Contents of METU-EPE METU-EPE consists of two stages, each administered on a separate day. Both stages of the test are equally weighted, each contributing 50 points to the overall total of 100 points.
STAGE I : Language Use & Reading Comprehension (80 minutes / 50 pts.) STAGE II : Listening Comprehension, Note Taking & Writing (100 – 110 minutes / 50 pts.) Stage One of METU-EPE determines whether a candidate may take the second stage of the test or not. The final METU-EPE scores of those candidates who do not qualify for the second stage of the test will be whatever they have scored on the first stage of the test. What follows is brief information on the contents of each stage of the METU-EPE, its comprising sections, assessment objectives, and some sample items.
STAGE ONE (Duration: 80 minutes / Total 50 pts.):
LANGUAGE USE AND READING COMPREHENSION PART A – Language Use (40 questions / 0.5 pts. each; total 20 pts.) All multiple choice questions, one correct option (key), three distractors. Candidates mark their choices on an optic form.
I – Language Use
SECTION
OBJECTIVES
SOURCE OF TEXTS
To assess the candidate's ability to decode simple, compound and complex sentences and to detect correct, appropriate language structures, vocabulary and discourse markers. Also, to assess the candidate's awareness of the essentials and intricacies of English grammar, including tenses, prepositions, idiomatic expressions and stylistic variations of certain structures.
Sentences and paragraphs taken from various authentic sources. When necessary, some single-sentence items are constructed by test writers.
NUMBER OF TEXTS 10 –15 texts of varying lengths, with 1 – 15 or more blanks.
Questions 1-40 On your answer sheet, mark the alternative which best completes each sentence / paragraph.
Sample Item Over 4,000 children in the developing world ____5____ from measles every day. This figure is just the tip of the iceberg, because not every child ____6____ measles dies of the disease. Measles can lead to child malnutrition ____7____ vitamin A deficiency, in itself responsible for over 100,000 deaths a year. All it takes is one single vaccination to immunize a child against the disease. ____8____ prevent measles and the subsequent malnutrition, but it will also reduce the risk of diarrhea and pneumonia, two of the complications the disease may cause. 5. a) b) c) d)
has died have died die dies
Correct answers:
6.
a) b) c) d)
5. c
catches who catches has caught is caught 6. b
7. a
7.
8. b
1
a) b) c) d)
as well as but not except for just as
8.
a) b) c) d)
Should it only Not only will it It will only It doesn’t only
PART B – Reading Comprehension (30 questions / 1 pt. each; total 30 pts.) All multiple choice questions, one correct option (key), three distractors. Candidates mark their choices on an optic form. SECTION
OBJECTIVES
NUMBER OF TEXTS
Sentences taken from various authentic sources.
4
I–
Logical Sequence
To assess the candidate's ability to recognize the relationship between ideas in a text and to recognize and interpret cohesive devices for linking different parts of a text.
SOURCE OF TEXTS
Questions 41-44 On your answer sheet, mark the alternative which best completes each sentence or thought.
Sample Item 42.
The fur trade is a controversial issue. On the one hand, fur farmers and sellers are fighting to be allowed to continue producing fur goods, and, on the other hand, ___________. a) b) c) d)
the fur traders say that they do not cause unnecessary suffering to animals people concerned about animal rights are trying to prevent the on going trade if the trade were made illegal, hunters without licenses would cause greater suffering to animals an animal has more right to live than a human does to wear its coat
The correct answer is b.
2
II – Supporting Ideas
SECTION
OBJECTIVES
SOURCE OF TEXTS
To assess the candidate's ability to recognize ideas that support a given topic sentence.
Sentences taken from authentic sources such as academic texts, course books newspaper and magazine articles.
NUMBER OF TEXTS
3
Question 45-47 In the following items, three of the alternatives support the main statement or idea and one does not. Mark the alternative that DOES NOT support the given topic statement.
Sample Item 45.
While life outside the city is the secret dream of certain city-dwellers, it has many drawbacks. a) b) c) d)
Because there are fewer people, one has a smaller number of friends. One is much closer to nature and can enjoy more peace and quiet. Entertainment, particularly in the evening, is difficult to find. There are fewer services, thus fewer employment opportunities.
The correct answer is b.
3
OBJECTIVES
III – Paragraph Completion
SECTION
To assess the candidate's ability to recognize the relationship between ideas within a text, discourse organization and transitions that tie ideas to one another in a paragraph.
SOURCE OF TEXTS Paragraphs taken from authentic sources such as academic texts, course books newspaper and magazine articles.
NUMBER OF TEXTS
3
Questions 48-50 Mark the alternative which best completes each paragraph.
