The Module 7 essay: how it is set and marked

Module 7 (Maintenance Practices) is the only EASA Part-66 module that still has a written part. Modules 9 and 10 lost theirs in June 2024, so the two Module 7 essays are now the one place where you write an answer instead of picking one. They are marked differently from the multiple-choice paper, and that changes how you should prepare.

The format

Every category gets the same two essays, with 20 minutes for each. The essay questions are drafted from the Module 7 syllabus, so anything in the module is fair game.

How the essay is marked

Appendix II describes the marking precisely, and it is worth reading closely because it is not a general impression of your writing:

• Each question has a model answer, broken down into a list of key points.
• You pass a question if your answer contains 75% of the key points and has no significant error on any of them.
• If you fail only the essays or only the multiple choice, you retake just that part, not the whole module.

Two consequences follow. First, coverage beats style: a plain, complete list of the steps scores better than an elegant answer that skips two of them. Second, one wrong statement about a key point can fail an otherwise complete answer, so do not pad with things you are unsure of.

Writing technique that matches the marking

Plan for two minutes

Before writing, jot down every point you can think of: preparation, safety, tools and equipment, the procedure itself, inspection, and the paperwork at the end. That list is your best guess at the examiner's key points.

Write the procedure in order

Most Module 7 questions ask how something is done or checked. Answer in the order the work happens. Numbered or clearly separated steps make it easy for the marker to tick key points off, and easy for you to see a gap.

Always cover safety and documentation

Safety precautions, following the maintenance data, independent inspections where they apply, and recording the work are part of almost every real task, and the syllabus treats them as subjects in their own right (7.1, 7.20 and 7.21). They are easy key points to collect and easy ones to forget.

Use the correct terms

Say torque wrench, not spanner; lockwire or safety wire, not wire; maintenance data, not the book. Precise terminology shows the examiner you know the subject and avoids answers that could be read two ways.

Leave time to read it back

Twenty minutes is enough for a full answer of about a page. Keep the last two minutes to check for a missing step or a statement that could count as a significant error.

Which topics essays are drawn from

Since 2024 the Module 7 syllabus runs from 7.1 to 7.21. The subjects that describe a hands-on procedure lend themselves best to an essay, for example:

• safety precautions in the hangar and workshop, and working safely on electrical systems (7.1, 7.4);
• using and caring for tools, and checking their calibration (7.3);
• wiring work on the electrical wiring interconnection system, EWIS (7.7);
• riveting, pipes and hoses, control cables (7.8, 7.9, 7.13);
• sheet metal, composite and non-metallic repairs (7.14);
• weighing an aircraft and working out its centre of gravity (7.16);
• aircraft handling: towing, jacking, refuelling, ground running (7.17);
• disassembly, inspection, repair and assembly techniques (7.18);
• inspections after abnormal events such as a lightning strike or a heavy landing (7.19);
• maintenance procedures, documentation and communication (7.20, 7.21).

This is not a list of guaranteed questions, and the examining organisation sets its own. It is a sensible list to practise writing about, because each one has a clear sequence of steps.