or translating from Japanese in their head. With the right preparation, all of these are avoidable.
1
Replace "Ehh" and "Uhh" with proper fillers
Silence and filler sounds give a poor impression in voice communication. Use natural English fillers instead.
"Let me see..." / "Well," / "That's a good question..."
2
Don't speak so slowly that you lose fluency
Speaking carefully is fine — but if your pace drops significantly, it affects your fluency score. A steady slow pace is acceptable; stopping and restarting is not. The worst thing is silence or trailing off mid-sentence.
3
Think directly in English
If you think in Japanese first and then translate, you'll reach for complex words that are hard to express in English. Aim to speak directly in simple, plain English.
4
Pre-prepare sentences about your own flights
The examiner asks about your own experiences to test tense usage. If you hesitate trying to recall details, it looks like you're struggling with the language. Prepare short summaries of memorable flights in advance.
"Last month on a flight to Bangkok, we encountered..."
5
Use professional aviation vocabulary naturally
You don't need to memorize rare words. Just use the professional terms you already know from work — they demonstrate vocabulary competence.
"Fuselage" not "airplane body" · "Contingency" · "Extinguish" · "Declare emergency"
6
Say "I don't know" — and that's fine
This is not a knowledge test. If the examiner asks about something you're unfamiliar with, say so directly. Trying to bluff leads to confusion. If possible, add why you don't know.
"I don't know about that." / "I'm not familiar with that procedure." / "I don't know because I've never experienced that situation."
Ready to start preparing?
Browse real exam reports from pilots, or jump straight into study materials.