TEA Test Guide: Format, Sample Questions and How to Prepare

The TEA test (Test of English for Aviation) is the most widely available commercial exam for the ICAO English language proficiency endorsement, and by its owner's numbers the most taken, with more than 75,000 pilots and air traffic controllers assessed to date according to Mayflower College in the UK. It is short, spoken and personal: 25 to 30 minutes, one examiner, no computer, no multiple choice. This guide walks through all three sections, the scoring, the cost, and the traps candidates report, with original TEA-style sample questions to practise on.

What Is the TEA Test?

TEA is one of several tests that authorities accept as evidence of ICAO language proficiency; it is approved by the UK CAA and used by testing centres in 20 countries and territories across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. If you are new to the ICAO system itself, the levels, the six skills and the alternatives, start with our complete ICAO English test guide and come back here for the TEA specifics.

The design philosophy matters for your preparation: TEA deliberately avoids testing standard radiotelephony phraseology, because the ICAO requirement exists for the moments when phraseology runs out. Every part of the test pushes you into plain English about non-routine situations. Reciting perfect standard calls will not earn a single point.

The TEA Test Format: Three Parts in 25 to 30 Minutes

Part 1: the interview

In Part 1 the examiner asks about your role, your experience and a specific aviation topic, with follow-up questions that push you to elaborate. There are no right or wrong answers; the examiner is sampling your natural speech. Short answers are the classic mistake here, because they leave nothing to rate. Aim for three or four sentences per answer, with a concrete example whenever you can.

Part 2: interactive comprehension, the section that decides most results

Part 2 uses recordings of international speakers, many with non-native accents, and each recording is played once. You may ask for one repetition, but Mayflower's own candidate notes warn that regular repetition suggests slower comprehension and can affect your Comprehension score, so treat replays as an emergency tool.

• Section 2A: six short recordings of a pilot or a controller in a non-routine situation. After each one you report what the message was and identify who was speaking.
• Section 2B: four longer recordings. The speaker describes a problem, what they need, and extra details. You take notes and report back as completely as you can, because omissions are scored.
• Section 2C: three recordings of general non-routine situations. After each, you get about 20 seconds to ask the speaker questions, then you give advice.

Section 2C surprises people most: asking good questions under time pressure is a skill of its own, and it is exactly the checking-and-clarifying behaviour the ICAO interactions descriptor rewards.

Part 3: pictures and discussion

You describe an aviation photograph for about 30 seconds, answer questions about a second related picture, and compare the two. The examiner then broadens into general aviation discussion where you give opinions and speculate about the future. Operational accuracy is not the point; organised description and comfortable speculation are.

How TEA Is Scored

Your performance is rated on the six ICAO skills: pronunciation, structure, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and interactions, each from 1 to 6, and your overall level is the lowest of the six. Mayflower's published quality data, self-reported as of 2018, states that roughly one test in four was double-marked, with 98 percent agreement on the overall score between raters and divergent ratings referred for senior review. You need Level 4 in every skill for the operational endorsement; a single weaker skill caps your whole result.

Cost, Booking and Results

At Mayflower's own centre in Plymouth the fee at the time of writing is £165 for candidates needing UK CAA paperwork and £150 otherwise; prices at the franchised centres in other countries are set locally, so ask your nearest centre. Booking is direct with the centre, typically by emailing a registration form with a copy of your passport. Certificates are issued within 10 working days of the test.

TEA-Style Sample Questions (Original Practice Items)

These items were written by Mocko in the style of each TEA section. Practise out loud, and if you can, have a partner read the transmissions to you at natural speed, once only.

Part 1 practice: interview questions

• What does your current role involve on a typical day?
• Tell me about the most challenging airport you have operated at, and what made it difficult.
• How has your job changed since you started in aviation?
• Some people say automation makes flying safer, others say it creates new risks. What is your view?

