İSTANBUL MEDİPOL UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH PREPARATORY PROGRAM
INFORMATION ON THE PREPARATORY PROGRAM
With a team of experts in the field, the English Preparatory Program helps our students develop the essential skills to use the foreign language effectively. To cater such needs of our students, Istanbul Medipol University Preparatory Program is designed in four levels as per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: A1 (Beginner to Elementary), A2 (Elementary to Pre-intermediate), B1 (Pre-intermediate to Intermediate). B2 (Intermediate to Upper-intermediate).
The completion of all levels is scheduled for 32 weeks. Class hours are planned as 20-28 lesson hours per week and each class hour consists of 45 minutes. At the end of 32 weeks, our students are expected to be able to use English accurately and fluently, which corresponds to B2 Level (Upper-intermediate to Advanced). Our intensive English program aims to provide our students with the required fundamental skills (grammar, reading, listening, writing and speaking) and to enable them to use English fluently in their careers in an increasingly globalized world. In addition to using basic language structures, students in our intensive program also develop the ability to use the four fundamental language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. The ability to use English effectively will give learners the ability to understand and interpret academic reading passages and to write scientific and academic articles in various fields. When students successfully complete this intensive program, their level of English will enable them to follow the classes in their departments easily.
The Preparatory Program is designed to be effective, efficient and responsive to the needs of the students, as required by its teaching objectives. Throughout the academic year, various assessment tools are used such as examinations, projects and presentations for students to see their progress and identify their deficiencies. This way, both the students and the instructors will have the opportunity to either eliminate or minimize the relevant problems with English.
The Preparatory Program is designed to offer contemporary and global language instruction. The weekly schedule consists of 20-28 hours (it may vary based on levels). It includes Main Course, Grammar, Academic Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Academic Writing.
The methods employed by our program are contemporary and acknowledged by language instruction systems world-wide. They are appropriate for the needs, levels and progress of our students. Our main aim in the Preparatory Program is to provide first-class language education to our students in addition to informing them on the cultural structure of English-speaking countries, which is an inevitable process of language instruction. The primarily expected outcome of our program is that students can understand the language, express what they understand, and use the language in their academic studies.
Throughout the lessons, students will have the opportunity to practice their language skills and they will be provided with exercises, unit study questions, information brochures as well as visual and digital materials. In addition, the language learning methods we choose will provide our students with the opportunity to study independently, orienting them through subjects and guiding them. Another point we emphasize is teaching vocabulary; our students acquire 1000-1200 new words on average throughout each course phase. They will be able to use these words effectively in daily life, both while speaking and writing essays or articles.
The teaching staff in our preparatory school are vigorous, experienced educators who have worked for many years in preparatory schools, and they have many certifications on different techniques and methodologies in the field of English teaching both in Turkey and abroad. Our teaching staff takes the time to work with our students individually or in groups during the week and notify the students of such study schedule. For effective instruction, the number of students in each group are kept at minimal level, and the study environment is geared towards meeting the needs of the students.
HOW THE PREPARATION SYSTEM WORKS
The English Preparatory Program consists of four eight-week or nine-week tracks. Students begin with General English in the first track and continue with four main skills (Reading, Speaking, Writing and Grammar) in the following tracks. Each track has a standard grading system as detailed in the subsequent sections. Upon enrolment for Istanbul Medipol University, students of departments where the language of instruction is English take a proficiency exam. Students who are not exempted with the Proficiency Exam take the Placement Exam at the beginning of the Academic Year, are placed into classes according to their levels, and start their preparatory education.
EXEMPTION
Students who achieve a passing score of 75 from Istanbul Medipol University Preparatory Program Proficiency Exam or who document a sufficient score received from a YÖK-approved exam (YDS-E-YDS: 70, CAE: B, CPE: C, TOEFL IBT: 84 – Toefl-IBT Home Edition is NOT accepted – , PEARSON PTE Academic: 71, Oxford Test of English: B2, IELTS Academic: 6.5 – IELTS Online is NOT accepted) within the last three years are exempt from the Preparatory Program.
Click HERE for a sample Proficiency Exam.
