KOÇ UNIVERSITY ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EXAM

The Koç University English Proficiency Exam (KUEPE) is designed based on the objectives of the integrated curriculum implemented at the English Language Center (ELC) and aims to assess students’ competency in English, focusing on the academic productive skills they will need in order to complete their studies at Koç University.

The KUEPE is administered four times in an academic year.

The KUEPE consists of the following sections:

READING COMPREHENSION

1 long text: 900-1,000 words, 10 questions

2 short texts: 500-700 words each, 5 questions each

Skills assessed:

understanding main ideas

understanding/finding supporting details

finding specific information

guessing meaning from context

making inferences

understanding author’s purpose

USE OF ENGLISH

Part 1: Structure, 10 questions

Part 2: Vocabulary, 10 questions

* Reading Comprehension and Use of English Sections are administered together in one session.

LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Part 1: While-listening: an interview, 5 questions

Part 2: Listening and Note-taking: a lecture, 10 questions

Skills assessed:

understanding main ideas

inferring meaning

understanding the speaker’s purpose

drawing conclusions

understanding supporting details

understanding specific information

WRITING

Students are asked to write an opinion essay on academic or current events topics.

SPEAKING

Introduction: Student information & Warm-up (This part is not graded)

Part 1: Opinion on an issue

Part 2: Follow-up on the issue

Skills assessed:

effectively communicating in an academic setting

conversing with ease and confidence on a variety of topics using various speaking functions, which include identifying, describing, expressing preferences, explaining and suggesting

employing a range of basic and complex grammatical and lexical knowledge

conveying message with little confusion on the listeners’ part

using communicative strategies to deal with conversation repair.