Türkiye partners with Cambridge, Oxford to boost language testing standards

ANKARA

A key Turkish institution responsible for organizing nationwide exams has signed cooperation agreements with two leading British institutions, the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, to collaborate in the field of language testing and assessment.

The Measuring, Selection and Placement Center, ÖSYM, oversees all centralized nationwide exams in Türkiye, including university entrance and foreign language proficiency tests.

This formal partnership with two university’s Press and Assessment institutions primarily aims to improve the quality of language exams in Türkiye and contribute to more valid language testing practices.

The cooperation also seeks to promote joint research and professional training programs for test developers and subject experts.

“This partnership with Cambridge will significantly enhance the quality of language exams in our country and foster scientific advancement in language assessment through joint research,” ÖSYM head Bayram Ali Ersoy explained.

Regarding the cooperation deal with Oxford, he added, “Oxford University Press & Assessment has also carried out the initial research in the field and has extensive expertise creating language tests. Thus, we attach great importance to gaining a great deal from this institution's experience in the field of language examination research in our nation.”

These initiatives will also help reevaluate the role of foreign language teachers and promotion of different projects for language learning in the country.