Assessment Guidelines

Pronunciation

This criterion refers to the ability to produce intelligible utterances and comprehensible speech to fulfil the test and task requirements and includes stress and intonation as well as the production of individual sounds. The key indicators in this rating will be the degree of strain caused to the listener, the amount of the speech which is unintelligible and the extent of L1 influence.

Examiners put themselves in the position of a person who is not a language speaking specialist and assess the overall impact of the pronunciation, the degree of effort required to understand the candidate.

Assuming a dialect and/or accent intelligible to the aeronautical community, performance is considered in terms of the extent to which the various elements of pronunciation may impact upon effective communication. 1

STRESS AND RHYTHM: the appropriate use of strong and weak syllables in words and connected speech, the linking of words, and the effective highlighting of information-bearing words in utterances.
INTONATION: the appropriate use of intonation and pitch range in the context of radio-telephone communications to convey intended meanings.
INDIVIDUAL SOUNDS: the effective articulation of individual sounds to facilitate understanding. Different varieties of English, e.g. British, North American, Australian, etc., are acceptable, provided they are used consistently throughout the test.
ARTICULATION AND ENUNCIATION: overall clarity and distinction of speech.

Structure

This criterion refers to the range and accurate use of the candidate’s grammatical resource as manifested in the candidate’s speech at the level of phrase and discourse and as determined relevant by language functions appropriate to the task. The key indicators of grammatical range are the length and complexity of the spoken sentences, the appropriate use of subordinate clauses and the range of sentence structures, especially to move elements around for information focus. The key indicators of grammatical accuracy are the control of the grammatical resource, both basic and complex, the number of grammatical errors in a given amount of speech and the effect of error on communication. Performance is viewed in terms of the overall effectiveness of the language used in spoken interaction and the extent to which the range of structures used and the errors in the use of those structures may impact upon effective communication. 2

RANGE: the active use of a range of basic and complex grammatical structures and sentence patterns.
ACCURACY: the accurate use of grammatical structures and syntax.
APPROPRIACY: the appropriate use of structure and functions to deal with the tasks.

Vocabulary

This criterion refers to the range of vocabulary the candidate uses and the accuracy and appropriateness of that use in terms of the specified task, including the precision with which meanings and attitudes can be expressed. The key indicators are the variety of words used, the adequacy and appropriateness of the words used and the ability to circumlocute/paraphrase (get round a vocabulary gap by using other words) with or without noticeable hesitation. Performance is viewed in terms of the sufficiency of the candidate’s lexical resource in communicating effectively on common, concrete and work-related topics and a range of less familiar topics, the ability to paraphrase consistently and effectively, the extent to which vocabulary is idiomatic, nuanced and sensitive to register and the extent to which the candidate’s lexical resource impacts upon effective communication. 3

RANGE: the active use of a range of both general and aviation-related vocabulary.
ACCURACY: the accurate use of both general and aviation-related vocabulary.
APPROPRIACY: the use of general and aviation-related vocabulary appropriate to the tasks.

Fluency

This criterion is concerned with the clarity of the message and refers to the ability to talk with appropriate levels of continuity, rate and effort and to link ideas and language together to form coherent, cohesive connected speech. The criterion assesses the candidate’s ability to link utterances together to form coherent monologue and contributions to dialogue, to produce utterances relevant to preceding utterances in the discourse, and to arrange utterances logically to develop the themes or output required by the tasks. The key indicators of fluency are an appropriate speech rate (c. 100 words per minute) and speech continuity without general or undue hesitation or hesitation specifically on transition from rehearsed or formulaic speech to spontaneous interaction. The key indicators of coherence and cohesion are logical sequencing of sentences, clear marking of stages in a response, request, instruction, report or description, and the use of cohesive devices within and between sentences. Performance is viewed in terms of the extent to which the candidate’s speech rate and continuity, coherence and cohesion impacts upon effective communication. 4

SPEECH RATE AND CONTINUITY: the ability to produce speech at an appropriate tempo with appropriate variety and with appropriate levels of continuity and effort and without undue searching for expressions, pausing for the articulation of less familiar words and the distracting use of fillers.
COHERENCE: the logical arrangement of information, ideas, utterances to form spoken discourse and to develop arguments or themes; the linking of information, ideas and language through logical sequencing.
COHESION: the varied and appropriate use of cohesive devices (for example, discourse markers, logical connectors, pronouns and conjunctions) to assist in making clear the conceptual and referential relationships within and between sentences.

