Starting in September 2024, IAE began accepting individual candidates, which allowed me to take the test without needing an airline invitation or a Hong Kong pilot license. Passing this test ensured I met the English proficiency requirement (overall level 4) for Cathay Pacific’s cadet program, giving me peace of mind and one less hurdle to consider if I decide to apply in the future.
Booking and Preparation
Booking the test was straightforward through the IAE website. Slots were available from Monday to Saturday, offering flexibility for any schedule. IAE’s sample tests were a helpful resource, giving me a clear preview of the test’s structure.
Structure of the Test
Part 1: ATC Radio Role Play
- Time: 20 minutes
- What happens?
- Role: You play the pilot in two scenarios:
- Departure to en-route
- En-route to arrival
- Preparation:
- Before the scenario starts, you’re given basic flight info (flight number, aircraft type, control tower name, origin and destination airports, and airport charts) to help you follow along.
- Role: You play the pilot in two scenarios:
- Tasks:
- Listen to ATIS or VOLMET
- Radio role play
- The examiner acts as ATC.
- Respond to their messages, following instructions on your computer screen.
- A “chime” sound will prompt you to speak.
- You need to read back ATC calls and handle any routine or non-routine situation that comes up using ICAO standard phrases and plain English.
- Cabin crew briefing (for en-route scenarios)
- You’ll briefly inform the cabin crew about an emergency using the NITS format:
- Nature of the problem
- Intention
- Time needed
- Special instructions
- You’ll briefly inform the cabin crew about an emergency using the NITS format:
- Answer questions about ATIS/VOLMET
Part 2: Monitor and Report
- Time: 7–9 minutes
- What happens?
- You listen to a 5-minute recording of radio communications between pilots and ATC, covering routine and non-routine situations.
- After listening, summarise the non-routine events to the examiner, providing detailed information about what happened.
Part 3: Describe and Discuss
- Time: 6–8 minutes
- What happens?
- Describe a picture
- You’ll be shown an image related to aviation.
- Describe it in as much detail as possible.
- Discuss aviation topics
- After describing the picture, the examiner will ask you questions about it.
- Some questions may be related to the image, and others may be about general aviation topics.
- Describe a picture
Test-Day Experience
I took the test on a quiet Saturday, 5th October, 2024. With normal office staff absent, it was just me and the examiner, Simon. I arrived 15 minutes early and was asked if I’d like to start ahead of schedule. Simon initiated some friendly small talk, which helped me feel more at ease before we began.
Part 1: Radio Role-Play
the radio role-play section was manageable, tho the visual prompts involving airline-specific scenarios were unfamiliar territory for me. While i relied on my general aviation knowledge, having a deeper understanding of airline ops would have made this part smoother. Like, there was a visual prompt related to an engine issues on the PFD, and I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, so I had to make educated guesses to respond. And it disappeared quickly, which added to the challenge.
The cabin crew briefing was straightforward, as I had prepped for that scenario.
The questions about ATIS/VOLMET were relatively easy, thanks to my flight training in Australia. The audio clips were clear, though one had a distinct accent, and i’m fairly certain I lost a point there.
Part 2: Monitor and Report
In my test clip, there were about 6 aircrafts involved, similar to the practice test on the IAE website. I felt good about my performance in this part.
Part 3: Describe and discuss
It was the one that made me the least confident. I tend to run out of things to say. My tip for others is to focus on a logical and structure approach when describing the photo. For the second part, the discussion felt more like a casual chat. The topics where related to the picture, and I just elaborated on what I saw and using my general aviation knowledge and a bit of common sense.
Ready to ace the IAE CLEAR ICAO English test? Grab my study notes from the link below!
https://codypacific.gumroad.com/l/IAE-ICAO
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