Sample Item 48.
Between 1820 and 1840, an estimated 700,000 immigrants arrived in the United States, mainly from the British Isles and German-speaking areas of continental Europe. During the 1840s, this substantial flow suddenly became a flood. No less than 4,200,000 crossed the Atlantic between 1840 and 1860. This was the greatest influx in proportion to total population — then about 20 million — that the nation has ever experienced. ___________. Smaller contingents came from Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. a) b) c) d)
Many came to escape great suffering because of natural causes or systems that kept them in poverty The great “push” factor that caused a million and a half Irish to leave their homeland was the great potato famine The largest single source of the new mass immigration was Ireland, but Germany was not far behind Yet, what many of them found in their new land was not exactly what they expected
The correct answer is c.
4
IV – Text Comprehension
SECTION
OBJECTIVES
SOURCE OF TEXTS
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS
To assess the candidate's ability to understand the key ideas in a text and answer comprehension questions about it, to distinguish between different levels of information, to identify the purpose of a text, to understand the author's point of view, to make out implicit meaning and to guess word meanings.
Texts taken from various authentic sources. Caution is exercised to select texts in a balanced fashion from both social and physical sciences aimed at popular readers; i.e., not requiring very specialized background knowledge.
5 – 7 Texts of varying lengths accompanied by 1 – 10 questions.
Questions 51-70 On your answer sheet, mark the alternative which best answers the question or completes the statement about the text.
Sample Item One of the leading schools of psychological thought in the twentieth century is behaviorism — the belief that the role of the psychologist is to study behavior, which is observable, rather than conscious or unconscious thought, which is not. Probably the best-known proponent of behaviorism is B.F. Skinner, who is famous for his research on how rewards and punishments influence behavior. He came to believe that positive reinforcements such as praise, food, or money were more effective in promoting good behavior than negative reinforcement, or punishment. 52.
53.
The school of behaviourism is concerned with ___________. a) conscious thought patterns c) b) observable actions d) According to Skinner, good behaviour is ___________. a) effective when one is punished b) important in influencing rewards and punishment c) promoted by not being praised d) encouraged by positive reinforcement
Correct answers:
52. b
53. d
5
psychological thought unconscious behaviour
STAGE TWO (Duration : 100 – 110 minutes / Total 50 pts.):
LISTENING COMPREHENSION, NOTE-TAKING AND WRITING PART A – Listening Comprehension (40 questions / 0.5 pts. each; total 20 pts.; Duration: 40-45 minutes) All multiple choice questions, one correct option (key), three distractors. Candidates mark their choices in the question booklet as they listen to the recording and then transfer their answers to an optic form, in pencil.
I - Statements
SECTION
OBJECTIVES
SOURCE OF TEXTS
To assess the candidate's ability to deduce the meaning of functional expressions, idiomatic expressions, vocabulary and structure, to recognize paraphrasing and to draw conclusions.
Sentences mostly constructed by test item writers.
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS 7–8 statements
In this section, you will hear a statement for each item and a question related to it. Before you listen to each statement and the related question, you will be given 5 seconds in order to have a look at the 4 alternative answers to the question. Each statement will be spoken only once. After you listen to each statement you must mark the alternative which best answers the question that follows.
Sample Item You will hear: (Speaker A) (Speaker B)
Have a look at the four alternatives given. Usually, there is so much air pollution in cities that it is more sensible to live in the country than to be exposed to pollution. (Speaker A) What does the speaker mean? You a) b) c) d)
will read: Air pollution is very bad in cities, so you should move to the country to live longer. Instead of being exposed to air pollution in cities, it is wiser to live in the country. Despite the harmful effects of air pollution, it is more exciting to live in cities. It doesn’t make sense to leave the cities just because of some exposure to air pollution.
The correct answer is b because it recommends living in the country due to the air pollution in cities.
6
SECTION
OBJECTIVES
II - Dialogues
To assess the candidate's ability to deduce the meaning of functional expressions, idiomatic expressions, vocabulary and structure, to recognize paraphrasing and to draw conclusions.
SOURCE OF TEXTS
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS
Dialogues constructed by test item writers.
4 – 5 dialogues;
In this section, you will hear a dialogue for each item and a question related to it. Before you listen to each dialogue and the related question, you will be given 5 seconds in order to have a look at the 4 alternative answers to the question. Each dialogue will be spoken only once. After you listen to each dialogue you must mark the alternative which best answers the question that follows.
Sample Item You will hear… (Speaker A)
I’m taking so many courses that I need a lot of time to work on my assignments.
(Speaker B)
Will you have the time to complete all of them?
