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Free ICAO English sample test: practise every task type

In this free ICAO English sample test you describe pictures, read back ATC instructions and decode a practice ATIS – just like in the ICAO language proficiency test (FCL.055). It runs in your browser with no account needed, and your answers and recordings stay on your device.

  • Describe & compare pictures
  • ATC read-back with instant check
  • ATIS listening
  • Interview questions
Start with task 1 See dates for the real test

How to practise with this sample test

The ICAO test does not check your aviation knowledge. It checks how well you communicate in English in an aviation context. So practise by speaking, not by reading. For each task:

  1. Put your headset on. The recordings have radio quality, just like on frequency.
  2. Start the timer. It gets you used to the response time.
  3. Answer out loud, in English. Record yourself and listen back – you will quickly hear where you hesitate.
  4. Compare with the model answer. Yours does not have to match. It is just one possible way to answer.

Want to see the whole test first? Read how the ICAO test works, step by step. If you will use this computer or phone on test day, run the camera and microphone check as well.

This is practice, not an assessment. We wrote every task in the style of the test. They are not original test items, and this sample test does not give you an ICAO level. Your level can only be determined in a real test, by certified examiners.

Which tasks apply to you? If you book Level 4 only, you describe one picture (no comparison) and there is no ATIS. Student pilots hear a short story instead of the ATIS. Each task shows who it is for.

1 · Describe a picture

Part Iapprox. 1 minute

Look at the picture and describe it: what you can see and what you think is happening.

“Please describe the picture. What can you see, and what might be happening?”

An airliner on a snowy apron. A de-icing vehicle sprays orange fluid onto the wing, a person in a high-visibility vest stands in front, a baggage cart on the left, the terminal and control tower in the background.
  • In this picture I can see …
  • In the foreground …
  • In the background …
  • It looks like …
  • I think they are …
  • Probably, …

Examiner’s tip: structure your description. Give the overview first, then the details, then your assumption: what has happened, and what will happen next?

1:00
The recording stays on your device.
Show model answer

In this picture I can see a passenger aircraft on the apron of an airport in winter. It’s snowing and the ground is covered with snow. On the right, a de-icing truck with a raised basket is spraying orange fluid onto the wing. In the foreground, a member of the ground crew in a high-visibility vest is standing next to the aircraft, and on the left there is a baggage cart with several suitcases. In the background I can see the terminal and the control tower.

I think the aircraft is being prepared for departure. Before take-off, the crew has to make sure there is no ice or snow on the wings – otherwise the wings could lose lift.

2 · Compare two pictures

Part I · 4–6 test onlyapprox. 1.5 minutes

Compare the two pictures: what they have in common first, then the differences. You can finish with your own opinion.

“Compare the two pictures. What are the similarities and what are the differences?”

Picture A: an airliner being de-iced in falling snow.
Picture A
Picture B: a sunny grass airfield where a pilot does the pre-flight check on a single-engine high-wing aircraft registered EC-XAM, a fuel truck next to it, a hangar and windsock in the background.
Picture B
  • Both pictures show …
  • In the first picture …, whereas in the second …
  • The main difference is …
  • In contrast to …
  • Personally, I prefer …

Examiner’s tip: compare systematically. Similarities first, then differences – linked with words like “whereas” or “in contrast to”.

1:30
The recording stays on your device.
Show model answer

Both pictures show aircraft on the ground that are being prepared for a flight. However, the situations are quite different. The first picture shows a large airliner at a busy airport in winter – it’s snowing and a de-icing truck is working on the wing. The second picture shows a small single-engine aircraft on a grass airfield on a sunny summer day.

In the first picture a professional ground crew takes care of the aircraft, whereas in the second one the pilot is doing the walk-around on his own. The weather is another big difference: in winter, icing is one of the main risks, while in summer you might have to think about thunderstorms or high temperatures. Personally, I prefer flying in summer, but winter operations are very interesting.

