ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements — Rated Speech Samples

ICAO Language Proficiency Rating Scale with Examples

Level 6 Level 5 Level 4 Level 3 Level 2

Expert Extended Operational Pre- Elementary
operational

Pronunciation Pronunciation, Pronunciation, Pronunciation, Pronunciation, Pronunciation,

(Assumes a stress, rhythm, stress, rhythm, stress, rhythm, stress, rhythm, stress, rhythm,
dialect and/or and intonation, and intonation, and intonation are and intonation and intonation
accent intelligible though though influenced by the are influenced are heavily
to the possibly influenced by first language or by the first influenced by
aeronautical influenced by the first regional variation language or the first
community.) the first language or but only regional language or
language or regional sometimes variation and regional
regional variation, rarely interfere with ease frequently variation and
variation, interfere with of understanding. interfere with usually
almost never ease of ease of interfere with
interfere with understanding. Listen to understanding. ease of
ease of samples understanding.
understanding. Listen to Listen to
samples samples

Level 6 Level 5 Level 4 Level 3 Level 2

Structure Both basic and Basic Basic grammatical Basic Shows only
(Relevant complex grammatical structures and grammatical limited control
grammatical grammatical structures and sentence patterns structures and of a few simple
structures and structures and sentence are used sentence memorized
sentence sentence patterns are creatively and are patterns grammatical
patterns are patterns are consistently usually well associated with structures and
determined by consistently well controlled. controlled. Errors predictable sentence
language well controlled. Complex may occur, situations are patterns.
functions structures are particularly in not always well
appropriate to attempted but unusual or controlled.
the task.) with errors unexpected Errors
which circumstances, but frequently
sometimes rarely interfere interfere with
interfere with with meaning. meaning.
meaning.
Listen to Listen to
Listen to samples samples
samples

Level 6 Level 5 Level 4 Level 3 Level 2

Vocabulary Vocabulary Vocabulary Vocabulary range Vocabulary Limited

range and range and and accuracy are range and vocabulary
accuracy are accuracy are usually sufficient accuracy are range
sufficient to sufficient to to communicate often sufficient consisting only
communicate communicate effectively on to of isolated
effectively on a effectively on common, communicate words and
wide variety of common, concrete, and on common, memorized
familiar and concrete, and work related concrete, or phrases.
unfamiliar work related topics. Can often work related
topics. topics. paraphrase topics but
Vocabulary is Paraphrases successfully when range is limited
idiomatic, consistently lacking vocabulary and the word
nuanced, and and in unusual or choice often
sensitive to successfully. unexpected inappropriate.
register. Vocabulary is circumstances. Is often unable
sometimes to paraphrase
idiomatic. Listen to successfully
samples when lacking
Listen to vocabulary.
samples
Listen to
samples

Level 6 Level 5 Level 4 Level 3 Level 2

Fluency Able to speak Able to speak Produces stretches Produces Can produce
at length with at length with of language at an stretches of very short,
a natural, relative ease on appropriate language, but isolated,
 effortless flow. familiar topics, tempo. There may phrasing and memorized
Varies speech but may not be occasional loss pausing are utterances with
flow for vary speech of fluency on often frequent
stylistic effect, flow as a transition from inappropriate. pausing and a
e.g. to stylistic device. rehearsed or Hesitations or distracting use
emphasize a Can make use formulaic speech slowness in of fillers to
point. Uses of appropriate to spontaneous language search for
appropriate discourse interaction, but processing may expressions
discourse markers or this does not prevent and to
markers and connectors. prevent effective effective articulate less
connectors communication. communication. familiar words.
spontaneously. Listen to Can make limited Fillers are
samples use of discourse sometimes
markers or distracting.
connectors. Fillers
are not Listen to
distracting. samples

Listen to
samples

Level 6 Level 5 Level 4 Level 3 Level 2

Comprehension Comprehension Comprehension Comprehension is Comprehension Comprehension

is consistently is accurate on mostly accurate is often is limited to
accurate in common, on common, accurate on isolated,
nearly all concrete, and concrete, and common, memorized
contexts and work related work related concrete, and phrases when
includes topics and topics when the work related they are
comprehension mostly accurate accent or variety topics when the carefully and
of linguistic when the used is sufficiently accent or slowly
and cultural speaker is intelligible for an variety used is articulated.
subtleties. confronted with international sufficiently
a linguistic or community of intelligible for
situational users. When the an international
complication or speaker is community of
an unexpected confronted with a users. May fail
turn of events. linguistic or to understand a
Is able to situational linguistic or
comprehend a complication or an situational
range of speech unexpected turn complication or
varieties of events, an unexpected
(dialect and/or comprehension turn of events.
accent) or may be slower or
registers. require Listen to
clarification samples
strategies.

Listen to
samples

Level 6 Level 5 Level 4 Level 3 Level 2

Interactions Interacts with Responses are Responses are Responses are Response time
ease in nearly immediate, usually sometimes is slow, and
all situations. appropriate, immediate, immediate, often
Is sensitive to and appropriate, and appropriate, inappropriate.
verbal and informative. informative. and Interaction is
non-verbal Manages the Initiates and informative. limited to
cues, and speaker/listener maintains Can initiate and simple routine
responds to relationship exchanges even maintain exchanges.
them effectively. when dealing with exchanges with
appropriately. an unexpected reasonable
Listen to turn of events. ease on
samples Deals adequately familiar topics
with apparent and in
misunderstandings predictable
by checking, situations.
confirming, or Generally
clarifying. inadequate
when dealing
Listen to with an
samples unexpected
turn of events.

Listen to
samples