The English test at the assessment day: what it actually contains, how long it is, and whether a non native speaker should worry
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#1 Ho Chi Minh City, applying to the Gulf and to SIA, and the English test is the part of the assessment day I cannot find a plain description of. Everyone says 'not hard if your English is good' which does not help someone deciding whether their English is good. So, from what crew have told me in DMs, here is the shape, and please correct it.
The written part
Usually 30 to 45 minutes, on paper or a tablet. Multiple choice grammar (tenses, prepositions, the usual traps), a reading passage with comprehension questions, sometimes a short piece of writing (a paragraph about a customer situation, or a short letter). The level is roughly upper intermediate. It is not an academic exam. It is checking that you can read a manual and write an incident report.
The spoken part
Either a conversation with a recruiter during the interview, or a short spoken task at the assessment (describe a picture, talk about your job for two minutes). They are listening for fluency, clarity and whether you can be understood on a PA in a noisy cabin. Accent is not the issue. Being understood is.
What fails people
Not the grammar. Freezing in the spoken part, or written English so far below the spoken level that the recruiter doubts the manual will be readable. The written part is where non native speakers who learned by speaking sometimes struggle.
My question
For non native speakers who passed: what did the written part actually look like at your airline, and what would you have practised more?
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#2 Jakarta, SIA walk in next month, and I was told by two SIA crew that theirs is a conversation plus a short written piece, and that the conversation matters far more. Practising speaking to strangers in English for ten minutes a day has done more for me than any grammar book.
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#3 Qatar, Casablanca, and ours was 40 minutes on paper: grammar multiple choice, a reading passage about airport procedures, and a short paragraph about a difficult customer. Upper intermediate is exactly right. I would have practised writing a paragraph under time. The grammar was fine.
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#4 Also Qatar via Casablanca, and the paragraph is the part that separates people. Practise writing 120 words about a work situation in ten minutes, cleanly, with paragraphs. That is the whole written test.
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#6 Korean Air, and for the Asian carriers the English test is often harder than the Gulf one because the airline is not an English speaking operation and wants proof. Ours had a listening section as well. Ask which sections yours has.
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#7 Qatar, from India, and the accent point is the one to underline: I have a strong accent and nobody has ever cared. Being understood on a PA is the test. Speak clearly and slowly and you pass the spoken part.