Chris wrote:
I‘m wondering why these regulations are not published in advance to anyone who is going to book this LP tests. I was not informed before about these „ICAO guidelines“
The EASA regulation on Language Proficiency (FCL.055) makes no mention that “the lowest level always defines the overall level”, but its AMC does refer to the “Manual on the Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements” (ICAO Doc 9835) for “further guidance”. That document is (surprisingly!) available online at the ICAO web site.
It does say (in §6.3.2.11) that “The final score for each test-taker should not be the average or aggregate of the ratings in each of the six ICAO language proficiency skills but the lowest of these six ratings.”
It’s surprising how different the ELP assessment procedures seems to be in different countries. When I got my ELP6 I spent perhaps an hour with an examiner. That was almost 10 years ago, but I remember that I had to describe a situation in a picture, listen to a poor quality recording and generally have a conversation. There were probably more things I can’t recall now but it was not nearly as formal as what seems to be the case in France and Germany.
I’ve met A-A and the only way he would not get ELP6 would be with an examiner who has some inferiority complex 
Some embarassing mistakes heard on these tests…..
That’s very funny
Is that for ELP4?
It is interesting that the “English Proficient” statement on an FAA certificate indicates an ELP of at least level 4, per AC 60-28B section 6.4.
I believe that in many (most?) EASA countries, when obtaining an EASA licence conversion from an FAA certificate, only ELP 4 is granted even for native language English speakers. If desired, an ELP 5 or 6 would need to be obtained separately using the normal EASA process for the country in question.
The FAA plastic card may denote only ELP4 but there is no way anybody could get an FAA PPL with a US DPE with the “bonking” ELP competence in Jim’s video
The guy in the video was basically illegible to most English speakers, although – as is normal – he would have been legible to a French person (it’s how accents work). He would probably get ELP4 – enough for an ATC job within France – but no way could you call that “conversational English”.
It must be a challenge for Jim, as an ELP examiner, to make the proper allowance for the accent being legible to a French person, and IIRC he has written about this challenge previously (here or elsewhere).
chflyer wrote:
when obtaining an EASA licence conversion from an FAA certificate, only ELP 4 is granted
Correct. You automatically get a level 4 (so valid for 4 years) BUT backdated to the date of your last BFR.
