Purpose

EPLIS is a test to assess the listening and speaking skills of Brazilian air traffic controllers and aeronautical station operators, within the context of aeronautical communications via radiotelephony, in compliance with the Language Proficiency Requirements established by ICAO and described in DOC 9835 – Manual on the Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements.

Target test population

EPLIS is administered periodically to air traffic controllers and aeronautical station operators who have a valid operational license to work at Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) classes I1 to I5. The exam is also extended to students in the last semester of Air Traffic Control initial training courses. Other air traffic control and aeronautical station operation professionals can take the EPLIS test as volunteers or as designated test takers, according to the priority requirements described in ICA 37-924.

The professionals who take the EPLIS test are spread across several air traffic service units: control towers, approach controls, area control centers, aeronautical stations, air defense, training schools, and other workplaces.

In terms of territory, EPLIS test takers are spread out into five different regions: CINDACTA 1, CINDACTA 2, CINDACTA 3, CINDACTA 4 (Integrated Air Defense and Air Traffic Control Centers) and CRCEA-SE (Southeast Regional Airspace Control Center).

Division of Brazilian Airspace

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Test Format

EPLIS assesses the English language used in aeronautical communications via radiotelephony in unexpected, unusual and emergency air traffic situations, or even routine situations that are not foreseen in standard phraseology.

Paper 1 assesses oral comprehension of aeronautical communications in isolation through a computer-mediated multiple-choice test. There are 30 questions written in Portuguese with three options each. For each question, the test taker listens to a different audio. The goal is to assess the test taker's ability to understand several work-related situations, with a variety of accents and speech rates. This Paper is prerequisite for Paper 2 and the test taker must get 70% of correct answers, that is, 21 correct answers or more, to proceed to Paper 2. The 'Paper 1 Specifications' Manual presents the construct of the test, as well as details and justifies the decisions taken throughout the development of this Paper.

Sample Test Questions

Paper 2 consists of a face-to-face interview, conducted with one test taker at a time and lasting between 15 and 30 minutes. The goal is to assess the test taker's ability to understand (listening) and make themselves understood (speaking) in order to prevent miscommunication or possible misunderstandings. Operational procedures or knowledge of phraseology are not assessed, nor are the test takers' opinions on the situations presented judged. For Paper 2, there are equivalent test versions per ATS unit. Therefore, test takers have an exam focused on the needs of the ATS unit at which they work, be it a tower or radio station, approach control, area control center or an air defense center. Pre-service professionals take the ab-initio version, which does not require professional experience in a specific control unit. The Manual 'EPLIS Paper 2 Task Specifications' describes the tasks which make up EPLIS Paper 2, details the assessment purposes for each task, as well as provides samples of questions and guidance on how to answer them. The videos aim to demonstrate what the interaction between test taker and interlocutor is like in Paper 2.

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Paper 2 Demo Videos

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Assessment Criteria

In Paper 1, the test taker must have a 70% success rate to be considered eligible for taking Paper 2. In Paper 2, the test taker's performance is assessed by two EPLIS examiners, preferably a subject matter expert and an English language expert, as recommended by ICAO. The first assessment is made by the interlocutor who assigns a holistic score to the test taker's performance, corresponding to one of the six proficiency levels described in the ICAO Rating Scale. The second assessment is made by an EPLIS examiner who receives, through the EPLIS System, the recording of the interview. This professional assigns a score for each category of the ICAO Rating Scale: Pronunciation, Structure, Vocabulary, Fluency, Comprehension and Interaction. As established by ICAO, for security reasons, the test taker's final score is always the lowest level obtained in any of the six categories.

ICAO Rating Scale

If the score given by the interlocutor and the final score given by the remote examiner are the same, the evaluation process ends and the test result is disclosed to the test taker. If the scores are divergent, a third EPLIS examiner is allocated to carry out a new assessment. It is important to highlight that examiners have no knowledge of the previously assigned score. Test takers who obtained proficiency Level 4 or higher in Paper 2 are considered to have sufficient performance, according to the diagram below:

Proficiency Levels

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Scores and Evaluation Intervals

Paper 1 result is made available to the test taker as soon as they finish the test, once its correction is automatic.
As for Paper 2, the result is disclosed through the EPLIS System in the restricted area only when the peer assessment process is completed.
In the EPLIS System, the test taker's performance in all editions of the exam in which they have participated is recorded, as well as their current proficiency level, as shown in the image below.

Candidate's grade history

ICEA does not issue any kind of certificates.

Test takers who have not passed Paper 1, as well as those who have obtained proficiency Level 3 or lower in Paper 2, must take EPLIS the following year, unless they no longer belong to the target population of the exam. Professionals who have achieved Level 4 must be reassessed every three years, and professionals who have reached Level 5, every 6 years. Professionals who obtained Level 6 are exempt from taking the exam, unless expressly called upon by DECEA.
The proficiency level is recorded in field XII of the professionals' operational license, in accordance with ICA 63-31.

Source: Anexo A da ICA 63-3

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