(Speaker A)
All of my classes are in the morning, so I can spare time every week day from noon on. And of course, my weekends are free. When can the student study?
(Speaker C) You will read: a) b) c) d)
Every morning. Afternoons and weekends. When she is in class. Weekdays.
The correct answer is b because the student has classes till noon every day and she is free at weekends.
7
III – Mini Talks
SECTION
OBJECTIVES To assess the candidate's ability to comprehend short stretches of spoken discourse and to predict what will follow.
SOURCE OF TEXTS 7 – 9 sentence texts taken from authentic sources and converted into spoken English.
NUMBER OF TEXTS
4 – 5 mini talks
For the items in this section, you will hear a mini talk for each item. However, the last sentence of each mini talk is incomplete. Before you listen to each mini talk, you will be given 5 seconds in order to have a look at the 4 options that may complete the last sentence. Each mini talk will be spoken only once. After you listen to each mini talk and hear the "beep" sound, mark the alternative which best completes the sentence.
Sample Item You will hear… (Speaker C)
You will read: a) b) c) d)
Scientists wondered for a long time just how whales are related to land mammals. They believed that there must have been some kind of in-between mammal. It would have lived partly in the sea and partly on land. However, they had no evidence until the discovery of 'Pakicetus', which lived 50 million years ago. This animal... (beep) was a kind of large fish living in deep water provided the link between whales and land mammals looked like mammals living on land lived far up in the mountains and ate mostly leaves
The correct answer is b because the talk is about how whales and land mammals are related .
8
IV – Interviews
SECTION
OBJECTIVES
SOURCE OF TEXTS
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS
To assess the candidate's ability to follow a conversation, to identify specific information on a range of topics and to distinguish between facts and opinions.
Semi-academic interviews taken from authentic sources. Caution is exercised to make sure the interviews do not require specialized background knowledge.
2 interviews with 5 – 6 questions each
For items in this section, you will hear two interviews. You will hear each interview only once. As you listen to the interviews, mark the choice that best answers each question. Before you listen to each interview, you will have 40 seconds to have a look at the questions related to that interview.
Sample Item You will hear… For questions 17-21, you will hear a radio program on which a doctor answers the most frequently asked questions about SARS (or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). The radio program was broadcast in early April 2003. As you listen, mark the choice that best answers each question. Now you have 40 seconds to have a look at the questions. (..... (Speaker A) On this edition of Q&A, we’ll be focusing on SARS The continuing spread of SARS has all of Asia — and much of the rest of the world — on edge. What do we know about this mysterious disease? And how can we protect ourselves against it? Our guest today is Doctor Miller. He is going to answer the questions most frequently asked by the audience about SARS First of all, what is SARS, Doctor Miller? (Speaker B) Well, according to the World Health Organization, SARS is a disease caused by a virus that affects the lungs. It leads to a dry cough, shortness of breath, stiffness, fever and loss of appetite. The symptoms are very similar to those associated with the flu, except that SARS can appear as pneumonia in chest x-rays. .......) You will read: 17.
Which of the following is NOT a symptom of SARS? a) Stiff muscles b) Cough c) Drop in body temperature d) Difficulty in breathing
The correct answer is c.
9
V – Mini Lectures
SECTION
OBJECTIVES
SOURCE OF TEXTS
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS
To assess the candidate's ability to follow and comprehend extended spoken input and identify its purpose, to track the development of the argument, to identify specific information on a range of topics, to distinguish between facts and opinions and to distinguish main ideas from supporting details.
The transcript of a recorded lecture on a topic related to either social or physical sciences, not excessively specialized.
2 mini lectures with 6 – 7 questions each
For items 28-40 in this section, you will hear two mini lectures. You will hear each lecture only once. As you listen to the lectures, mark the choice that best answers each question. Before you listen to each lecture, you will have 40 seconds to have a look at the questions for the related lecture.
Sample Item You will hear… For questions 28-34, you will hear a mini lecture on TOMATOES. As you listen to the lecture, mark the choice which best answers each question or completes the statement. Now you have 40 seconds to have a look at the questions. (Speaker)
You will read: 28.
The a) b) c) d)
.........The tomato has been grown since prehistoric times. We believe that it first originated in South America and was cultivated by Indians in the Andes Mountains. More than 3,000 years ago, it moved from South America to Mexico. The tomato was first introduced to Europe in the 16th century, but it was not until the 19th century that it became popular in Europe. This is most probably because Europeans considered the tomato poisonous and therefore inedible.......
tomato was ___________________. first grown in Mexico not known in Europe till the 19th century first cultivated during prehistoric times brought to South America by Indians
The correct answer is c.
