TRACE

TRACE (Test of Readiness for Academic English)

If students successfully pass the Placement Test or complete the B2 level at Ozyegin University, they are eligible to take the TRACE.

The TRACE is designed to determine students' readiness for a course of academic study in English. In order to begin studying in their faculties at Özyeğin University, students must score 65% or higher on the TRACE exam.

The test is based on a general subject area, and all parts of the exam are related to this overall topic. The reason for this is to provide the students with content and allow them to process the information using critical thinking skills. This reflects the real life needs of students in a university setting. The exam directly tests reading, writing and listening skills for academic purposes. Grammar and vocabulary are not tested directly; however, competence in these areas is determined by comprehension and usage.

The exam has been designed using the Common European Framework (CEF) levels B1, B2 and C1 as references. The test focuses on assessing the language and skills of a candidate at the high B2 level. The content of the exam is primarily academic because the students are preparing for full-time study at an English medium university.

There are 4 parts in the TRACE exam; the first part is NOT graded:

Part 1. Introduction to the TRACE
Part 2. Reading
Part 3. Listening
Part 4. Writing

Part 1 - Introduction
The aim of this part of the exam is to expose students to the topic and to give them the opportunity to reflect on it. Students will be able to make notes from prompts such as pictures, charts, tables etc., which will encourage them to think about the topic and prepare for the exam. This part is NOT graded.

Part 2 - Reading
There are 4 reading sections in the TRACE. The first section consists of two short readings (up to 250 words each); the second section consists of a medium length text (about 500 words); the third section is a longer text of about 1000 words. The final section in the reading part of the exam has a small number of questions that compare and contrast all of the readings.

Part 3 - Listening
There are 2 listening sections. The first one consists of 2 lectures of approximately 8 minutes. Students need to take notes as they listen. After they finish listening, they will receive a list of questions. Then they will use their notes to answer these questions. The second listening section consists of one conversation. The students will first have time to read the questions and then they will answer the questions as they listen. They will not need to take notes for the second part.

Part 4 - Writing

The final part of TRACE is writing an academic text answering a question related to the topic of the exam. Students will write an extended paragraph* of about 250 words to directly answer the question.

 * An extended paragraph is a paragraph with a topic sentence, several supporting and expanding details, and a concluding sentence.

Please, click here for sample TRACE