You have the shape of the test, the weather codes, and the standard words of the radio. This lesson is the part that decides whether you sit at Level 4 or push into Level 5: the moments when something goes wrong, and the moment afterwards when someone asks you what happened.
What separates Level 4 from Level 5
Level 4 handles the routine Clear on familiar work — but slows down, hesitates or loses accuracy when the situation turns unusual.
Level 5 handles the unusual Stays fluent when it gets complicated: reports, explains, recommends, and keeps the grammar under control.
Level 4 finds a word Gets round a missing word, but with visible effort and long pauses.
Level 5 goes round it smoothly Paraphrases so naturally the listener barely notices anything was missing.
Level 4 answers Responds to what is asked, mostly correctly.
Level 5 manages Checks, confirms, corrects the other speaker, and takes charge of the exchange.
The idea that runs through this whole lesson: in an emergency nobody wants beautiful English. They want what is happening, where, how bad, and what you want them to do — in that order, at that speed. Say those four things and you sound like a professional in any language.
Warm up — say it out loud (60 seconds)
Think of the worst conditions you have ever worked in. In one minute, tell the story: what the weather did, what you reported, and what happened to the traffic. Past tenses — and don't stop to correct yourself.
01:00
Emergency words — two levels of trouble
Aviation has exactly two calls for trouble, and the difference between them is not politeness. It is how close the aircraft is to being lost.
MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY — distress. Grave and imminent danger; the aircraft needs immediate assistance. Everything else on the frequency stops.
PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN — urgency. A serious problem, but no immediate danger to life. Priority, not silence.
Each call is spoken three times, then: who you are, where you are, what the problem is, what you intend to do, and what you need.
“MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY. Speedbird one-two-three. Engine fire, number two engine.
Position three-five miles south-east of the field, descending through eight thousand feet.
Request immediate return, runway two-seven, and full emergency services on the ground.
One-eight-nine souls on board, fuel remaining two hours.”
Notice the order: the call → who → what is wrong → where → what they want. Nothing is decorated. Nothing is explained twice.
The words you will hear around an emergency
to declare an emergencyTo formally announce that you are in trouble and need priority.
souls on boardThe total number of people on the aircraft — crew and passengers.
to divertTo go to a different airport instead of the planned one.
to holdTo fly a waiting pattern in the air until you can land.
to go aroundTo abandon the landing, climb away, and try again.
an overrunWhen an aircraft goes off the far end of the runway.
an excursionWhen an aircraft leaves the runway surface — off the side or the end.
a bird strikeA collision between an aircraft and a bird.
to stand downTo cancel the alert — the emergency is over.
be advised…Take note of this important information (a warning, not a request).
all stationsA message for everyone on the frequency at once.
to blank / to obscureWhen cloud, snow or dust hides something from view.
A cabin passenger is seriously ill. The aircraft is flying normally, but the crew wants priority to land quickly. Which call?
Why is the emergency call spoken three times?
Say it back, then act (60 seconds)
You hear this on the frequency: “PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN. Golf-Alpha-Bravo-Charlie-Delta. Rough running engine, twelve miles north, descending. Request immediate landing runway zero-nine.” Acknowledge it, then tell the rest of the traffic what is happening and what you need from them.
01:00
Something like: “Golf-Charlie-Delta, roger your PAN. Rough running engine, twelve miles north, cleared to land runway zero-nine. Wind zero-eight-zero degrees, eight knots. Emergency services standing by. All stations, be advised: an aircraft is making a priority landing on runway zero-nine. Expect delay, and stand by for further instructions.”
The state of the runway
Weather on its own does not stop an aircraft. What stops it is what the weather left on the runway — and describing that precisely is one of the most valuable things you can do in English.
What is on the surface
standing waterMore than 3 mm of water lying on the surface — a risk of aquaplaning.
slushHalf-melted snow and water — heavy, and it drags on the wheels.
dry snowLoose, powdery snow that blows away easily.
wet snowSnow that sticks together when you squeeze it — heavier, more slippery.
compacted snowSnow pressed into a hard, solid layer by traffic or its own weight.
iceA hard frozen layer — the worst braking of all.
to aquaplaneWhen the tyres ride on water and lose all grip on the surface.
braking actionHow well an aircraft can slow down on the surface.
contaminationAnything covering the runway that should not be there.
to grit / to sandTo spread grit or sand for grip.
to plough / to clearTo push snow off the surface with a machine.
a snow bank / a driftA pile or ridge of snow at the side of the runway.
