Unfortunately, this happens to a ton of students. You do NOT want to see this message on your score report. If you hurry through these questions and follow the minimum requirements, it will be difficult to earn a score higher than 120. The more you write and speak, the more opportunities you will have to show a wide range of grammar and vocabulary.

Part of your grade is based on your grammatical and lexical complexity. No matter what the minimum requirement, aim for the maximum.įor all three speaking questions, you are instructed to speak between 30-90 seconds, aim for 90 seconds.įor Write About the Photo questions, write as much as possible in the 60 seconds you are provided.įor Read, Then Write questions, write as much as possible in the 5 minutes you are provided. The directions for each of these questions will inform you of the least amount of words you have to write or the least amount of seconds you have to speak. There are five question types in the Duolingo English test where you will have to produce your own speaking and writing responses: If you haven’t done so already, I recommend taking a practice test over at the Duolingo English Test website or checking out our complete Duolingo English Test practice exam on YouTube for a better idea of how the test looks and feels. Still, it is important to answer each question to the best of your ability because these speaking and writing samples will be sent to the institutions you apply to and judged based on your presence, personality, and English ability. The reason is simple: they do not contribute to your final grade. I haven’t discussed the Speaking Sample and Writing Sample questions at the end of the test. Read and Complete Listen and Select Read and Select Listen and Type and Read Aloud questions will appear approximately six times and adapt in difficulty depending on your performance.Write About the Photo questions appear during the first half of the test and usually one after the other for up to three consecutive questions.Speak About the Photo Read, Then Speak Read, Then Write and Listen, Then Speak questions usually appear at the end of the test.Here are three of the most important things to keep in mind when preparing for the exam structure: Note that this is just an example and do not expect to encounter the questions in the same order on test day.

Duolingo test example