“Can you explain the different lights on an aircraft and when they are used?”
This question comes up repeatedly in the ICAO ELP exam — particularly in picture description scenarios involving ground operations, winter conditions, or night flying. Most pilots know the answer intuitively after years of operating. The challenge is explaining it clearly and accurately in English, on demand, under exam conditions.
In this column: a complete breakdown of each light type, the English definitions that work in the exam, and the specific follow-up questions that frequently appear.
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Full definitions · When to use each light · Exam Q&A · Key vocabulary
Most pilots who pass the ICAO ELP certification are satisfied with Level 4. It meets the minimum requirement for international operations, and “Level 6 is out of reach for me” is a common assumption.
I think that assumption is worth questioning. Here are three honest reasons why aiming for Level 6 is worth taking seriously.
Level 4 requires renewal every three years. As long as you’re flying international routes, that cycle never ends. Every three years: preparation, stress, the wait for results. Repeated until retirement.
Level 6 eliminates it entirely.
Flight schedules, simulator checks, proficiency checks, family commitments — adding a triennial English exam to that list is a real and persistent burden. One serious attempt at Level 6 frees you from it permanently. That’s a significant quality-of-life benefit over a full career.
There’s a common belief that Level 6 requires near-native fluency — that it’s only achievable by pilots who grew up abroad or studied in English-speaking countries. That’s not accurate.
ICAO ELP Level 6 is defined as “Expert,” but the assessment takes aviation context into account. This is a test of aviation English — which means English proficiency combined with aviation knowledge. Pilots who have spent their careers flying in Japan and have developed both systematically can and do achieve Level 6.
Understanding exactly what the examiners are looking for — the specific scenarios, the types of questions, the structure of the conversation — dramatically changes what “achievable” means. With the right preparation and consistent practice, Level 6 is within realistic reach for more pilots than commonly believe.
Preparing seriously for Level 6 builds English ability that extends well beyond the exam room.
Picture description practice sharpens your ability to organize and explain complex situations clearly. ATC scenario practice improves real-time listening comprehension and response speed. These are skills that show up in the cockpit — in exchanges with non-native English speaking controllers, in coordination with international crew, in high-stress situations where precise communication matters.
The English ability you develop aiming for Level 6 makes you a more capable international pilot. The exam becomes a by-product of that development, not the goal in itself.
The first step toward Level 6 is understanding what the exam actually tests. Which photo scenarios appear most frequently? What ATC situations come up? What kind of conversation do examiners tend to pursue?
Knowing the exam from the inside — not from a textbook, but from the actual experiences of pilots who have recently taken it — is the most efficient preparation available.
Renewing Level 4 every three years for the rest of your career, or taking one serious run at Level 6. For most pilots, the math isn’t complicated.
Browse real exam reports from pilots who reached Level 5 and 6 →
The sequence picture section — a series of 4 to 6 images depicting an aviation scenario — is one of the most challenging parts of the ICAO ELP oral exam. Unlike a single picture, you’re not just describing what you see. You’re constructing a narrative that connects images, explains cause and effect, and demonstrates that you understand what happened and why.
Here’s how to approach it.
The examiner is looking for your ability to organize information and communicate it coherently. The specific vocabulary matters, but the structure of your answer matters more. A disorganized response with correct vocabulary scores lower than a clearly structured response with simple vocabulary.
Before you say anything, look at all the images in sequence. Understand the overall story. What’s the beginning, middle, and end? What’s the cause, and what’s the effect?
This 15-second investment prevents the most common mistake: starting to describe the first image without understanding where the story goes, then getting confused partway through.
The language that connects your descriptions is what turns a list of observations into a narrative. Build your toolkit of transitions:
Time-based:
Cause-and-effect:
Contrast and turn:
Use at least one transition between every image. The examiner hears whether you’re telling a story or just listing scenes.
Don’t just describe the last image — analyze it. What was the outcome? What does this situation tell you about aviation safety or crew decision-making?
“Looking at the final image, it appears the emergency landing was successful and passengers are being evacuated safely. This highlights the importance of a well-executed emergency brief and clear cabin crew coordination prior to approach.”
This level of analysis is what distinguishes Level 5 responses from Level 4 responses.
Repetition is the only way to get better at this. But the repetition has to be spoken, not mental.
Find a sequence picture — a real exam scenario if you can — set a 15-second review timer, then describe the full sequence out loud. Record it. Listen back. Notice where you hesitate, what words you reach for and can’t find, where your transitions are weak.
Do this three to five times a week. The improvement over four weeks is substantial.