How bad the braking is
Braking action is reported on a fixed scale. The words matter more than the numbers — a pilot decides on these six phrases.
Code
You say
What it means for the pilot
6
Dry
Normal braking, no contamination.
5
Good
Braking is normal; directional control is normal.
4
Good to medium
Slightly reduced — noticeable, but manageable.
3
Medium
Clearly reduced braking; control needs care.
2
Medium to poor
Significantly reduced; landing distance grows a lot.
1
Poor
Braking is badly reduced and control is uncertain.
0
Less than poor
Unreliable braking. The runway should be closed.
Rain has been falling heavily for an hour and there is now four millimetres of water lying on the runway. The most useful thing to tell the tower is:
A pilot lands and reports the braking was noticeably worse than normal, but they kept control and stopped comfortably. Which report fits best?
Report the surface (60 seconds)
Snow fell all night and stopped an hour ago. The runway has been ploughed down the middle, but the outer thirds are still covered in about two centimetres of wet snow, and there are snow banks along both edges. Temperature is minus one and falling. Report it, and say what you recommend.
01:00
Something like: “Tower, runway condition report. The centre third has been ploughed and is wet; the outer thirds are covered with approximately two centimetres of wet snow. Snow banks along both edges. Temperature minus one and falling, so I expect the surface to freeze over the next hour. Braking action reported medium. I'd recommend gritting the outer thirds and a further inspection within thirty minutes.”
Telling the story afterwards
When the emergency is over, someone asks you what happened. This is where grammar decides your score — because now you need past tenses in the right order and reported speech.
Three tenses, three jobs: Past simple — the events, one after another: “The pilot declared an emergency and turned back.” Past continuous — the background, already in progress: “It was snowing heavily at the time.” Past perfect — what happened before that: “The temperature had dropped below zero an hour earlier.”
Reported speech — one step back:
“I am losing airspeed” → He reported that he was losing airspeed.
“I have lost an engine” → She said she had lost an engine.
“We will divert” → They said they would divert.
“Is the runway clear?” → He asked whether the runway was clear. (No question order, no question mark.)
Put the verb in the right past form. Type your answer, then check.
1. By the time the aircraft landed, the fog (close) in completely.
2. While I (take) the eight o'clock observation, the tower called me about the wind shear.
3. The pilot said he (would / will) need a full emergency response.
4. She asked me whether the braking action (be) still medium.
5. We issued a special report because the visibility (fall) below the minimum ten minutes earlier.
1. had closed · 2. was taking · 3. would · 4. was · 5. had fallen 1 and 5 go one step further back because they happened before the main event. 2 is the background action already in progress. 3 and 4 step back because the words are being reported.
The pilot's exact words were: “I have shut down the number two engine.” Reported afterwards, that is:
Tell the whole story (90 seconds)
Build the narrative from these facts, in good English, using all three past tenses and at least two reported statements:
18:40 — a thunderstorm formed to the west; you had already warned the tower an hour before.
19:05 — an inbound aircraft reported severe turbulence and a sudden loss of airspeed on final.
19:06 — the pilot went around and asked whether conditions were improving.
19:20 — the storm passed; the aircraft landed safely on the second attempt.
01:30
Something like: “At around twenty to seven a thunderstorm formed to the west of the field. I had already warned the tower about an hour earlier, because the pressure had been falling steadily all afternoon. At five past seven, an inbound aircraft reported that it was experiencing severe turbulence and had lost airspeed on final approach. The pilot went around and asked whether conditions were improving. By twenty past, the storm had passed to the east, and the aircraft landed safely on its second attempt.”
When the word won't come
Every candidate loses a word. The examiner is not listening for a perfect vocabulary — they are listening for what you do in the second after it disappears. Freezing costs you a level. Going round it cleanly can gain you one.
Four ways round any missing word: Category — “It's a kind of cloud that…” Function — “It's the machine we use for clearing snow.” Opposite — “It's the opposite of taking off.” Example — “Like when the wind suddenly changes direction near the ground.”
The bridging phrases that buy you a second: “How can I put this…” · “I don't know the exact word, but…” · “What I mean is…” · “In other words…” · “The thing we use for…” · “Let me put it another way.” Every one of them keeps you talking. Silence does not.
