REPEATING THE MESSAGE

The candidates develop various methods: they try to focus on the key words and recreate
the original message or they just charge right ahead trying to repeat it as close to to the
original as possible. Both strategies are equally effective if they are applied correctly. But…
here are ​don’ts​ which I have arrived at on the basis of the candidates’ performance
observation:

● don’t try to create the statement in your mind before you start speaking. The
message you have just heard is stored just in your short-term memory, it has
not been structured to the long-term one. So time is your enemy here. If you
don’t start speaking immediately, you will instantly start forgetting and run
high risk of failing to deliver the whole message which usually consists of two
or sometimes three sentences.
● don’t build the story around the messages. I have had the candidates who
use the whole storytelling strategy here by saying how dangerous the
situation might be, what they would do if they were in the speaker’s situation,
what might have caused the situation and what the situation might result in.
Of course, they often failed to realize the task which simply is: ‚repeat the
message’. Again, just as I wrote previously ICAO English is not a test of your
professional knowledge and competence (in fact you don’t have to be a pilot
to take the exam) so neither the interlocutor nor the rater will attempt to
evaluate your professional skills. I wouldn’t dare…
● don’t transfer your flying experience onto the message. What I mean here is
that sometimes I have the impression that the candidates say the message
that they are familiar with rather than the one that is actually played to them.
So listen carefully and don’t just copy what you usually hear in the cockpit
here because the message may vary in details.
● don’t let the stress overcome or even overwhelm you. Many candidates fail to
ask for the repetition of the message, remember, if you want to hear it again
you must ask! The examiner is not entitled to play it just because you remain
silent, if the time dedicated to one recording/answer expires the examiner will
play the next one. So don’t make gestures, eye movements, etc. Say: ‚repeat
please’. The examination is recorded and your request for the repetition must
be there.
● don’t give up or get discouraged when you fail to repeat the first message. It
often happens that the candidates lose determination and simply resign from
focusing and concentrating. There are no fixed answer-keys here for the rater
in the type ​you have to repeat 9 messages out of 10 to get ICAO Level 4​. No,
it’s the overall comprehension impression here. So even if you don’t
 understand one or two messages, remain confident and let it even raise your
determination.

ASKING QUESTIONS

Bear in mind: you need to ask the questions ​to find out more information​. So when you
hear the message: ​‚We have the passenger who is suffering from severe headache and he
is in panic’

● don’t say: ​‚Can you give him some painkiller?’ b​ ecause even if it carries a
question mark at the end, it’s actually polite request to take action. In this
case ask:

Do you have any medical personnel on board? Is the passenger

travelling alone? Do you need medical assistance on arrival? Do
you need to be diverted to the alternative? What is the
passenger’s condition at the moment? Can the cabin crew assist
the passenger effectively?

● don’t attempt to use sophisticated grammar structures unless you aspire for
Level 6. At Level 4 you don’t need to use advanced grammar, at Level 5 you
need to attempt to use it. It’s communication efficiency and effectiveness that
matter. Remember that asking questions properly is one of the most
sophisticated issues in English grammar given the richness of English tenses.
Use Present and Past Simple questions and ‚will’ for the future:

Did the passenger drink alcohol? Do you need medical assistance

now? Will the passenger be able to get off the plane on his own?

● don’t give advice instead of asking questions! This already happened at so

many examination sessions I ran… There has to be some regularity to this
mistake. I reckon that you know the procedures and the situations so well that
you instinctively know what to do in the circumstances given… no need to ask
questions. Thus, reacting on the spur of the moment you instantly give advice
rather than ask questions. Anyway, you do need to ask questions. Just keep
 them simple and take advantage of the language you are perfectly familiar
with.

GIVING ADVICE

● again, don’t attempt to use sophisticated grammar constructions, stick to

basic imperative statements:

Climb to … Descend immediately. Give the passenger some

oxygen now.

● concentrate on the verbs and nouns primarily as they carry meaning.

When you manage to remember them it shall be easy to construct the
message. You are not expected to repeat the message in actual words.
You answer the question ​What is the message n​ ot ​Repeat the
message
● when you confront the message which consists of two sentences, try to
remember the details of the second one. Practice indicates clearly that if
candidates attempt to remember every word from the first sentence,
they fail to produce the message from the second one

Both the second and the third part of the listening section require candidates to​ ask questions​ and ​give
relevant ​advice to the speakers​. During your practice sessions on the recordings available on ​youtube
ask questions to the messages produced by the pilot. During the examination you are supposed to ​ask
questions to find out more. ​Asking ​Wh questions ​is definitely a very effective strategy. Just do your
best to resist the temptation to give advice when we expect the questions:). Many candidates forget about
this and they have their grades significantly lowered for not adhering to the instructions. Ask
straightforward questions rather than polite forms like ​could you tell me or would you be so kind...
Make your questions simple and ask more than one, otherwise the examiner is expected to elicit more.
Structures of Advice