Part 2A practice: report the message and the speaker

• "Be advised, we are unable to accept the crossing clearance. Our anti-ice system has failed and we need to stay below the cloud layer." Who was speaking, and what was the message?
• "Exit the runway at the next taxiway. A departing aircraft has reported possible debris near the intersection and we need to inspect it." Who was speaking, and what was the message?
• "We have a strong smell of smoke in the cabin. The crew are checking the galley now. Request priority approach and fire services standing by." Who was speaking, and what was the message?
• "After you vacate, hold short of the parallel taxiway. A towed aircraft is crossing ahead of you and the follow-me car will meet you there." Who was speaking, and what was the message?
• "We are unable to continue the pushback. The towbar has disconnected and the ground crew are inspecting the nose gear before we move again." Who was speaking, and what was the message?
• "Expect a late runway change tonight. Maintenance have closed the southern runway for light repairs and all arrivals are being switched to the north side." Who was speaking, and what was the message?

Part 2B practice: report the details

Read once, then report the problem, the need, and the details: "Our ground handling agent has gone on strike this morning. We have around two hundred passengers waiting and only one crew to manage boarding. The earliest we can accept the aircraft on stand is about an hour from now, and we may need stairs instead of the jet bridge." A complete report captures the strike, the staffing situation, the one-hour delay and the stairs. Missing any element would cost points in the real test.

A second long scenario to practise: "During the turnaround our catering truck reversed into the service door and the door will not latch. An engineer has looked at it and says the repair needs a part from the hangar, which will take around ninety minutes. We can offer the passengers water in the terminal, but we need agreement before we start deboarding." Report the event, the consequence, the timing and the decision that is being requested.

Part 2C practice: ask questions, then advise

Scenario: "A colleague calls you from the apron and says a fuel spill has appeared near a parked aircraft, and asks what to do." You have 20 seconds: what would you ask? Good questions probe the size of the spill, whether fuelling is still in progress, whether anyone is near the area, and whether the fire service has been told. Then give clear advice based on the answers. As everywhere in TEA, the examiner is rating your language, clear questions and clear advice, not your operational judgement.

One more: "A new colleague tells you their airport identity pass has stopped working, and they are due airside in twenty minutes." Ask your questions, then advise. Useful questions cover when the pass last worked, whether the colleague has tried another gate, and who issued the pass; useful advice names a concrete next step and a fallback.

Part 3 practice: picture description

Take two photographs of the same phase of operations in different conditions, for example a de-icing operation in daylight and a night turnaround in rain. Describe the first for 30 seconds, answer imagined questions about the second, then compare them: what is the same, what is different, what risks does each scene carry, and what might happen next.

How to Prepare for TEA

• Train listening with single-play discipline: play any ATC or aviation recording once, then report it out loud. No rewinding. This mirrors the Part 2 pressure better than passive listening ever will.
• Build the question reflex for 2C: for one week, respond to every workplace problem you hear about by first asking three clarifying questions out loud.
• Narrate incidents in the past tense daily, because incident narration is where tense errors concentrate for most candidates.
• Practise paraphrase: pick five technical terms a day and explain them without using the term itself.
• Do a full timed mock of all three parts at least twice before test day, recorded, and review for patterns rather than individual slips.
• Use Mayflower's own free candidate guide and sample materials so the format holds zero surprises; they are published on the official TEA site.

TEA vs the Alternatives

Which test you can take is decided by your licensing authority, not by preference, so confirm your CAA's approved list first. The full landscape, including national exams in Brazil, China, Korea and India, is mapped in our ICAO English test guide.

Practising with Mocko

Mocko builds AI-scored practice for high-stakes language exams, with instant per-skill feedback on speaking and listening for TEF, TCF, CELPIP, PTE and the Versant tests. An ICAO English practice experience covering the task types above is in development. In the meantime, use the sample items on this page, and see ICAO Level 4 English: Requirements, Validity and How to Pass for what examiners listen for in each of the six skills.

FAQ

Related reading: the complete ICAO English test guide and ICAO Level 4 English: Requirements, Validity and How to Pass. Mocko is an independent study platform, not affiliated with Mayflower College, ICAO, EUROCONTROL or any civil aviation authority or testing organisation. TEA and other test names are used for identification only; every practice item on this page was written by Mocko. Details such as fees and formats can change, so confirm them with the test owner before booking.