3 · Aviation-related questions

Part I30–45 seconds each

In the test, the picture tasks are followed by questions like these. There is no right or wrong: what counts is how you express yourself, not what you know about aviation. Answer in four to five sentences and give an example where you can.

  1. What do you enjoy most about flying?
  2. Describe a flight you remember well. What happened?
  3. How can bad weather affect a flight? Give an example.
  4. Why do misunderstandings happen on the radio, and how can pilots avoid them?
  5. A passenger feels nervous before take-off. What would you tell them?
  6. What would you do if you lost radio contact with air traffic control?

Examiner’s tip: if you do not understand a question, ask for it to be repeated. It does not count against you – asking is part of good interaction.

0:45
The recording stays on your device.

4 · Read back ATC instructions

Part I2 radio calls

Listen to each instruction once, as you would on frequency, and read it back – aloud or in writing. The check looks for the key elements: direction, numbers and call sign.

Radio call 1Radar to D-EXAM · 10 seconds
Show solution and transcript

ATC: “Delta Echo X-ray Alpha Mike, turn left heading two seven zero, climb to altitude four thousand feet, squawk four seven two one.”

Read-back: “Left heading two seven zero, climb altitude four thousand feet, squawk four seven two one, Delta Echo X-ray Alpha Mike.”

Radio call 2Radar to OE-DKS · 12 seconds
Show solution and transcript

ATC: “Oscar Echo Delta Kilo Sierra, descend to flight level one two zero, reduce speed two two zero knots, contact Radar on one two seven decimal niner five zero.”

Read-back: “Descend flight level one two zero, reduce speed two two zero knots, one two seven decimal niner five zero, Oscar Echo Delta Kilo Sierra.”

Examiner’s tip: read back the items in the same order you hear them (for example heading, altitude and squawk) and finish with your call sign.

5 · Understand an ATIS

Part I · 4–6 test with a licence50 seconds

Listen to this practice ATIS with fictitious data and fill in the fields. Here you can play it as often as you like. In the test there are two ATIS messages, and you report the information to the examiner orally.

Practice ATISFictitious example · 50 seconds
Show transcript

“Stuttgart Information Echo, time one four two zero. Expect ILS approach runway two five. Runway in use two five. Transition level seven zero. Wind two four zero degrees, one two knots, gusts two two knots. Visibility one zero kilometres. Light rain. Few clouds one thousand eight hundred feet, broken three thousand five hundred feet. Temperature one four, dew point one one. QNH one zero zero eight. Advise on initial contact you have information Echo.”

Examiner’s tip: do not try to memorise everything. Listen for the key information: information letter, runway, wind, visibility, clouds, temperature and dew point, and QNH.

6 · Short story

Part I · for student pilotsinstead of ATIS

If you are still in training, in the test you first hear two questions and then a short story. Read the questions, then the story – and answer out loud. To practise it as in the test, ask someone to read the story to you.

  1. Why did Lisa decide to turn back?
  2. Who did she contact, and what did she find out?

It was Lisa’s first solo cross-country flight. The weather in the morning was perfect, so she took off from her home airfield at nine o’clock. After about forty minutes, she noticed that the clouds ahead were getting lower and darker. She called the flight information service and asked for the latest weather at her destination. The controller told her that there were showers in the area and that the visibility was dropping. Lisa remembered her instructor’s advice: “If in doubt, turn around.” She informed the controller, turned back and landed safely at her home airfield. Later, her instructor said it was the best decision of the day.

The recording stays on your device.
Show possible answers

1. Because the weather was getting worse: the clouds were lower and darker, there were showers, and the visibility was dropping.

2. She contacted the flight information service. They told her about showers in the area and the decreasing visibility at her destination.

7 · Interview

Part II10–15 minutes

The interview is about you – your job, your travels, your hobbies. Answer in detail and give examples. In the test, the examiner switches their camera off for a while to assess voice-only communication as well. So practise without visual contact now and then, for example on the phone.

