Possibility. Probability. Necessity

Possibility	Can + infinitive Can express physical or technical possibility or capacity	The A320 can carry 172 passengers.
Probability	May is used to indicate that an action or event could occur (happen) Could is also used	In dense cloud, ice may form on the wings. Hot oil could cause injury. The regulations say that the pilot may shorten the holding pattern.
Necessity	Must, shall and have to are commonly used to express necessity	If the tire is deflated the mechanic must remove it. Non-approved lubricants shall not be used. A pilot must execute a missed approach if the radio aid fails, according to the manual.

 Useful tips

• You can use Modal verbs when you are asked about aviation regulations or describe a standard procedure.

What is the normal procedure in situations like these?

The normal procedure is to follow (comply with)…

The regulations say that a pilot must (may, should, shall) ….try (use, execute, adjust, exceed, return …) …system can be used…

According to SOPs (standard operating procedures) in such situations a pilot should…

STEP II. Look through the drafts you made in the Vocabulary review section. Correct grammar mistakes if necessary. Can you enrich you drafts with different grammar structures?

Part III. Speaking

Ability tested

This section tests your ability to exchange personal and professional information, to express your own opinions and attitudes and find out about people’s opinions and attitudes.

Basic skills necessary

You must be able to understand the examiner’s questions (sometimes they contain rather complicated constructions and vocabulary) and answer these questions based on what you have heard.

This section also requires a strong professional vocabulary.

How to prepare for the Speaking section.

step 1.

Make sure you know how to talk about the work-related topics and be ready to answer (discuss) the questions presented in the Appendix.

step 2. To enrich your presentation, use:

• introductory phrases

• signal words to structure your ideas

• phrasal verbs (see Vocabulary review)

• idioms (see Vocabulary review)

• appropriate grammar structures (see Grammar review)

 Useful tips

• Don’t interrupt the examiner. Wait until he/she has finished speaking.

• Don’t be afraid to ask your partner/examiner to repeat something if you haven’t understood.

• Don’t give short answers. Say what you think and why. Don’t say: “I don’t know”.

• To respond effectively to an examiner’s question, you should structure your answer carefully:

1. respond to the question by repeating key words or concepts.

2. support your answer with details, examples or reasons.

3. introduce additional points.

4. give a short summary of your answer (if your response is quite long).

Exercise 1.

 Ex. 1. Speaking

Listen to the tape and answer the examiner’s questions.

Exercise 2.

 Ex. 2. Speaking

The examiner will assess you on the following categories:

• use of grammar

• use of vocabulary

• pronunciation

• fluency

• ability to communicate

Listen to two candidates passing exam (Speaking section) and assess them on the categories listed below. Was their performance: poor/satisfactory/good/excellent? Write P (poor), S (satisfactory), G (good), E (excellent) in the gaps.

	Nicole	Diego
Use of grammar/vocabulary
Pronunciation
Ability to communicate

Exercise 3.

What expressions can you use when you want to express your opinion?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

If you are asked for your opinion, there is no “right” answer. For example, if the examiner asks you: “What qualities are the most important for pilots?”, pause for a moment to work out what to think (say). Use expressions like:

• Well, it depends………

• I think…

• I suppose…

If the examiner says something like: “Do you think so?”, it is because he/she wants you to say a bit more or give reasons for your opinion, not because you are wrong.

Exercise 4.

You may be asked to recount an aviation incident that has occurred to you or to someone you know. In this case you can use the following versions of the beginning:

• Yes, in fact something very similar happened to me once…….

• Yes, in fact something very similar happened to me about two years ago when I was flying out of Heathrow.

Pay particular attention: you should use past verb tenses to talk about your experience (refer to Grammar review).

Exercise 5

Speaking about non-routine and emergency situations

Flying is probably one of the safest ways to travel, but there can be problems. What could go wrong on the ground and in the air? Complete the word map.

What could be the reasons for:

• Departure delays

• Rejected take-off

• Approach delays

• Proceeding to the alternate aerodromes

• Priority (emergency) landing

• Low pass over the Tower

• Passenger evacuation

• Using escape slides

Discuss all possible situations when you need:

• mobile lounge;

• tow truck (tug);

• fire truck (fire services)

• rescue service;

• medical service;

• escort vehicle;

• escape slides/emergency chutes;

• port health;

• security van;

• police (the law authorities/ law-enforcement bodies).