Comprehension

This criterion refers to the candidate’s ability to accurately process the spoken language presented in face-to-face and voice only contexts with or without the use of clarification strategies. The key indicators of comprehension are the response time of the listener, the accuracy and appropriateness of the listener’s response and the need for the speaker to repeat, moderate or adapt the spoken language input as a response to the requirement of the listener for clarification. Performance is viewed in terms of the extent to which the candidate’s comprehension of any given spoken language input impacts upon effective communication. 5

Although comprehension is specifically assessed in the EALT Test of Listening, this is an assessment of comprehension independent of the candidate’s ability to interact. It is a test of a candidate’s ability to understand, but not to speak. In the EALT Test of Listening the communication is one-way, and the candidate does not have to participate in the interaction in the way that may be required in operational communications. The EALT Test of Speaking allows for further assessment of comprehension in combination with an assessment of interactional ability. 6

UNDERSTANDING AND RESPONSE: the ability to understand communications and to indicate the extent of that understanding by means of an appropriate response.
CLARIFICATION STRATEGIES: the ability to check, clarify, confirm and correct understanding when necessary when confronted with a linguistic or situational complication or unexpected turn of events in both routine and non-routine situations.

Interactions

This criterion refers to the candidate’s ability to take an active part in the development of the discourse and to provide input that is immediate, appropriate and informative, showing due sensitivity to turn-taking. It also refers to the deployment of strategies to maintain and repair interaction at an appropriate level throughout the test so that the tasks can be fulfilled. The criterion therefore requires an ability to participate in the range of interactive situations in the test and to develop discourse in the range of tasks by initiating and responding appropriately, dealing adequately with apparent misunderstandings by checking, confirming or clarifying as required.

Performance is viewed in terms of the candidate’s overall effectiveness in dealing with the tasks set and how appropriately, accurately and relevantly the candidate’s contributions fulfil the requirements of the task. The extent of the contributions should be appropriate, i.e. long or short as required at a particular point in the dynamic development of the discourse. The contributions should be relevant to the tasks and should be arranged logically to develop the themes or stages required by the tasks. 7

INITIATING AND RESPONDING: the ability to participate in a range of situations and to develop the interaction by initiating and responding appropriately.
IMMEDIATE, APPROPRIATE AND INFORMATIVE: the ability to participate in any interaction without undue hesitation and with input that is relevant and that aids the development of the discourse.
TURN-TAKING: the sensitivity to listen, speak, and allow others to speak, as appropriate.
EXTENT: the appropriate length of individual contributions (long or short) to develop the discourse and deal with the tasks.
RELEVANCE: the relevance of contributions to the tasks and to preceding contributions in the discourse.

A candidate’s failure to adhere to instructions, to carry out the tasks requested as requested or to provide an adequate gradable language sample will be reflected in that candidate’s rating for interactions. Candidates are penalised for dealing inadequately with the requirements of the tasks set.

1 c.f. ICAO Doc 9835 Appendix A ICAO SARPs Parts I, II & III.

2 c.f. ICAO Doc 9835 Appendix A ICAO SARPs Parts I, II & III.

3 c.f. ICAO Doc 9835 Appendix A ICAO SARPs Parts I, II & III.

4 c.f. ICAO Doc 9835 Appendix A ICAO SARPs Parts I, II & III.

5 In the assessment for comprehension given in the EALT Test of Speaking, the assessors are unaware of the candidate’s attainment in the EALT Test of Listening.

6 c.f. ICAO Doc 9835 Appendix A ICAO SARPs Parts I, II & III.

7 c.f. ICAO Doc 9835 Appendix A ICAO SARPs Parts I, II & III.