Duolingo English Test case studies
Duolingo English Test · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Duolingo English Test is an online English proficiency assessment from Duolingo, the company behind the language-learning app. Rather than requiring a fixed sitting at a test centre, it is delivered remotely and is positioned as convenient, fast and affordable: Duolingo describes it as integrating "the latest assessment science and AI" so that candidates can accurately test their English "where and when they're at their best." Tasks draw on reading, writing, listening and speaking together instead of isolating one skill at a time, and the test is computer-delivered and adaptive, so the items you meet depend on how you handle earlier ones and no two candidates see an identical paper. The Duolingo English Test case studies are 5 cases and about 3,288 words.
1The Cloze Paradox
Mei, 19, is preparing for the DET with a target of 120. Her tutor's log from three weeks of daily practice shows a stable pattern.
625 words, about 3 min2The Lexical-Overlap Lure
A class of 14 upper-intermediate learners takes a weekly inference quiz. On last week's 90-second audio about coral bleaching, 11 of 14 correctly listed the main causes and the 2 °C threshold, so literal comprehension is solid.
644 words, about 3 min3Silence, Coverage, and the Wrong Kind of Politeness
Arjun, aiming for 115, records a mock speaking item: 30 seconds' preparation, then 90 seconds on 'Describe a skill you learned and explain why it mattered.' Analysis of the recording: 14 seconds of silence in the first 25; then a fluent, well-organised 50-second answer covering only how he learned to swim, never why it mattered; he stops at 64 seconds believing he has finished. In interactive listening he chose the longest, most formal option in 6 of 7 items, including 'Would you be so kind as to elaborate?' in reply to a classmate's casual question.
647 words, about 3 min4The Ninety-Second Revision
Five-minute writing task: 'Describe a place that changed how you think.' A candidate submits 76 words: 'The place that changed my thinking is my grandmother's village. I went there when I was 15 years old.
703 words, about 4 min5Two Test Scores and Twelve Days
A learner has 12 days, one retake, and a requirement of 125 overall with no subscore below 110. Two full practice tests, four days apart, give: Test 1 - Literacy 105, Comprehension 118, Conversation 92, Production 100.
669 words, about 3 min