Overall EALT assessment and final awards

A number of procedures and checks are involved in the assessment process and issuing of the final awards in the EALT in which consideration is given both to the high-stakes nature of the testing and to the minimisation of administrative delay in the issuing of results.

The marking of the EALT Test of Listening is carried out in real time as the test is taken. A candidate’s result and other test performance data are logged and stored with the candidate’s details at Central EALTS Administration. The candidate’s result in the EALT Test of Listening is not made known to the local test centre.

The assessment of the EALT Test of Speaking is, in the first instance, carried out by the two examiners present at the live interview. The interlocutor provides an overall holistic assessment of the candidates’ performance and the assessor provides a task-by-task analytical assessment.

According to their area of expertise, assessments are made by the two examiners present either against the criteria contained in the ICAO Language Proficiency Rating Scale (in the case of assessors with language specialist expertise) or against the criteria contained in the ICAO Holistic Descriptors of operational language proficiency (in the case of assessors with aviation operational expertise). These assessments are recorded at the Test Centre and forwarded along with the recording of the interview to Central EALTS Administration.

The ratings and recording are logged and stored with the candidate’s details at Central EALTS Administration and copies of the recording of the interview are then forwarded electronically by the Central EALTS Administration to two remote assessors. These remote assessors undertake further task-by task analytical assessments of the candidate’s recorded language sample, again according to their area of expertise, and return their ratings to Central EALTS Administration.

From these minimum four independent ratings, along with the assessment of comprehension gained by the candidate’s performance in the EALT Test of Listening, a final candidate rating is achieved.

Should theses four assessments and ratings fail to show agreement in relation to a particular candidate, two further assessments of the candidate’s speech sample are made by Senior Assessors and the final award determined. 1

Test results are typically available to the test centres within ten working days of the completion of the test.

1 c.f. ICAO Cir 318-AN/180 Ch.2 Section 3 Rating