A body tie test structure and methods for its manufacture are provided. The transistor comprises a body-tied semiconductor on insulator (SOI) transistor formed in a layer of semiconductor material, the transistor comprising a cross-shaped gate structure with a substantially constant gate length L. An insulating blocking layer enables formation of a spacer region in the layer of semiconductor material separating the source and drain regions from the body tie region. A conductive channel with substantially the same inversion characteristics as the intrinsic transistor body connects the body tie to the intrinsic transistor body through the spacer region.