  1. Tell me a little about yourself and your job.
  2. Where did you go on your last holiday, and what did you like about it?
  3. What do you like to do in your free time?
  4. How did you become interested in flying?
  5. If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
  6. What will aviation look like in twenty years, in your opinion?

Examiner’s tip: if you can’t think of a word, paraphrase it (“It’s the thing you use to …”) and keep talking. That works better than searching in silence for the perfect term.

The recording stays on your device.

How the real test is rated

In the real test, two assessors rate your English against the ICAO rating scale. They look at six criteria, and your overall level is the lowest of the six. So shining in one task is not enough.

Pronunciation

An accent is fine – what matters is that you are easy to understand.

Structure

You control basic structures, and errors do not change the meaning.

Vocabulary

Enough for familiar topics, and you can paraphrase when a word is missing.

Fluency

A natural pace, few distracting pauses and appropriate linking words.

Comprehension

You understand different accents and unexpected turns, too.

Interactions

You respond quickly, ask when needed and clear up misunderstandings.

When you play back your recordings, listen with these criteria in mind. Did you freeze? Did you get the ATIS first time? That tells you what to work on. What each level means is explained on our pages on ICAO Level 4, Level 5 and Level 6.

Your next step

How did you do? Find out your real level

This sample test cannot give you a level. If you would like an assessment before the test, talk to an examiner. And don’t worry: whoever prepares you will not examine you.

ICAO PreCheck

20 minutes with an examiner: you go through the test format and get a short assessment.

€19 incl. VAT

Book a PreCheck

One-to-one training

A 45-minute mock test with ATIS, ATC calls and pictures. You get detailed feedback, and we tell you whether it would be a 4, 5 or 6.

€69 incl. VAT

Prepare with an examiner

ICAO English test online

About 30 minutes on Zoom with a real examiner. Result and certificate by email within 24 hours. No account needed, and rescheduling is free up to 24 hours before.

From €159 incl. VAT

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Prices apply to weekday daytime slots. Slots from 8 pm, at weekends and on public holidays carry a surcharge – you will see the total price in the calendar before you book. Want both? The training + Levels 4–6 test bundle costs €295 instead of €298, incl. VAT. See the bundle

FAQ

Questions about the ICAO sample test

Does this sample test give me an ICAO level?

No. It is practice to get to know the format. A level that counts for your licence only comes from a real test, with a certificate from the language assessment body. AESA then makes the endorsement on your licence. How the AESA endorsement works

Are these the real test tasks?

They are the same task types, but we wrote the exercises ourselves. They are not original test items – in your test you will see different pictures, ATC instructions and questions.

Are my recordings or answers stored?

No. Recording happens in your browser and is deleted when you leave the page. What you type is not sent anywhere either. If you accept analytics in the cookie banner, we only record which tasks are started or completed – never what you say or write.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes, in current browsers. To record, your browser will ask for permission to use the microphone. If your browser does not support recording, you will see a notice – all other tasks work as normal.

How long is the real test?

About 30 minutes, in a 45-minute Zoom slot. First comes Part I, with tasks like the ones on this page, then the interview, which lasts 10–15 minutes. The test step by step

Which level do I need?

To use English on the radio you need at least Level 4 (Operational). For pilots, Level 4 is reassessed after 4 years and Level 5 (Extended) after 6 years. Level 6 (Expert) is not subject to periodic reassessment. Validity and renewal

What if I get nervous in the test?

That is normal, and the examiner knows it. Before you start, they explain how everything works, and in the interview you talk about topics you know well. If you do not reach Level 4, we do not report anything to AESA or your school, and you can rebook whenever you like. More ideas in preparation & tips.

Keep reading

AESA recognition & endorsement How the test works Preparation & tips ICAO Level 4 ICAO Level 5 ICAO Level 6 Validity & renewal FAQ

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