In order for ICAO to determine if an aviation English language test is in conformance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for Language Proficiency Requirements (LPRs) and ICAO Doc 9835 Manual on the Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements, a TSP is required to:  

• submit relevant information to ICAO as required to obtain and maintain ICAO recognition;
• keep recognized tests up to date and in accordance with ICAO LPRs and ICAO Doc 9835; and,
• pay the fees to initially assess a test, submit two annual reports and re-assess it every 3 years.

ICAO reserves the right to withhold or revoke recognition that does not meet these conditions.

TSPs are required to pay a non-refundable fee of USD 7,500 before submitting their test for assessment.

In order to maintain ICAO recognition of a test, a TSP must send Two Annual Reports that would have a fee of USD 1,500 each. The test will be reviewed every three years to determine if it maintains conformance with ICAO SARPs.  There is a fee of USD 4,000 to review and renew test recognition.  If a full re-assessment is required, a fee of USD 7,500 will apply.

If a TSP requests that ICAO reconsider its evaluation results, the fee will be commensurate with the amount of work required, but no more than the assessment fee.  

The fees received from the TSPs are used to cover the costs of offering the service.

A test assessment may result in one of three outcomes.  A test is determined to be:

• in conformance with ICAO SARPs for LPRs; or
• not in conformance with ICAO SARPs.  

To be recognized by ICAO, tests must meet ICAO’s Language Proficiency Requirements and ICAO Doc 9835 and must follow recommended practices for good test design and use.

Tests that fail to meet the ICAO LPRs in more substantial ways are not recognized.

ICAO will issue a certificate with a validity period of 3 years for tests that conform with ICAO SARPs  and will publicly identify tthese tests on its website.

TSP receiving ICAO recognition are strongly encouraged to display their certificate in plain sight at their offices to confirm they offer an ICAO recognized test.

Recognition of being in conformance with ICAO SARPs for LPRs and ICAO Doc 9835 is an acceptance of a test by ICAO based on evidence that it was created specifically to measure how
well aviation professionals meet ICAO’s LPRs and adhere to established principles and practices of effective testing

As stated in ICAO’s Doc. 9835 – Manual on the Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements, “Testing service providers (TSPs) should be able to explain and justify their methods and approaches to testing with evidence that all components of the ICAO Rating Scale are addressed.” Recognition is therefore a way to formally recognize that TSP have met this requirement.

Obtaining ICAO recognition is a privilege reflecting merit, based on demonstrated ability and commitment. It is not intended to help generate business, establish TSP credibility or achieve other objectives than those of aviation safety. ICAO is under no obligation to grant recognition and will not do so unless it is fully satisfied that tests meet established criteria.

 ICAO reserves the right to grant recognition to any deserving institution and to withdraw recognition to any institution failing to meet established standards for test administration and improvement over time.

Tests that are determined to be in conformance with ICAO SARPs are recognized for a period of 3 years, after which they must apply for renewal.

Any Test Service Provider (TSP) that owns an English language test designed specifically to measure how well aviation professionals can use plain English in operational situations based on ICAO’s Language Proficiency Requirements (LPRs) may submit a test for assessment.

A TSP is typically a company, corporation or other organization that has developed and put in place the expertise, materials, equipment, processes or procedures needed to accurately determine how well individuals demonstrate specific knowledge and skills.

TSPs wishing to obtain recognition for a language test of aviation English must be in good standing and have the legal right to operate within a State. TSPs must demonstrate meeting this requirement before submitting a test for assessment. ICAO recognition is not granted on the promise or expectation of developing an appropriate testing service.

As indicated in ICAO Doc 9835 (Chapter 6), “Language tests for flight crews and air traffic controllers should specifically address the language skills of the ICAO Rating Scale as well as the holistic descriptors specified in Annex 1. Testing service providers (TSP) should be able to explain and justify their methods and approaches to testing with evidence that all components of the ICAO Rating Scale are addressed.”

Tests must be specific to aviation operations: tests of general English proficiency are not acceptable for this purpose.

ICAO also only recognizes tests and therefore not test service providers. Recognition also cannot be transferred between tests; in other words, a TSP with a recognized test cannot de facto apply that recognition to other tests it may offer. 

No.  ICAO only assesses tests in relation to ICAO Levels 3-5. 

As a formal evaluation of Level 6 using a specialized language test would follow an exhaustive procedure involving tasks and contexts that go beyond the subject matter of radiotelephony communications, ICAO does not currently assess these tests.                                                            

ICAO may receive and assess language tests for military personnel, provided they are designed specifically to assess how well aviation personnel can use English in radiotelephony communication. ICAO will treat tests designed by or for the military the same way as it will other tests. ICAO recommends that military organizations interested in submitting a test for recognition first confirm how to proceed with their Civil Aviation Authority.

