Archive for August, 2009

Pass the CX ICAO English Test for Cathay Pacific’s Cadet Pilot Programme

12/08/2009 in English for Cadet Pilots, Hong Kong
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Pass the CX ICAO English test with Aviation English Asia.

If you are based in Hong Kong and want to become a pilot then you will surely be aware that one of the best (and least expensive) ways of getting on to the flight deck is through an airline’s cadet pilot programme. This has since be opened to people of other nationalities so local Hong Kong people must now compete with native English speakers. One area of difficulty is passing the ICAO English test.

Aviation English Asia have a complete course to help you pass the CX ICAO English test. Our ICAO English for CPP course will give you the skills you need to pass Cathay’s ICAO English test. We have a thorough understanding of both learner needs and what the CX assessors and Flight Ops recruitment departments want so you can be sure that our course is the best possible preparation for the ICAO English test.

Learning English for aviation is a long term goal – you can’t take a magic pill to learn English overnight. Language centres in Hong Kong often don’t teach you the study skills and habits that you need to learn effectively. Even the better schools offer completely inappropriate courses for candidates who want to join the cadet pilot programme. Aviation English Asia offers a better solution.

Here are ten reasons why:

  • Aviation English Asia are experienced in assessing English for the purposes of the CX ICAO test.
  • We understand what the assessors and recruiters want. 
  • Aviation English Asia courses are flexible and fit into your timetable easily.
  • We won’t sell you a long course that you don’t need (and don’t have time to attend).
  • Aviation English Asia only employ CELTA / DELTA / Trinity Cert TESOL qualified native English teachers (all our teachers have between 5 and 15 years of teaching experience and have externally assessed teaching qualifications – they don’t have ‘online’ TEFL certificates).
  • We accurately place you at the right starting level.
  • We understand what is required of cadet pilots.
  • We give you constant feedback and assessment to make sure that you are always on track.
  • We want you to succeed – our students are our best advertisement and our goal is to produce competent English speakers for the airline industry.
  • Aviation English Asia have a 100% success rate.

100% of our students have passed the CX ICAO English test.

Find out your ICAO Aviation English level now.

Although Aviation English Asia has an excellent track record in preparing candidates for the CX ICAO test we won’t give you the answers to memorise. We don’t offer that kind of preparation. Instead we will help you develop the English language skills you need to pass the test, without having to cram for the answers at the last minute.  Fluency in English can’t be faked and the assessor will know if you are memorising answers.  Remember that our goal is to produce competent English speakers that can communicate clearly and with grammatical accuracy.

What happens in the ICAO English test?
The assessor will be looking at your language skill in 6 separate areas. 
These are Structure, Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Comprehension, Fluency and Interaction.
English courses available in mainstream language centres in Hong Kong rarely provide sufficient practice in these core areas as they are designed for a more regular function.  This is typically academic study eg IELTS or TOEFL, or alternatively for general or business English eg BULATS.  Mainstream English schools usually lack the expertise to train learners to meet the requirements of the ICAO Aviation English test and can only provide a very general English course.  As the environment is very mixed the learner in such an environment will often pick up “Chinglish”  errors as a result.  Furthermore the timetable and length of the course make it very difficult for CPP candidates to learn English well.

To pass the CX ICAO test you will need to score level 5 in each of these areas, though candidates that were told to reach ICAO level 4 have recently been allowed to pass with level 4 scores.

It seems that one of the difficulties is that people are not aware of their English ability in terms of an ICAO rating before they take the CX test.  If your English is generally pretty good we recommend taking our Aviation English assessment test first so that you can have a realistic idea of how good your English really is.  This is very inexpensive at $968 HKD for both an 60 minute online, and an in-person assessment.

If you take the CX ICAO test and do not achieve the required standard in any of the 6 categories the assessor will most likely recommend between 100 and 300 hours of English training.  That can be expensive, if you choose the wrong school / tutor.  There is also the danger that the English training might not be appropriate for CPP candidates needs.

Find out your ICAO English level before you attend an interview.

There IS a better alternative to mainstream schools and tutors (though I am sure some of them are also very good in their area). There is also more than one ICAO English test in the world, just as there are many types of English examination. Before you take the ICAO English test I recommend taking an independent assessment. This will give you confidence when you sit the CX ICAO test and a more detailed understanding of your language abilities and weaknesses.

For more information about ICAO Aviation English for the CX CPP please visit:
http://www.aviationenglish.com/english-for-pilots-and-atcos/icao-level-5-for-cadets.html

and also join in the discussion about the CX ICAO test on our Facebook fan page.