Duolingo English Test [PDF]

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Types of questions asked in Duolingo English Test.

 Choose the real words from a written list - In this task you are given a list of words, some real and some made up and asked to choose only the correct ones. Top Tip! Be careful with choosing the correct word and make sure you check the spelling as some words look like they might be correct but in fact are made up!

 Choose the real words from an audio list – Similar to the previous task but instead of reading you listen to the words being given orally before selecting the real words. Top Tip! The same advice goes for this exam task as the last one. The pronunciation might sound like a real word but in fact it isn’t so listen very carefully!

 Complete the words in a paragraph – This task requires you to complete the missing letters in selected words in a given paragraph. You’re being tested on vocabulary knowledge, sentence formation and grammar structures. Top Tip! You could try revising some specific grammar structures or dependent prepositions to help prepare for this part of the test.

 Type the statement that you hear – a simple task of writing what you hear with the option to repeat the audio 3 times. Here you are being tested on your listening comprehension, vocabulary and spelling skills. Top Tip! The accents that you hear are American, if you’re not familiar with this accent then start watching American TV and film or listening to an American podcast.

 Record yourself saying a given statement – this task is all about your pronunciation of individual words but also your sentence stress and intonation knowledge. Remember that English is a stress timed language which means that some syllables will be longer or shorter unlike other languages such as Spanish, French or Cantonese for example. Top Tip! Record yourself saying short sentences and listening back to them to see if you can improve your pronunciation. You can check online for specific pronunciation of words you are practicing to make sure they are correct.

 Speak the English word for each image – This time instead of being given a word to pronounce you are being tested on your vocabulary knowledge as well as your general pronunciation. If you are unsure of the word for what you are seeing, you can always take a guess. Top Tip! You are not penalized for making wrong answers so always have a guess if you don’t know!

 Write at least 1 sentence about the given image  - This task is asking you to think about your writing structures using descriptive language. You will need to write complete sentences that have appropriate punctuation and give the reader an idea of what is being shown in the picture. Top Tip! The more you are able to write in the short amount of time given, the higher mark you would receive.

 Prepare to speak for at least 30 seconds about the given question – This task gives you some prompts on the topic that they would like you to speak about. As the test is recorded using your webcam, the video is assessed and a mark given for your fluency, accuracy, pronunciation and how well you are able to get your point across. Top Tip! If you cannot think of a true answer to the question then you can invent one. E.G. Don’t get stuck thinking about what your favourite hobby is, just choose one that you know and go frWhst om there.

 Choose one topic to speak about for 1-3 minutes – Similar to the previous task, this one aims to get you showcase as much of your spoken language as possible. They want you to push yourself and demonstrate your English, try to include interesting language, complex grammar structures and discourse markers. This part isn’t actually marked and part of your exam result, but it is sent to the institutions that you apply for. This is a great opportunity to show them who you are and your English skills. Top Tip! Don’t forget about your pronunciation and sentence intonation when speaking in a monologue.

 Choose one topic to write about for 3-5 minutes – Writing! This task is where you will be able to show off your excellent writing skills about either of the given topics. You are also given prompts about what to include so you’re being tested on your instruction following skills as well. Try to write for as long as possible (5 minutes and 500 words is the maximum) to make sure that you demonstrate your writing style and general English knowledge. Top Tip! You should aim to use discourse markers, linking words, descriptive and imaginative language and complete sentences with complex grammar structures if you can.

Administration Rules The list behaviors that are prohibited during an administration of the Duolingo English Test are listed below. In addition to these behavioral rules, there are rules for the test takers’ internet browsers. The browsers are locked down after onboarding, which means that any navigation away from the browser invalidates the test session. Additionally, all browser plugins must be disabled.        

Interacting with anyone Allowing other people in the room Using headphones or earbuds Disabling the microphone or camera Looking off screen Moving out of frame of the camera Accessing any outside material or devices Leaving the web browser

Proctoring & Reporting  After the test has been completed and uploaded, it undergoes a thorough proctoring review using human proctors with TESOL/applied linguistics expertise, which is supplemented by artificial intelligence to call proctors’ attention to suspicious behavior.  This process take no more than 48 hours after the test has been uploaded. After the process has been completed, score reports are sent electronically to the test taker and any institutions they elect to share their scores with.  Test takers can share their scores with an unlimited number of institutions.

Types of Test

o C-test

- The c-tests provide a measure of the test takers’ reading ability. In this task, the first and last sentences are fully intact, while words in the intervening sentences are “damaged” by deleting the second half of the word. Test takers respond to the c-test items by completing the damaged words in the paragraph.

o Yes/ No Vocabulary -

The test taker is presented with a set of English words mixed with pseudo-words that are designed to appear Englishlike, and must discriminate between them.

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Dictation - In this exercise, the test taker listens to a spoken sentence or short passage and then transcribes it using the computer keyboard. The test takers have one minute in total to listen to and transcribe what they heard. They can play the passage up to three times.

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Elicited Imitation (Read-aloud) - The read-aloud variation of the elicited imitation task is a measure of test taker reading and speaking abilities. It requires the test takers to read, understand, and speak a sentence. Test takers respond to this task by using the computer’s microphone to record themselves speaking a written sentence. The goal of this task is to evaluate intelligible speech production.

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Extended Speaking - The extended speaking tasks are measures of test taker English speaking abilities. At the end of the CAT portion of the test, the test takers respond to four speaking prompts: one picture description task and three independent speaking tasks, two with a written prompt and one with an aural prompt. Each of the task types have items that are calibrated for high, intermediate, and low proficiency levels. The difficulty level of the tasks that test takers

receive is conditional on their estimated ability in the CAT portion of the test. All of these task types require the test taker to speak for an extended time period and to leverage different aspects of their organizational knowledge (e.g., grammar, vocabulary, text structure).

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Extended Writing - The extended writing tasks are measures of the test takers writing English abilities. Test takers respond to four writing prompts that require extended responses: three picture description tasks and one independent task with a written prompt. Similar to the speaking tasks, these are drawn from different levels of difficulty conditional on the estimated ability level of the test taker. The stimuli in the picture description tasks were selected by people with graduate level degrees in applied linguistics. They are designed to give test takers the opportunity to display their full range of written language abilities. The independent tasks require test takers to describe, recount, or make an argument; these require the test takers to demonstrate more discursive knowledge of writing in addition to language knowledge.

Score interpretation The Duolingo English Test is designed to assess real-world language ability, by measuring reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Each test taker's proficiency is reported as a holistic score on a scale from 10 – 160. 

10 – 55 :-

Can understand very basic English words and phrases. Can understand straightforward information and express themselves in familiar context. 

60 – 85 :Can understand the main points of concrete speech or writing on routine matters such as work and school. Can describe experiences, ambitions, opinions, and plans, although with some awkwardness or hesitation.

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90 – 115 :Can fulfill most communication goals, even on unfamiliar topics. Can understand the main ideas of both concrete and abstract writing. Can interact with proficient speakers fairly easily.

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120 – 160 :Can understand a variety of demanding written and spoken language including some specialized language use situations. Can grasp implicit, figurative, pragmatic, and idiomatic language. Can use language flexibly and effectively for most social, academic, and professional purposes.

Score Comparison Duolingo

IELTS

10

1.5

15

2

20 – 25

2.5

30 – 40

3

45 – 50

3.5

55 – 60

4

65 – 70

4.5

75 – 80

5

85 – 90

5.5

95 – 100

6

105 – 120

6.5

115 – 120

7

125 – 130

7.5

135 – 140

8

145 – 150

8.5

155 – 160

9