English for Air Traffic Controllers

Introduction

English for Air Traffic Controllers is an online course, consisting of 56 units of English, and providing approximately 60 hours of study for students.

Course aims

To give students at Intermediate, CEFR B1/Upper Intermediate B2 level practice in general and business-oriented language required for business contexts at this level, specifically tailored towards the specialisation of air traffic control. The course blends grammatical structures necessary for this level, with vocabulary, reading, listening, writing, speaking, and pronunciation.

Γραμματική

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Use present and past tenses correctly
  • Use the appropriate conditional forms to talk about situations and consequences
  • Use the present perfect to describe a link between past and present events
  • Use going to and will to talk about future predictions and intentions
  • Use the passive form correctly
  • Distinguish and be able to correctly describe countable and uncountable nouns

Λεξιλόγιο

By the end of the course students will have learnt approximately 120 expressions used in air traffic control.

Skills

By the end of the course students will have had exposure to and practice in reading and hearing formal and informal English from a variety of accents and air traffic control contexts.

Unit summary

Module 1

  • Γραμματική: Present tenses
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Key aviation and ATC terms
  • Ανάγνωση: A brief history of aviation and air traffic control
  • Ακρόαση: An overview of the roles and responsibilities of air traffic controllers
  • Γράφοντας: My journey to Air Traffic Control
  • Μιλώντας: Discussing experiences and motivations for working in ATC
  • Pronunciation: Anxious and Chess + connected speech

Module 2

  • Γραμματική: Past tenses
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Basic ATC terminology and concepts
  • Ανάγνωση: Understanding the structure and organization of ATC
  • Ακρόαση: Controllers and pilots communicating in routine situations
  • Γράφοντας: Crafting clear, concise, and informative ATC messages
  • Μιλώντας: Practicing standard ATC phraseology
  • Pronunciation: Beats and Beach + connected speech

Module 3

  • Γραμματική: Going to and Will
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Weather-related terms and phenomena
  • Ανάγνωση: The importance of weather in aviation and ATC
  • Ακρόαση: Weather briefings and updates
  • Γράφοντας: Interpreting TAFs
  • Μιλώντας: Summarising and reporting weather conditions
  • Pronunciation: Bet and But + connected speech

Module 4

  • Γραμματική: Present perfect
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Airspace classifications and navigation concepts
  • Ανάγνωση: The structure and management of airspace
  • Ακρόαση: Providing navigation instructions to pilots
  • Γράφοντας: Documenting and reporting route deviations and incidents
  • Μιλώντας: Confirming and clarifying route information
  • Pronunciation: Bud and Bird + connected speech

Module 5

  • Γραμματική: Countable and uncountable nouns
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Emergency situations and procedures
  • Ανάγνωση: Case studies of past aviation incidents and accidents
  • Ακρόαση: Managing in-flight emergencies and coordinating assistance
  • Γράφοντας: Writing incident reports and debriefing statements
  • Μιλώντας: Providing clear instructions and reassurance during emergencies
  • Pronunciation: Cart and Cut + connected speech

Module 6

  • Γραμματική: First conditional
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Key ICAO terminology and concepts
  • Ανάγνωση: Understanding ICAO regulations and their impact on ATC
  • Ακρόαση: Controllers and pilots adhering to ICAO standards
  • Γράφοντας: Reflecting on the role of ICAO in personal ATC experiences
  • Μιλώντας: Discussing the importance of international standards in aviation
  • Pronunciation: Day and Ray + connected speech

Module 7

  • Γραμματική: Passive
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Human factors and their impact on ATC performance
  • Ανάγνωση: The importance of managing stress and fatigue in ATC
  • Ακρόαση: Controllers discussing challenges and coping strategies
  • Γράφοντας: Developing a personal plan for addressing human factors
  • Μιλώντας: Sharing personal experiences related to human factors
  • Pronunciation: Guess and Yes + connected speech

Module 8

  • Γραμματική: Second conditional
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Career-related terms and concepts
  • Ανάγνωση: Advancement opportunities and skills development in ATC
  • Ακρόαση: Controllers discussing their career paths and future goals
  • Γράφοντας: Drafting a professional development plan for career advancement
  • Μιλώντας: Setting personal goals and identifying areas for growth
  • Pronunciation: Hope and Hop + connected speech

Follow-up

Students completing the English for Air Traffic Controllers course should feel confident in tackling any upper intermediate course, including our Upper Intermediate Business Power course.