10
PART B – Note-Taking (4 – 5 questions; total 10 pts.; Duration: 20 minutes) All open ended questions to be answered referring to the notes taken while listening to a lecture. Notes to be taken on a separate sheet, answer sheet to be distributed after the text is spoken.
I – Note-Taking
SECTION
OBJECTIVES
SOURCE OF TEXTS
To assess the candidate's ability to follow and comprehend extended spoken input, to predict the organization and the content of a talk throughout, to recognize the outline of the talk and the important information and to take notes simultaneously.
The transcript of a recorded lecture of 5 - 6 minutes on a topic related to either social or physical sciences, not requiring specialized background knowledge.
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS
__
(Notes taken not to be graded)
Sample Note Sheet In this section, you will hear a lecture on PHOBIA. Take notes on the following points as you listen to the talk/lecture: • • • •
Definition of phobia, Types of phobias and their definitions, Distribution of phobias within the population, Ways of treating phobias, the techniques employed, and their side effects, if any.
II – Answering Open-Ended Questions
Later, you will be asked to write answers to 5 open-ended questions. Your notes will not be graded.
In addition to those stated above, to assess the candidate's ability to write short answers to questions related to the talk by referring to notes taken earlier.
4 – 5 questions __
Sample Item Q.
Define social phobia and give an example of it. Definition: _________________________________________________________ Example:
_________________________________________________________
11
PART C – Writing (Total 20 pts. ; Duration: 45 minutes) Section I: All open ended questions. (5 pts.) Section II: Paragraph to be written on a separate sheet. (15 pts.)
to a Text
I – Responding
SECTION
OBJECTIVES To assess the candidate's ability to recognize the attitude of the writer towards the issue, his point of view and how well he supports his argument.
SOURCE OF TEXTS A text taken from an authentic source such as an academic text, newspaper or magazine.
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS 1 – 2 questions
Sample Item
Paragraph
II – Writing a
What is the argument of the author in this text? State this in one sentence and write down the author's supports / reasons in one or two sentences.
To assess the candidate's ability to use correct, appropriate language structures, vocabulary and discourse features in writing, to follow the conventions of standard written English, to produce a cohesive and coherent piece of writing.
The text in Part I above will serve as a tool to activate the candidate's schemata, concepts and vocabulary relevant to the topic and to help him think about the issue prior to writing.
1 paragraph of approximately 150 words
For instance, if the reading text in Section I above is about the Internet as a source of information, a writing task like the one below might be given.
Sample Item
Write a paragraph of approximately 150 words comparing the library and the Internet as a research tool. In your paragraph make sure: * you write an introductory sentence indicating what you will write about; * all your ideas are relevant to the topic; * you address the task in full. Your paragraph will be graded according to: * the organization, * how fully you respond to the task set, * the content, * accuracy of language.
12
METU-EPE Scoring Procedure and Guidelines •
Stage One – Language Use and Reading Comprehension and Stage Two / Part A – Listening Comprehension are scored by an optic reader.
•
Stage Two – Part B / Note-Taking is graded by a group of experienced raters in accordance with an answer key provided. The raters go through standardization before each grading session. Each paper is graded by two co-raters.
•
Stage Two – Part C / Writing is graded by a group of experienced raters in accordance with the guidelines provided. The raters are trained in using the guidelines for grading in a standardization session before each grading. Each paper is graded by two co-raters.
(Initial trials revealed that inter-scorer reliability among pairs of trained raters ranges between r: .88 and r: .92)
Reporting of the METU-EPE Scores • Stage One – Language Use and Reading Comprehension The results of Stage One are announced within 1 or 2 days after the exam, indicating whether the candidate has qualified to sit for Stage Two of the exam or not. That is, candidates indicated as "qualify" in the exam results list will sit for Stage Two, whereas candidates indicated as "not qualify" will either study at the Department of Basic English or take the next scheduled exam in accordance with their status. In order to qualify for Stage Two of the METU-EPE, a test taker must have obtained a minimum of 50% achievement in Stage One. The final METU-EPE scores of those candidates who do not qualify to sit for Stage Two will be announced along with the Stage Two results. • METU-EPE Scores The final METU-EPE scores are announced within 3 – 5 days after Stage Two of the exam as a) the total grade, and b) the grade for each component. The list of scores are posted on the bulletin boards at the Registrar's Office and the School of Foreign Languages. The scores are also announced on the Web page of the School of Foreign Languages: http://www.metu.edu.tr/home/www93/prf/anasayfa.htm Those candidates who have qualified for Stage Two but failed the METU-EPE will have to take the whole exam (Stage One and Stage Two) again if they are entitled to. 13
14