The ICAO ELP certification doesn’t end when you pass. Level 4 renews every three years, Level 5 every six. If your English deteriorates between now and your next exam, you have a problem.
The challenge for active line pilots: irregular schedules, disrupted sleep, and the mental load of the job leave little space for formal language study. Most traditional study approaches don’t fit into real pilot life.
Here are three methods that do.
You’re probably watching videos during rest days, layovers, or downtime. Switch the language.
Replace Japanese-language content with English equivalents. Aviation channels like Mentour Pilot, 74 Gear, and Captain Joe deliver aviation content in natural, fluent English. News channels — BBC, CNN — keep your ear trained on current events vocabulary. Documentaries and vlogs expose you to varied accents and speech patterns.
Start with English subtitles if needed. Work toward watching without them. Thirty minutes a day of this kind of passive exposure produces noticeable improvement within six months — without adding anything to your schedule that wasn’t already there.
AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude are now genuinely useful for aviation English practice — and they’re available at any hour, without judgment, and for as long as you want.
Practical applications:
This fits into a commute, a wait at the airport, or fifteen minutes before sleep. It’s not a replacement for practice with real humans, but for maintenance between exam cycles, it’s genuinely effective.
LiveATC.net streams real-time ATC audio from airports around the world, free. Major hubs — Heathrow, JFK, Dubai — offer high traffic volume and diverse accents.
The progression:
This does double duty: it maintains your English comprehension and keeps your aviation vocabulary sharp at the same time.
English proficiency declines without use. The goal of maintenance isn’t to study harder — it’s to ensure enough English exposure that the skills you have don’t erode between renewal cycles.
None of these three methods require dedicated study blocks. They integrate into what you’re already doing. Start one of them this week.
See real exam experiences from other pilots →
Before the oral examination, there’s a written test. For many pilots preparing for the ICAO ELP, the written component is something of an afterthought — and based on its difficulty level, that’s actually the right approach.
The written exam is a computer-based test (CBT) that assesses general aviation English knowledge. It does not require expert-level English or specialized test preparation. If you have a reasonable command of English and a basic understanding of aviation concepts, you can pass it.
Pilots with a TOEIC score around 700 or above typically pass without dedicated study. The exam is designed as a qualification threshold, not a differentiation tool — it confirms that you have adequate English foundation to proceed to the oral exam, nothing more.
Japan moved to the CBT format in November 2023, replacing the traditional paper-based exam. The key benefit: you choose your own date and location from testing centers available nationwide.
The application process:
Pilots renewing an existing certification are exempt from the written exam entirely — you go straight to the oral.
Written exam results are valid for two years. If you don’t complete the oral examination within that window, you’ll need to retake the written test before you can sit for the oral again.
The practical advice: pass the written exam as soon as you can, then focus your preparation time on the oral. The oral is where the real challenge lies — and where most of your preparation energy should go.
Don’t over-prepare for the CBT. Review basic aviation vocabulary, understand the test format, and take it. Then redirect everything toward the oral examination.
The oral is the part that requires real preparation: picture description, ATC scenarios, free conversation. That’s where pilots struggle — and where thorough preparation makes the difference between Level 4 and Level 5.
Read the full ELP exam guide →
Knowing what to expect on exam day reduces unnecessary anxiety. Here’s a complete walk-through of the ICAO ELP oral examination — from arrival to exit.
This is critical. Missing any of these means you cannot take the exam:
Prepare these the day before. Check twice.
Arrive at the designated time. In Japan, the exam is held twice a year at government facilities in Tokyo and Osaka. You’ll complete registration at the front desk and wait in a reception area — often alongside other active pilots.
When your name is called, you proceed to the exam room. Two examiners are waiting. The atmosphere is typically more professional but less intimidating than candidates expect.
The exam consists of three sections:
When the examiners indicate the session is complete, you leave the room. Results are mailed approximately two months later.
From pilot reports collected over many exam cycles:
The exam is 20–30 minutes. The preparation takes months. By exam day, trust your preparation.
See what other pilots experienced →
Most pilots are surprised when the ATC section of the ICAO ELP gives them trouble. After all, you use English on the radio every day. How hard can it be?
Harder than expected. Here’s why — and what to do about it.
The ATC scenarios in the ICAO ELP test are deliberately unusual. You won’t be asked to read back a standard clearance. Instead, you’ll encounter:
These are situations you may never have encountered in line operations — but the test expects you to handle them in English, fluently and accurately.
Start with LiveATC.net — free, real-time ATC audio from airports worldwide. Listen to major international airports where English is used extensively.