Explain without the word (60 seconds)
Explain each of these without using the word itself or any part of it. Twelve seconds each, no stopping: a windsock · a runway · de-icing fluid · a thunderstorm · visibility
01:00
For example: “It's a fabric tube on a pole that shows us which way the wind is blowing and roughly how strong it is.” · “The long strip of hard surface aircraft use to leave and return to the ground.” · “A warm liquid we spray on the wings to melt what has frozen on them.” · “A very tall cloud that brings lightning, heavy rain and violent air movement.” · “How far a person can clearly see — we measure it in metres or kilometres.”
The other half: making them repeat
Half of the interaction score is not about your words at all. It is about refusing to guess when you did not hear something.
“Tower, [crackle] … requesting the latest [crackle] … for runway two-seven.” “Station calling, your transmission was broken. Say again your full message.”
You think the pilot said “flight level one-one-zero” but you are not certain. The professional move is:
The awkward exchange (60 seconds)
A pilot with a strong accent asks you something you only half catch, twice. Handle it out loud: check what you heard, ask for the missing part, confirm you have it right, and answer. Stay calm and keep the tone professional throughout.
01:00
Reach for these: “Say again slowly, please.” · “I got the first part — say again after ‘runway’.” · “Confirm you are asking for…?” · “Just to confirm — you want the visibility, not the cloud base?” · “Reading you three — your transmission is weak.” · “Now I have it. The visibility is…”
Talk & discuss — Parts 1 and 3
Full, flowing answers: what → why → an example for the interview, and general → detail → what it means for the picture.
Part 1 — your experience
1. Has there ever been a day when you were worried about the safety of a flight? What did you do?
01:30
2. How does your airport prepare for winter? What changes about your job?
01:30
3. Who do you have to work with most closely, and what happens when you disagree with them?
Reach for these: “There was one occasion when…” · “What concerned me was…” · “As soon as I saw it, I…” · “We work very closely with…” · “If we don't see it the same way, what usually happens is…” · “In the end the decision rests with…”
Part 3 — describe the picture
Describe this picture (about 90 seconds)
Start wide (“This is an airfield in winter, late in the day…”), then the detail (the ploughed centre strip, the snow banks, the falling snow, the aircraft waiting, the stiff windsock), then what it means for the operation.
01:30
Useful words: heavy snowfall / a snowplough clearing the centre of the runway / snow banks piled along both edges / the surface only partly cleared / the windsock is standing out stiffly, so the wind is strong / the aircraft is waiting to be de-iced / braking action likely to be medium or worse / departures delayed, arrivals possibly diverting.
Then discuss (2 minutes)
Choose one and speak for two minutes:
When conditions are marginal, who should have the final word — the pilot, the controller, or the airport? Why?
Airlines lose a great deal of money to weather delays. Should safety limits ever bend under commercial pressure?
Do you think English should remain the single language of aviation? What would be lost or gained by changing that?
02:00
Mock test 3 — the three parts, back to back
Run it for real: no notes, no stopping. Start each timer and speak until it ends.
Part 1 · Interview
“Describe the most serious incident you have been involved in at work. What happened, and what was your part in it?”
01:30
Part 2 · Non-routine
“An aircraft has just landed long on a wet runway and gone off the far end onto the grass. It is stationary, and there is no fire. Report what has happened, describe the conditions that contributed to it, and say what you need.”
01:00
Something like: “Be advised, we have a runway excursion. An aircraft has overrun the end of runway two-seven and is now stationary on the grass, approximately fifty metres beyond the threshold. No fire is visible. Conditions at the time: heavy rain, standing water on the surface, braking action reported medium to poor, and a tailwind component of about eight knots. I'd recommend the runway be closed immediately, emergency services be sent to the far end, and a full surface inspection carried out before any further movement. I'll issue a special report now.”
Part 3 · Discuss
“Most aviation accidents involve human error rather than machine failure. What does that tell us about how people should be trained?”
02:00
Before you finish — be honest with yourself
I gave the emergency information in order: what, where, how bad, what I need.
I named the contaminant and its depth, not just “bad weather”.
My story used past simple, past continuous and past perfect in the right places.
I reported what someone said with the tense stepped back correctly.
When a word disappeared, I went round it in under two seconds — no silence.
I asked someone to repeat instead of guessing what I had heard.
Any box you couldn't tick is your target for next time — and it's exactly what the examiner is listening for.