ICAO English speaking practice
Picture description, interview answers and read-aloud drills, with model answers you only see after you have spoken. Start here.
- 68
- Exercises
- 12
- Scenes
- 44
- Questions
- 12
- Sentences
Read-aloud, first set
Hear the model, read the same sentence aloud, then see what a recogniser caught.
6 sentences. No sign-up. Free while SkyStudy is in beta.
Three shapes, because they train different things
Four of the six rated skills are judged on the speech you produce, and interactions adds how you handle the exchange around it. Reading and listening cannot train that. At some point you have to say aviation sentences out loud, under light time pressure, about something you did not rehearse.
Picture description, 12 scenes
An aviation scene appears with a visible timer of 60 to 90 seconds, depending on the scene, and you describe what you see out loud. When the time is up you tick a coverage checklist: did you name the setting, the problem, the reaction, the likely consequence? Only then do you read the model description, with its useful vocabulary highlighted. The order is the point. Speak first, compare second, so the model raises your ceiling rather than replacing your effort.
Interview practice, 44 questions
Grouped the way assessors group them, so you can feel the shift from comfortable to uncomfortable: your background (10), routine operations (12), non-routine experiences (12), opinions and speculation (10). Each question carries a structure coach and a model answer written to the same frame, with a note on what makes it work.
Read-aloud drills, 12 sentences
Sentence level, where stress and rhythm live. You hear a model reading, you read the same sentence aloud, and if you allow dictation you see word by word what the recogniser caught. The sentences deliberately contain no digits and no apostrophes, because recognisers write numerals and drop apostrophes, and a diff that punished you for that would be measuring the tool rather than your reading.
What Level 4 sounds like against Level 5
The four skills below are the ones judged on what comes out of your mouth. Read the pairs as a difference of margin rather than a difference of kind: Level 4 is a standard that expressly tolerates an accent, errors and hesitation as long as they do not block the message, and Level 5 is the same picture with more room to spare.
| Rated skill | Level 4, operational | Level 5, extended |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | An accent is expected and accepted. Stress, rhythm and individual sounds only occasionally cost a listener the meaning. | The accent is still there and rarely costs anything. A listener who is not used to it follows you without working at it. |
| Structure | Basic patterns are usually under control. Complex ones are attempted and often go wrong, especially when the situation is unusual, but the message still lands. | Basic patterns are consistently under control, and complex ones are used on purpose rather than by accident, with occasional errors. |
| Vocabulary | Enough range and precision for common and work-related topics, and you can usually talk around a word you cannot retrieve. | Wider and more precise, including on unfamiliar topics, and the paraphrase is reliable rather than lucky. |
| Fluency | You produce real stretches of speech. Pace is uneven and hesitation appears while you search for a word or reorganise a sentence, but the exchange keeps moving. | You speak at length with relative ease on familiar topics, and hesitation is used for thinking rather than for hunting. |
Written in our own words. The authoritative descriptors are the rating scale published as ICAO Doc 9835 and carried into the AMC to FCL.055, which are copyright and are not reproduced here. The two skills not in this table, comprehension and interactions, are judged on what you understand and how you repair a misunderstanding.
How the microphone is used, and what it is not
Where dictation works
The drills use your browser's own speech recognition, so there is nothing to install. It is available in Chrome, in Safari on macOS from version 14.1 and on iOS from 14.5, and in Samsung Internet. Firefox has no support for it, and the same table records none for the other browsers it lists, so there the drill offers a text box and your operating system's own dictation instead.
Support rows read from caniuse.com/speech-recognition on 5 September 2026.
What SkyStudy receives
Your audio never reaches SkyStudy. The transcript is produced by the browser and stays in the page, and the practice score is saved in that browser only. Browsers differ in whether they recognise speech on the device or through the browser maker's own online service, so treat the microphone here the way you would in any other web page. Typing instead costs you nothing: every exercise has a full no-microphone path.
What it cannot do
It is not a pronunciation judge, and this page will not pretend otherwise. A word the recogniser missed tells you a word was unclear to a machine, which is genuinely useful clarity feedback. It is not a rating, it does not know your accent, and it cannot tell you what a trained assessor would have written down.
Frequently asked questions
Practising alone, Level 4 against Level 5, the microphone, and the answer frame.
Frequently asked questions
Practising alone, Level 4 against Level 5, the microphone, and the answer frame.How can I practise ICAO English speaking on my own?
What is the difference between Level 4 and Level 5 speaking?
Does the speaking practice need a microphone?
Does SkyStudy record or store my voice?
What is the four-beat answer structure?
The rest of the ICAO English cluster
Each page trains or explains one part of the language proficiency requirement, and every one of them is free while SkyStudy is in beta.
- Timed test simulationSit the free three-part mock in one go: interview, listening, picture description, then a guided self-assessment.
- Question databaseA directory of the practice sets in the free bank, grouped by topic, with links to browse and practise each set.
- Level 4 explainedWhat operational level means for each of the six rated skills, and the habits that pull a candidate down to level 3.
- A full worked sampleOne listening item with its transcript, one picture task answered at three levels, one interview answer annotated skill by skill.
- Practise onlineHow to prepare for the assessment from a browser, and what online practice can and cannot stand in for.
- Listening practiceRadio exchanges and plain English recordings, with what to listen for and the transcript after you answer.
- Renewal and validityHow long each demonstrated level lasts under FCL.055(c), and what happens as the date comes round.
Studying for the EASA ATPL exams as well?
You will sit the whole theory syllabus in English, and explain it in English at an interview afterwards. SkyStudy turns that syllabus into exam-style question practice with spaced repetition and timed mock exams. Free to start, no card needed.
Important information
This page is general educational information for student and licensed pilots and may go out of date. Language proficiency rules, their national administration and approved testing bodies change over time and vary by competent authority. The summaries here follow the cited EASA and ICAO texts but are not legal advice. SkyStudy is an independent study aid, is not affiliated with ICAO, EASA, any competent authority or any language testing body, and does not guarantee any assessment or licensing outcome. Always verify current requirements with your ATO and competent authority.
Last reviewed September 2026