Progress through three levels:
There are specific phrases you need to have ready immediately, without thinking:
The critical step most pilots skip: actually saying the responses aloud.
Reading about what to say is very different from saying it under simulated pressure. Practice both roles — controller and pilot. Record yourself. The difference between how you think you sound and how you actually sound is often significant.
Based on exam reports from pilots who have taken the test, certain ATC scenarios appear repeatedly. Knowing what’s actually being used in current exams — rather than practicing from a generic textbook — is the most efficient way to prepare.
For many non-native English speaking pilots, the picture description section is the most stressful part of the ICAO ELP test. You’re handed a photo — often depicting an aviation emergency or unusual situation — and asked to describe and discuss it in English, on the spot.
It doesn’t have to be as difficult as it feels. Here’s a framework that works.
The examiner isn’t looking for perfect English. They’re evaluating four things:
The key insight: getting the content across clearly matters more than speaking perfect English. A clear, organized description in imperfect English outscores a hesitant, disorganized description in technically correct English.
Start with the big picture. Where is this? What’s the main thing happening?
“This appears to be taken at an airport, and it looks like an aircraft has made an emergency landing.”
This sentence sets the scene and signals to the examiner that you understood the image.
Work through what you can see: people, objects, environment, weather, time of day. Be methodical rather than jumping around.
Useful phrases:
This is where many pilots stop short. Go beyond describing what you see — offer context and interpretation.
“This looks like it might be the result of a bird strike on approach, based on the damage visible near the engine. The emergency services appear to have responded quickly, which suggests the airport emergency plan was activated.”
This is the part that separates Level 4 from Level 5 responses.
Practice with real aviation images — out loud, every day.
Not in your head. Out loud. Describe the image as if you’re in the exam. Record yourself. Listen back. Identify where you hesitate, what vocabulary you’re missing, where your sentences fall apart.
Five minutes a day of this practice will improve your picture description ability faster than any other method.
Practice picture description →
You passed the ICAO ELP at Level 4. The hard part is over, right?
Not quite. Level 4 needs to be renewed every three years — and failing the renewal means you can no longer operate international flights. It directly affects your career.
The first time around, most pilots prepare seriously. Three years later, many walk into the renewal without the same preparation. That’s where it goes wrong.
A few times a week, listen to something aviation-related in English. Podcasts, YouTube, or LiveATC.net for real-time ATC feeds. The goal is to keep your brain comfortable processing English at a natural pace.
Five minutes of out-loud practice daily makes a real difference. Describe a photo. Explain a weather situation. Tell the story of a recent flight. The act of forming sentences in real time is what the test measures.
“I’ll study the month before” is a common plan. It’s also the one most likely to fail. Three months of moderate, consistent preparation beats four weeks of cramming. The ICAO ELP rewards natural fluency, not memorized phrases.
Level 6 is permanent. No renewal. Ever. The path from Level 4 to Level 6 is significant, but many pilots describe it as the most rational long-term decision they made regarding this certification.
The most efficient preparation is knowing what questions actually appear. Real exam reports from pilots who’ve recently taken the test give you that insight.
If you’re a pilot flying international routes — or planning to — you’ve probably heard of the ICAO ELP certification. But what exactly is it, and what’s the difference between Level 4, 5, and 6?
I’m an active First Officer based in Japan, and I’ve been through this test myself. Here’s what you need to know.
The ICAO English Language Proficiency (ELP) certification is a mandatory qualification for pilots and air traffic controllers operating on international routes. It’s set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and assesses your ability to communicate in real aviation situations — not just recite phrases from a textbook.
Unlike TOEIC or TOEFL, this isn’t a written exam. It’s an oral test conducted face-to-face with an examiner, and it evaluates how you actually communicate under pressure.
Your performance is scored on six dimensions:
The key point: this test measures real communication ability, not just language knowledge.
There are three levels you can achieve:
Most Japanese pilots hold Level 4. Level 5 requires significantly more preparation. Level 6 is rare among non-native speakers, but it’s not impossible — and if you achieve it, you never have to take the test again.
The test typically includes three types of tasks:
The questions often connect: a picture of an emergency situation might lead to “Have you ever experienced something like this?” or “What would you do if…?”
Based on my own experience and reports from other pilots, here’s what actually works:
The single most useful resource I’ve found is reading real exam reports from pilots who’ve already taken the test. Knowing that certain scenarios come up repeatedly, and what questions follow them, fundamentally changes how you prepare.
That’s exactly what ELP Review is built around — a growing archive of real exam reports from pilots across Japan and Asia, submitted after taking the test. Browse the reports, see what’s actually being asked, and prepare accordingly.