{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-directive-2006-23/annex-III",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-directive-2006-23/annex-III.json",
  "legislation": "eudr/2006/23",
  "legislation_title": "Directive 2006/23/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2006 on a Community air traffic controller licence (Text with EEA relevance)",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-directive-2006-23",
  "path": "annex/III",
  "kind": "annex",
  "number": "III",
  "heading": "REQUIREMENTS FOR PROFICIENCY IN LANGUAGES",
  "text": "The language proficiency requirements laid down in Article 8 are applicable to the use of both phraseologies and plain language. To meet the language proficiency requirements an applicant for a licence or a licence holder will be assessed and must demonstrate compliance with at least the operational level (level four) of the language proficiency rating scale set out in this Annex.\nProficient speakers must:\n(a) communicate effectively in voice-only (telephone/radiotelephone) and in face-to-face situations;\n(b) communicate on common, concrete and work-related topics with accuracy and clarity;\n(c) use appropriate communicative strategies to exchange messages and to recognise and resolve misunderstandings (e.g. to check, confirm or clarify information) in a general or work‐related context;\n(d) handle successfully and with relative ease the linguistic challenges presented by a complication or unexpected turn of events that occurs within the context of a routine work situation or communicative task with which they are otherwise familiar; and\n(e) use a dialect or accent which is intelligible to the aeronautical community.\nLanguage proficiency rating scale: expert, extended and operational levels\nLevel\nPronunciationUses a dialect and/or accent intelligible to the aeronautical community.\nStructureRelevant grammatical structures and sentence patterns are determined by language functions appropriate to the task.\nVocabulary\nFluency\nComprehension\nInteractions\nExpert\n6\nPronunciation, stress, rhythm and intonation, though possibly influenced by the first language or regional variation, almost never interfere with ease of understanding.\nBoth basic and complex grammatical structures and sentence patterns are consistently well controlled.\nVocabulary range and accuracy are sufficient to communicate effectively on a wide variety of familiar and unfamiliar topics. Vocabulary is idiomatic, nuanced, and sensitive to register.\nAble to speak at length with a natural, effortless flow. Varies speech flow for stylistic effect, e.g. to emphasise a point. Uses appropriate discourse markers and connectors spontaneously.\nComprehension is consistently accurate in nearly all contexts and includes comprehension of linguistic and cultural subtleties.\nInteracts with ease in nearly all situations. Is sensitive to verbal and non-verbal cues, and responds to them appropriately.\nExtended\n5\nPronunciation, stress, rhythm and intonation, though influenced by the first language or regional variation, rarely interfere with ease of understanding.\nBasic grammatical structures and sentence patterns are consistently well controlled. Complex structures are attempted but with errors which sometimes interfere with meaning.\nVocabulary range and accuracy are sufficient to communicate effectively on common, concrete, and work-related topics. paraphrases consistently and successfully. Vocabulary is sometimes idiomatic.\nAble to speak at length with relative ease on familiar topics, but may not vary speech flow as a stylistic device. Can make use of appropriate discourse markers or connectors.\nComprehension is accurate on common, concrete, and work-related topics and mostly accurate when the speaker is confronted with a linguistic or situational complication or an unexpected turn of events. Is able to comprehend a range of speech varieties (dialect and/or accent) or registers.\nResponses are immediate, appropriate, and informative. Manages the speaker/listener relationship effectively.\nOperational\n4\nPronunciation, stress, rhythm and intonation are influenced by the first language or regional variation but only sometimes interfere with ease of understanding.\nBasic grammatical structures and sentence patterns are used creatively and are usually well controlled. Errors may occur, particularly in unusual or unexpected circumstances, but rarely interfere with meaning.\nVocabulary range and accuracy are usually sufficient to communicate effectively on common, concrete, and work-related topics. Can often paraphrase successfully when lacking vocabulary in unusual or unexpected circumstances.\nProduces stretches of language at an appropriate tempo. There may be occasional loss of fluency on transition from rehearsed or formulaic speech to spontaneous interaction, but this does not prevent effective communication. Can make limited use of discourse markers or connectors. Fillers are not distracting.\nComprehension is mostly accurate on common, concrete, and work-related topics when the accent or variety used is sufficiently intelligible for an international community of users. When the speaker is confronted with a linguistic or situational complication or an unexpected turn of events, comprehension may be slower or require clarification strategies.\nResponses are usually immediate, appropriate, and informative. Initiates and maintains exchanges even when dealing with an unexpected turn of events. Deals adequately with apparent misunderstandings by checking, confirming, or clarifying.\nLanguage proficiency rating scale: pre-operational, elementary and pre-elementary levels.\nLevel\nPronunciationUses a dialect and/or accent intelligible to the aeronautical community.\nStructureRelevant grammatical structures and sentence patterns are determined by language functions appropriate to the task.\nVocabulary\nFluency\nComprehension\nInteractions\nPre-operational\n3\nPronunciation, stress, rhythm and intonation are influenced by the first language or regional variation and frequently interfere with ease of understanding.\nBasic grammatical structures and sentence patterns associated with predictable situations are not always well controlled. Errors frequently interfere with meaning.\nVocabulary range and accuracy are often sufficient to communicate on common, concrete, or work-related topics but range is limited and the word choice often inappropriate. Is often unable to paraphrase successfully when lacking vocabulary.\nProduces stretches of language, but phrasing and pausing are often inappropriate. Hesitations or slowness in language processing may prevent effective communication. Fillers are sometimes distracting.\nComprehension is often accurate on common, concrete, and work-related topics when the accent or variety used is sufficiently intelligible for an international community of users. May fail to understand a linguistic or situational complication or an unexpected turn of events.\nResponses are sometimes immediate, appropriate, and informative. Can initiate and maintain exchanges with reasonable ease on familiar topics and in predictable situations. Generally inadequate when dealing with an unexpected turn of events.\nElementary\n2\nPronunciation, stress, rhythm and intonation are heavily influenced by the first language or regional variation and usually interfere with ease of understanding.\nShows only limited control of a few simple memorised grammatical structures and sentence patterns.\nLimited vocabulary range consisting only of isolated words and memorised phrases.\nCan produce very short, isolated, memorised utterances with frequent pausing and a distracting use of fillers to search for expressions and to articulate less familiar words.\nComprehension is limited to isolated, memorised phrases when they are carefully and slowly articulated.\nResponse time is slow, and often inappropriate. Interaction is limited to simple routine exchanges.\nPre-elementary\n1\nPerforms at a level below the Elementary level.\nPerforms at a level below the Elementary level.\nPerforms at a level below the Elementary level.\nPerforms at a level below the Elementary level.\nPerforms at a level below the Elementary level.\nPerforms at a level below the Elementary level.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2006/23/annex/III",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T15:22:38.079455+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}