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.

Gramatika

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

Vārdnīca

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

  • Gramatika: Present tenses
  • Vārdnīca: Key aviation and ATC terms
  • Lasīšana: A brief history of aviation and air traffic control
  • Klausīšanās: An overview of the roles and responsibilities of air traffic controllers
  • Rakstīšana: My journey to Air Traffic Control
  • Runājot: Discussing experiences and motivations for working in ATC
  • Pronunciation: Anxious and Chess + connected speech

Module 2

  • Gramatika: Past tenses
  • Vārdnīca: Basic ATC terminology and concepts
  • Lasīšana: Understanding the structure and organization of ATC
  • Klausīšanās: Controllers and pilots communicating in routine situations
  • Rakstīšana: Crafting clear, concise, and informative ATC messages
  • Runājot: Practicing standard ATC phraseology
  • Pronunciation: Beats and Beach + connected speech

Module 3

  • Gramatika: Going to and Will
  • Vārdnīca: Weather-related terms and phenomena
  • Lasīšana: The importance of weather in aviation and ATC
  • Klausīšanās: Weather briefings and updates
  • Rakstīšana: Interpreting TAFs
  • Runājot: Summarising and reporting weather conditions
  • Pronunciation: Bet and But + connected speech

Module 4

  • Gramatika: Present perfect
  • Vārdnīca: Airspace classifications and navigation concepts
  • Lasīšana: The structure and management of airspace
  • Klausīšanās: Providing navigation instructions to pilots
  • Rakstīšana: Documenting and reporting route deviations and incidents
  • Runājot: Confirming and clarifying route information
  • Pronunciation: Bud and Bird + connected speech

Module 5

  • Gramatika: Countable and uncountable nouns
  • Vārdnīca: Emergency situations and procedures
  • Lasīšana: Case studies of past aviation incidents and accidents
  • Klausīšanās: Managing in-flight emergencies and coordinating assistance
  • Rakstīšana: Writing incident reports and debriefing statements
  • Runājot: Providing clear instructions and reassurance during emergencies
  • Pronunciation: Cart and Cut + connected speech

Module 6

  • Gramatika: First conditional
  • Vārdnīca: Key ICAO terminology and concepts
  • Lasīšana: Understanding ICAO regulations and their impact on ATC
  • Klausīšanās: Controllers and pilots adhering to ICAO standards
  • Rakstīšana: Reflecting on the role of ICAO in personal ATC experiences
  • Runājot: Discussing the importance of international standards in aviation
  • Pronunciation: Day and Ray + connected speech

Module 7

  • Gramatika: Passive
  • Vārdnīca: Human factors and their impact on ATC performance
  • Lasīšana: The importance of managing stress and fatigue in ATC
  • Klausīšanās: Controllers discussing challenges and coping strategies
  • Rakstīšana: Developing a personal plan for addressing human factors
  • Runājot: Sharing personal experiences related to human factors
  • Pronunciation: Guess and Yes + connected speech

Module 8

  • Gramatika: Second conditional
  • Vārdnīca: Career-related terms and concepts
  • Lasīšana: Advancement opportunities and skills development in ATC
  • Klausīšanās: Controllers discussing their career paths and future goals
  • Rakstīšana: Drafting a professional development plan for career advancement
  • Runājot: 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.