Key Facts
| Duolingo English Test result turnaround | 48 hours |
|---|
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
The Duolingo English Test is an adaptive English test that candidates take on their own computer at home, lasting about one hour, with scores reported on a scale from 10 to 160. It does not appear on GOV.UK's list of approved secure English language tests, so it cannot stand in for a listed test such as IELTS for UKVI on a visa application. Some UK universities nevertheless accept it as evidence of English for admission, under their own assessment.
Duolingo describes the test as a sequence of short tasks across reading, writing, listening and speaking, followed by a video interview and a writing sample that institutions receive. Because each university sets its own policy on whether to accept it, the first check is the English language page for your chosen course, and the visa position is a separate question governed by the Home Office list.
What is the Duolingo English Test?
The Duolingo English Test is an online English proficiency test that candidates sit at home, taking about one hour. It is adaptive, so question difficulty changes based on your responses, and each item is chosen according to how earlier items were answered. Duolingo describes the graded part as a sequence of short targeted tasks across reading, writing, listening and speaking, with no long sections to settle into. Most people finish in under an hour, and the questions are meant to be demanding in content whilst the experience of taking the test stays manageable.
How is the test structured?
The test has a graded section of short tasks, followed by a video interview and a writing sample that are shared with institutions. The four skills are mixed together, and a correct answer on a reading task can lead to a harder task, perhaps a speaking one, so the order of questions varies between candidates.
Speaking is described as a series of four tasks, each aimed at a different speaking genre. Picture Description, Extended Speaking and the Speaking Sample ask you to describe, narrate, explain or argue, whereas Interactive Speaking is a conversation with a virtual character that adapts to each response. It has six to eight conversation turns, 35 seconds to respond to each prompt and no preparation time.
- Picture Description
- Extended Speaking
- Speaking Sample
- Interactive Speaking
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Enquire about this tutorHow are the scores reported and how do they relate to the CEFR?
Scores are reported on a 10 to 160 scale in 5-point increments. Four individual subscores cover Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, and the overall score is the average of those four, rounded to the nearest 5. Four integrated subscores sit alongside them: Literacy combines Reading and Writing, Comprehension combines Reading and Listening, Conversation combines Speaking and Listening, and Production combines Speaking and Writing. Each integrated subscore is a simple average of two individual subscores.
Duolingo's published alignment to the Common European Framework of Reference places B1 at 60 to 95, B2 at 100 to 125, C1 at 130 to 150 and C2 at 155 to 160. The pages Duolingo provides on this give no score ranges for A1 or A2. Scores are spread across the scale, and few test takers reach the highest scores.
What are the at-home security rules and computer requirements?
The test is recorded and reviewed, so it is taken in a quiet, private, well-lit room under fixed rules about equipment and behaviour. Each session is captured through the computer, microphone, keyboard and mouse. An AI algorithm reviews the uploaded session first, and human proctors then use the AI flags and their own judgement to make the final decision. The system looks for prohibited materials, another person in the room and attempts to use external devices.
During the test you keep your face and ears visible, avoid wearing headphones, look at the screen and respond before each question's timer runs out. Duolingo lists the equipment you need.
- A computer with a camera, microphone and speakers
- A smartphone with a camera
- A stable internet connection
- A government-issued ID
Can the Duolingo English Test be used for a UK visa or for university admission?
The Duolingo English Test cannot be used where a UK visa application needs a secure English language test, because GOV.UK states that only the tests and levels it specifies are approved and Duolingo is not among them. The approved providers are the IELTS SELT Consortium (IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills), LANGUAGECERT (International ESOL SELT, Academic SELT and General SELT), Pearson (PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home), PSI Services (UK) Ltd (Skills for English UKVI, outside the UK only) and Trinity College London (Integrated Skills in English and Graded Examinations in Spoken English, in the UK only).
Admission is a separate matter. Duolingo states that the test is accepted as proof of English proficiency by many programmes in the UK, and each university applies its own assessment when it decides whether to take the score for a given course. A university that accepts it for admission has not thereby made it a Home Office approved test, so anyone who needs a visa should ask the university which evidence it will use at each stage.
How do you check a university's requirement?
The reliable check is the English language requirements page for your specific course, supported by Duolingo's list of accepting institutions. Duolingo links that list from its UK acceptance page and directs applicants to meet the institution's own English language proficiency requirements. Entry rules can differ between courses within one university, so read the page for the programme you are applying to.
Work through the checks in order, then confirm any doubt with the admissions office before you book.
- Find the course page that names accepted English tests
- Note the overall score the university asks for, and any subscore minimums
- Compare those figures with the 10 to 160 scale and the CEFR bands above
- Search Duolingo's list of accepting institutions for the university
- Ask admissions to confirm in writing that the test is accepted for your course and for your visa evidence
How should you prepare, and how does it differ from IELTS?
Preparation starts with the free practice test and the official video walkthrough, which show the task types, the timers and the rules before you commit to a sitting. Duolingo says you can take the practice test as many times as you like to estimate your score range, and it advises against cramming, noting that studying the night before will not dramatically change your score. Daily practice of reading, listening, speaking aloud and writing short responses suits an adaptive test, where every skill feeds a subscore.
Speaking responses are scored by machine learning models on five areas: content (relevance and development of ideas), discourse coherence (logical flow and clarity), vocabulary and grammar (range, sophistication and accuracy), fluency (speed and chunking of speech) and pronunciation (intelligibility, stress, intonation and rhythm). Record yourself answering a follow-up question within 35 seconds, then play it back and check each area in turn. A balanced answer tends to serve you better than a polished one that misses the question.
IELTS for UKVI is a listed secure test with its own set format, whereas this test has no long sections and no fixed number of questions, because it adapts to your responses and uses fewer questions than a fixed-form test. Practise short timed tasks across all four skills and rehearse the home setting, including a camera view that keeps your face and ears visible.
Related guides
- What is IELTS? Format, versions and scoring
- OET or IELTS for healthcare staff
- PTE Academic explained
- OET explained
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Frequently asked questions
- Does the Duolingo English Test have a pass mark?
- Duolingo reports a score from 10 to 160 and does not set a pass mark, because each university or organisation decides the overall score and any subscore minimums it requires. Scores are spread across the scale, so a requirement is best read against the CEFR bands Duolingo publishes. Check the figures on your course page before you book a sitting.
- Is there a free way to practise the test?
- Duolingo provides a free practice test on its Test Readiness page, which you can take as many times as you like. It shows the format and helps you estimate a score range. Official video walkthroughs on the same page explain the rules, so you can rehearse the timers, the camera set-up and the response limits before the real sitting.
- Is the speaking section marked by a human examiner?
- Speaking responses are scored by machine learning models that assess content, discourse coherence, vocabulary and grammar, fluency and pronunciation. Interactive Speaking is a fully automated conversation with a virtual character. Human proctors take part in the security review of the recorded session, where they decide whether any rules were broken.
- What happens to the video interview and writing sample?
- After the graded section you complete a video interview and a writing sample, and these are shared with institutions. A university can therefore see how you respond in speech and writing as well as reading your scores. Practising extended spoken and written answers in advance prepares you for both tasks.
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