An incorrect readback
NEGATIVE I SAY AGAIN
Annex 10 specifies this wording before the correct version of the item. It is different from correcting your own transmission.
Source: ICAO Annex 10, Volume II — §5.2.1.9.4.7.
AVIATION ENGLISH TRAINING
ICAO Readback: Required Items and Hearback
Learn ICAO readback items, callsign order and hearback correction with official phrase patterns, a free self-check and links to focused radio practice.
Know which details to repeat, identify an omission and understand how a controller corrects an inaccurate readback. Start with the official requirements, then try a short public self-check.
Training and formative feedback only. The platform does not issue an official ICAO proficiency result.
What a readback checks
Readback gives the controller evidence of what the pilot received. Hearback is the controller's check of that reply. The useful question is whether the reply preserves the required information, not whether the learner can recite an unrelated script.
What must be read back by voice
Doc 4444 §4.5.7.5 distinguishes the mandatory items below from other instructions that require a clear acknowledgement.
- Route clearances.
- Instructions or clearances involving entry, landing, take-off, holding short, crossing, taxiing or backtracking on a runway.
- Runway in use, altimeter setting and SSR code.
- Assigned level, heading and speed.
- Transition level, including when received through ATIS.
Source: ICAO Doc 4444 — PANS-ATM — §4.5.7.5.1–4.5.7.5.2.1.
Callsign order and accurate information
Annex 10 Vol. II §5.2.1.9.2.2 uses “should” for ending a readback with the aircraft callsign. An initial call has a different structure, identifying the called station and then the aircraft calling.
Keep the assigned runway, numbers and units identifiable. A copied number without its meaning is difficult to check. Saying that you are using flight levels does not create an exception to the altimeter-setting readback list.
Source: ICAO Annex 10, Volume II — §5.2.1.7.3 and §5.2.1.9.2.2; Doc 4444 §4.5.7.5.
Correct an error and close the loop
The controller checks the reply and corrects discrepancies. A corrected item needs to be understood before the exchange can be treated as resolved.
Official phrase patterns, not recordings or real flight clearances. Parentheses identify fields to fill; square brackets identify optional wording in the source. Explanations and self-study questions are editorial learning aids.
An error in your own transmission
CORRECTION
Identify the error and give the corrected wording using the applicable correction procedure.
Source: ICAO Annex 10, Volume II — §5.2.1.9.4.1–5.2.1.9.4.2.
Source: ICAO Annex 10, Volume II — §5.2.1.9.4.
Acknowledgement is not a substitute for required details
ROGER acknowledges receipt; WILCO expresses understanding and intended compliance. Neither removes a mandatory readback requirement. Weather or traffic information is not automatically a command, but a specific request or instruction still needs the appropriate response.
Voice rules also should not be copied indiscriminately to CPDLC: Doc 4444 treats voice readback of data-link messages separately.
Source: ICAO Doc 4444 — PANS-ATM — §4.5.7.5; Annex 10 Vol. II §5.2.1.5.8.
Readback self-check: find the missing information
A voice clearance contains a runway hold-short instruction and a specified runway. A reply acknowledges receipt but omits the runway identifier. Is the acknowledgement enough?
Compare with the explained answer
No. The runway instruction and its identifier need to be made explicit in the readback, together with the aircraft identification. Compare the actual reply against the clearance rather than assuming that acknowledgement proves correct understanding.
This question checks the required elements, not a memorised flight scenario. It does not record your voice, save a result or assign an ICAO level.
Source: ICAO Doc 4444 — PANS-ATM — §4.5.7.5.1(b); Annex 10 Vol. II §5.2.1.9.2.
Choose your next step: find a study starting point with the diagnostic, or go directly to focused practice.
Find My Study Starting Point · Open Radio Communication Practice
An account is required for the diagnostic. Radio practice also depends on feature access. The self-check does not assign a proficiency level.
Official sources and scope
These guides teach aviation English using ICAO references. ICAO Annexes contain international Standards and Recommended Practices; PANS contain procedures. Applicable State rules and published differences must also be checked. European SERA references below are identified separately.
- ICAO Doc 4444 — PANS-ATM
16th edition (2016), consolidated copy with Amendment 13; hosted by Switzerland's FOCA.
- ICAO Annex 10, Volume II
7th edition (2016), consolidated copy with Amendment 94; hosted by Switzerland's FOCA.
- ICAO — Personnel Licensing FAQ
Official explanations of language proficiency, phraseology and licensing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Must an altimeter setting be read back while flying at a flight level?
An altimeter setting transmitted as part of the relevant voice exchange is on the ICAO mandatory readback list. Operating at a flight level is not an exception stated in that list; do not confuse the pressure reference in use with the acknowledgement requirement.
Does the callsign always go last in every radio message?
No. The ICAO readback pattern ends with the aircraft callsign. An initial call has a different structure, identifying the called station and then the calling aircraft.
Can Roger or Wilco replace the required readback?
No. Receipt or intended compliance alone does not repeat the safety-related information that must be checked.
Does this self-check measure my ICAO English level?
No. A short written exercise cannot establish spoken language proficiency. The diagnostic and practice links provide different next steps; official proficiency decisions remain with the responsible authority and authorised examiners.