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EXAM
The exam consists of five sections; Listening, Reading, Vocabulary, Use of English and Writing. The passing grade is 75.
Students who get scores from 60 to 74 take a subsequent Speaking Test to decide on whether they will be exempted from the Preparatory Program.
SPEAKING TEST
Students who score 75 or above in the speaking test are also exempted from the preparatory program and continue in their departments. Those who fail at any of these stages are placed at an appropriate level according to their results at the Placement Exam to be held later and study in the English Preparatory Program.
HALF-TERM PROFICIENCY EXAM
At the end of the first semester (Track 2), a Proficiency Exam recommended by the Council of Higher Education is given by the program. The content of this exam and its implementation do not differ from the previous exam.
TRACK SYSTEM
The English Preparatory Program consists of four tracks, each of which is eight or nine weeks long. In each stage, all the basic skills are covered and students are assessed accordingly. Students will receive an average grade in each track from teacher assessment (TA), track project, portfolio, Mid-track Exam (MTE) and the Track Achievement Test (TAT). Furthermore, the ESP (English for Specific Purposes) are also added to the track averages in the two tracks in the Spring Semester. Since Istanbul Medipol University Preparatory Program does not apply a modular system, track repetition is not possible. New classes are created after each track according to students’ levels.
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION SYSTEM
Once students are placed in classes at a suitable level, a program that is based on the analysis of department needs is followed. The following testing and assessment system is used throughout the academic calendar.
Midtrack Exam (MTE): Each track will have a Midtrack exam that assesses the progress of the students.
TEACHER ASSESSMENT (TA): Each student is given a weekly teacher’s assessment score by each instructor separately based on the student’s attendance, participation and homework assignments.
TRACK ACHIEVEMENT TEST (TAT): At the end of each track, there will be a Track Achievement Test assessing students’ progress.
P.L.A.T. (PROFICIENCY IN LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT TEST): At the end of the year, an exam is given to test students’ skills in Listening (While Listening & Note-taking), Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary, Writing and Grammar.
P.L.A.T. MAKE-UP EXAM: Students who fail the P.L.A.T. Exam can take the P.L.A.T. Make-up Exam.
ESP (English for Specific Purposes): In order to familiarize our students with the terminology they will use in their departments, ESP course (professional English) is given. These lessons are given in the second semester.
Project: These are applications that enable our students to work collectively and to work and produce on a subject.
Portfolio: It is an evaluation of the work they have done to improve our students’ writing skills.
| Assessment Criterion | Percentage |
| Mid-Track Exam (MTE) | 20% |
| Track Achievement Test (TAT) | 30% |
| Project | 20% |
| Portfolio | 20% |
| Teacher’s Assessment (TA) | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Table 1: Assessment Criteria and Percentages for Tracks 1 and 2.
| Assessment Criterion | Percentage |
| Mid-Track Exam (MTE) | 20% |
| Track Achievement Test (TAT) | 30% |
| Project | 15% |
| Portfolio | 15% |
| ESP (English for Specific Purposes) | 10% |
| Teacher’s Assessment (TA) | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Table 2: Assessment Criteria and Percentages for Tracks 3 and 4.
ANNUAL GRADING
The passing grade for the Preparatory Program is 70 (on annual grading). The annual grading is made up of 60% of the total average score of four tracks and 40% of the P.L.A.T. Exam score. If a student’s overall average score from the four tracks is 80 or higher, s/he is considered successful and is exempted from the P.L.A.T exam.
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW
ABSENTEEISM
Attendance to classes is obligatory for students to uphold their achievement in all tracks. A strict policy is applied to keep records of attendance and all instructors are responsible to do so as it affects the weekly TA scores. If the student is absent from more than 15% of the total number of lessons taught, s/he loses the right to take the P.L.A.T. Exam held at the end of the academic year.
OFFICE HOURS
In each track, the instructors have pre-scheduled office hours. These Office hours serve to support English skills and knowledge of the students outside of the lesson hours at least one hour per week.
ADVISING SYSTEM
Each instructor is assigned a class at the beginning of each track. This instructor is responsible for informing and guiding the students regarding announcements, lesson flows, exam content, project and portfolio processes and administrative matters.
