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

Slovná zásoba

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
  • Slovná zásoba: Key aviation and ATC terms
  • Čítanie: A brief history of aviation and air traffic control
  • Počúvanie: An overview of the roles and responsibilities of air traffic controllers
  • Písanie: My journey to Air Traffic Control
  • Hovorenie: Discussing experiences and motivations for working in ATC
  • Pronunciation: Anxious and Chess + connected speech

Module 2

  • Gramatika: Past tenses
  • Slovná zásoba: Basic ATC terminology and concepts
  • Čítanie: Understanding the structure and organization of ATC
  • Počúvanie: Controllers and pilots communicating in routine situations
  • Písanie: Crafting clear, concise, and informative ATC messages
  • Hovorenie: Practicing standard ATC phraseology
  • Pronunciation: Beats and Beach + connected speech

Module 3

  • Gramatika: Going to and Will
  • Slovná zásoba: Weather-related terms and phenomena
  • Čítanie: The importance of weather in aviation and ATC
  • Počúvanie: Weather briefings and updates
  • Písanie: Interpreting TAFs
  • Hovorenie: Summarising and reporting weather conditions
  • Pronunciation: Bet and But + connected speech

Module 4

  • Gramatika: Present perfect
  • Slovná zásoba: Airspace classifications and navigation concepts
  • Čítanie: The structure and management of airspace
  • Počúvanie: Providing navigation instructions to pilots
  • Písanie: Documenting and reporting route deviations and incidents
  • Hovorenie: Confirming and clarifying route information
  • Pronunciation: Bud and Bird + connected speech

Module 5

  • Gramatika: Countable and uncountable nouns
  • Slovná zásoba: Emergency situations and procedures
  • Čítanie: Case studies of past aviation incidents and accidents
  • Počúvanie: Managing in-flight emergencies and coordinating assistance
  • Písanie: Writing incident reports and debriefing statements
  • Hovorenie: Providing clear instructions and reassurance during emergencies
  • Pronunciation: Cart and Cut + connected speech

Module 6

  • Gramatika: First conditional
  • Slovná zásoba: Key ICAO terminology and concepts
  • Čítanie: Understanding ICAO regulations and their impact on ATC
  • Počúvanie: Controllers and pilots adhering to ICAO standards
  • Písanie: Reflecting on the role of ICAO in personal ATC experiences
  • Hovorenie: Discussing the importance of international standards in aviation
  • Pronunciation: Day and Ray + connected speech

Module 7

  • Gramatika: Passive
  • Slovná zásoba: Human factors and their impact on ATC performance
  • Čítanie: The importance of managing stress and fatigue in ATC
  • Počúvanie: Controllers discussing challenges and coping strategies
  • Písanie: Developing a personal plan for addressing human factors
  • Hovorenie: Sharing personal experiences related to human factors
  • Pronunciation: Guess and Yes + connected speech

Module 8

  • Gramatika: Second conditional
  • Slovná zásoba: Career-related terms and concepts
  • Čítanie: Advancement opportunities and skills development in ATC
  • Počúvanie: Controllers discussing their career paths and future goals
  • Písanie: Drafting a professional development plan for career advancement
  • Hovorenie: 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.