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UK CAA Part-66 EASA Part-66 Same pass mark & question format

UK CAA Part-66 vs EASA Part-66: What's the Same, What Changed

If you are training for an aircraft maintenance licence in the United Kingdom, you may be wondering whether EASA Part-66 study material still applies to you after Brexit. The short answer is yes for the marking rules, no for the syllabus text. Module 10 is the module we have compared line by line. Here is the plain-English explanation, with links to the official sources at the bottom of the page.

The bottom line

The licences changed — a UK and an EASA licence are no longer accepted in each other's airspace. The marking rules did not: a 75% pass mark, three-option questions, no penalty marking and 10-year validity apply in both. The syllabus text has moved apart: the UK still examines to the text it kept at the end of 2020, while EASA rewrote its syllabus in 2024. Our question bank follows the current EASA syllabus. For Module 10 (Aviation Legislation) use the UK CAA Module 10 syllabus. For that module we also have a separate set of practice questions written to UK law: UK CAA Module 10, online and in the question bank PDF.

At a glance

Stayed the same

  • Three-option questions with no penalty marking
  • The 75% pass mark
  • The clause numbering (e.g. 66.A.25)
  • 10-year validity of exam passes

Changed after Brexit

  • A UK licence is no longer recognised in the EU
  • An EASA licence is no longer recognised for UK aircraft
  • The licence "swap" (conversion) window has closed
  • The authority is now the UK CAA, not EASA
  • EASA rewrote its module syllabus in 2024; the UK still uses the 2020 text
  • EASA added subcategory B1.E and Module 18 in 2026; the UK has neither

Is the UK still on Part-66?

Yes. When the UK left the EU, it did not throw out the rulebook — it kept it. The EU rules for aircraft maintenance licensing, Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 (its Annex III is the part called "Part-66"), were copied into UK law and still apply today. The UK CAA refers to it as "UK Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014, Annex III (Part-66)".

The only structural change made for Brexit was to put the UK CAA in charge: a 2019 Statutory Instrument (in force on 31 December 2020) replaced EASA and the EU national authorities with the UK CAA as the body that sets exams and issues licences. The rest of the text was carried over as it stood on that date.

Terminology note: since January 2024, this type of kept-over EU law is officially called "assimilated law" in the UK. The CAA still uses the identifier "UK Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014".

Are the modules and exams the same?

Partly. The marking rules are the same. The syllabus text is not: the UK kept its syllabus and examination standard (Appendix I and II) as they stood on 31 December 2020, and EASA has changed its own since. Here is the side-by-side:

What EASA Part-66 UK CAA Part-66 Same?
Basic-knowledge modules Modules 1–18 (18 for B1.E only) Modules 1–17 (2020 text)
Licence categories A, B1 (with B1.E), B2, B2L, B3, C, L A, B1 (no B1.E), B2, B2L, B3, C, L
Multiple-choice pass mark 75% 75%
Answers per question 3 options, 1 correct 3 options, 1 correct
Negative (penalty) marking Not used Not used
Essay questions Module 7 only (9 & 10 dropped 2024) Modules 7, 9, 10
Module 10 syllabus 10 parts (10.1–10.10) 7 parts (10.1–10.7)
Module 10 paper (B1, B2) 44 questions, no essay 40 questions + 1 essay
Exam-pass validity 10 years 10 years

Essay pass mark is also 75% (your answer must cover 75% of the required key points with no significant error). The essay difference, since 12 June 2024: EASA Regulation (EU) 2023/989 removed the Module 9 and 10 essays, so the EASA exam now uses essays for Module 7 only, while the UK CAA retained the earlier standard and still examines Modules 7, 9 and 10 by essay. Source: Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014, Annex III, Appendix II — as retained in UK law.

What actually changed: licence recognition

Separately from the syllabus, the two systems no longer accept each other's licences. The recognition between the UK and the EU is not mutual, and licences are not covered by the UK–EU aviation safety agreement (the "BASA"). Here is the timeline of what happened:

  1. 1 January 2021

    The EU/EASA stopped recognising UK-issued Part-66 licences. A UK licence can no longer be transferred to an EU country.

  2. 31 December 2022

    The window that let EASA licence holders convert to a UK licence closed permanently. It is no longer available.

  3. 1 January 2023

    The UK stopped recognising EASA-issued licences for work on UK-registered aircraft. An EASA Part-66 licence can no longer be the basis of a UK Part-145 authorisation.

  4. 31 December 2025

    A narrow "reactivation" route — only for licences that were originally UK-issued and later moved to an EU state before Brexit — also closed.

Hold an EASA licence and want a UK one (or the other way round)? There is no automatic swap or mutual recognition any more. You apply through the normal route of the country you want the licence in — which means meeting that authority's exam and experience requirements. Always check the official CAA pages linked below for your exact situation.

Who has changed the syllabus since Brexit?

EASA has; the UK has not. The UK has made no change to its module syllabus (Appendix I) or its examination standard (Appendix II) since 31 December 2020. EASA replaced its syllabus with Regulation (EU) 2023/989, applicable from 12 June 2024, and added subcategory B1.E and Module 18 with Regulation (EU) 2025/111, applicable from 13 February 2026. The UK has adopted neither, so the two texts now differ.

The UK updates since 2021 have been small and technical. For example, the Aviation Safety (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (in force 1 December 2025) only changed exam-retake timing for the light-aircraft Category L — and that change actually matched a correction EASA made, so the two systems moved closer together, not further apart.

One to watch: from 19 January to 13 April 2026 the CAA consulted on updating UK Part-66 (Rulemaking Task 0201), including a ten-part Module 10 like EASA's with the essay kept. The consultation document gives proposed dates: an instrument made in 2027 and most of it in force in 2029. This is a proposal, not law. An earlier consultation on electric and hybrid aircraft closed on 28 March 2024. We re-check this page when the rules are updated.

What this means if you're studying in the UK

Our practice questions follow the current EASA syllabus (Regulation (EU) 2023/989) and cover all 18 EASA modules for categories A, B1, B2, B2L and B3. The question style and the 75% pass mark are the same in the UK. We have compared the UK and EASA texts line by line for Module 10 only, and there they differ: the UK syllabus has seven parts and the paper is 40 questions plus an essay (32 plus an essay for A and B3). For the other modules, check the topics and the paper length against the CAA's own pages before your exam. For Module 10 itself, practise with our UK CAA Module 10 questions, written to UK law.

Try a Free Demo Quiz See Subscription Plans UK Module 10 Syllabus View the EASA Module Syllabus

Sources

Every statement on this page comes from official primary sources — UK legislation, the UK CAA and EASA. We do not rely on forums or third-party training providers. You can verify each point directly:

Information last verified against the sources above: September 2026.

This page is general information to help you prepare, not legal advice. Regulations can change — always confirm your own licensing situation on the official UK CAA website before making decisions.

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