Because the ICAO Aviation English Language Test Service is evidence-based, TSPs must clearly demonstrate how a test was designed and how it is used to be recognized by ICAO.  All claims made about a test must be supported with evidence.

Acceptable evidence includes any documentation explaining how the test was designed to meet the ICAO LPRs and ICAO Doc 9835.  For example, it may include the table of specifications fo the test, trialing results or a population analysis. More general documents that may be used for other purposes, like marketing for example,  are not acceptable for a test assessment.  

Making claims about a test is not enough: all claims must be supported with appropriate evidence confirming how best practices were and continue to be followed. Please refer to ICAO Doc 9835 Chapter 6 and Appendix C for details of the requirements.

Please see the section on The Process of this website to learn more about steps and activities. 

After assessing a test, ICAO will prepare and forward a test evaluation report confirming whether or not the test is in conformance with ICAO SARPs and ICAO Doc 9835 and identifying the test's key strengths and weaknesses. ICAO will make every effort to ensure the report is clear and identifies well the problems to be addressed, if any. ICAO will not, however, engage into a consultative process with a TSP to improve a test. ICAO's responsibility is limited to assessing tests and identifying specific reasons for recognizing them or not.

Yes. A TSP will have 30 days from receiving their report to request a reconsideration, after which the decision will be final. Requests for reconsideration must be submitted using the form on this website and include a justification and substantiating documentation for the reconsideration. Requests may otherwise not be received or considered.  

A fee must be paid by the TSP for a reconsideration request and the fee will be commensurate with the amount of work required by ICAO.  This fee will be submitted to the TSP prior to the conduct of work.

Upon receiving a request, ICAO will ask experts not involved in the initial test assessment to review it and confirm what should be the final decision.

Yes. ICAO reserves the right to revoke its recognition of any test for reasons including:
(a) the test is misused or otherwise not used as indicated during test assessment;
(b) test security is breached and the test is no longer reliable;
(c) the TSP does not follow appropriate testing practices;
(d) there is evidence of wrong doing or other inappropriate action by the TSP that goes against ICAO principles or practices for aviation English testing; or
(e) the test service provider no longer operates a service in good standing with local, regional or national regulations.

ICAO recognition is non-transferable.  ICAO recognition is therefore linked to a specific test submitted by a Test Service Provider and cannot be transferred to another test or to another product, service or provider, or generalized to various products and services.

Tests for which recognition is revoked once can be reassessed provided the TSP demonstrates having made all necessary changes or improvements, to ICAO’s satisfaction, and upon paying the test re-assessment fee.

Tests for which recognition is revoked a second time are no longer eligible for recognition.

No. Tests must be submitted separately for assessment. Therefore, if separate tests are used for different target populations they must beassessed separately. ICAO also only assesses complete tests, and therefore does not recognize parts of a test individually.

No. Two factors will influence decisions about re-assessing tests: that all applicable fees are paid; and that there is no compelling practical reason not to receive a test (for example, tests re-submitted without improvement may be rejected). 

No.  ICAO will not work directly with TSPs to improve tests. ICAO does not, for example, provide consulting or other services to design, develop, administer or improve tests. TSP are instead encouraged to work directly with local or international experts to create and use tests effectively.

ICAO will, however, provide feedback on all tests assessed in the form of a detailed evaluation report.

While not mandatory, ICAO reserves the right to visit any testing site to confirm it meets stated criteria or to gather additional information. Site visits will be pre-arranged with TSPs who must cover related costs.

Working closely with recognized international associations, ICAO has developed a cadre of language testing specialists and operational experts to collaboratively assess tests and determine suitability for this Service. Teams of at least three experts are assigned to each test assessment. Additional experts may be consulted as needed to confirm decisions. 

ICAO recruits three types of experts to become test evaluators: operational experts fully familiar with using plain English to communicate using radiotelephony; language testing experts fully familiar with the principles and practices of test design and use; and, rating experts fully familiar with applying the ICAO rating scale to confirm language skills.

Qualified individuals may apply by following the directions on the “Test Evaluators” page of this website.

The decision to address language proficiency for pilots and air traffic controllers was first made by the 32nd Session of the ICAO Assembly in September 1998 as a direct response to fatal accidents in which the lack of proficiency in English was identified as a contributing factor. In March 2003, the ICAO Council adopted a comprehensive set of Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) that strengthen language proficiency requirements for pilots and air traffic controllers involved in international operations. It was further determined that pilots, air traffic controllers and aeronautical station operators involved in international operations should attain the ability to speak and understand English to a level 4 proficiency of ICAO’s language proficiency Rating Scale.

While some regional and national language testing endorsement programs exist and some testing programs are self-regulated, no universal system of aviation language test endorsement yet exists. Accordingly, ICAO decided to establish a mechanism to provide States with impartial recommendations on selecting or developing aviation English language tests that reflect its Language Proficiency Requirements. This test service provides that mechanism.