The Duolingo English Proficiency Test is one type of unique exam evaluating a candidate’s English literacy, reading comprehension, conversation, and productivity. Unlike other English Language Exams, including IELTS, TOEFL, and GRE, Duolingo is only one hour long and affordable. There are 4 sections in this exam: Reading, Writing, Listening & Speaking. And out of these, speaking can be a bit challenging. So here are some tips to improve your Duolingo Speaking score.
Understanding the Duolingo English Test Speaking Section
The Duolingo English Test speaking section is designed to assess your ability to communicate effectively in English. This part of the test evaluates your fluency, coherence, and adaptability in spoken English. To perform well, you need to demonstrate your ability to articulate your thoughts clearly and confidently.
The speaking section is a critical component of the Duolingo English Test, and understanding the speaking format and requirements is essential to achieving a high score. You will encounter various tasks that test your ability to describe images, respond to prompts, and engage in spontaneous speech. By familiarizing yourself with these tasks and Duolingo Speaking Tips, you can improve your performance and boost your overall score.
Scoring Criteria for Speaking Questions
The scoring criteria for speaking questions in the Duolingo English Test are comprehensive and assess several aspects of your spoken English. To score highly, your responses should be easy to follow, relevant, and coherent. You should also avoid grammar mistakes, especially in verb tenses and prepositions.
Additionally, using diverse grammatical structures, including long and short sentences, and displaying a diverse vocabulary, avoiding repetition of words, are crucial. Pronunciation is also essential, with clear and accurate speech. The test evaluates your ability to use language naturally and effectively, so focus on speaking clearly and confidently, using a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures to express your ideas.
Different Duolingo English Test Speaking Question Types
The independent tasks need students to partake in debate or elaborate on something, showcasing a more lengthy knowledge of writing and their language skills. Are you wondering what precisely you need to do? However, let’s have a glance at the distinct speaking tasks:
- One picture description task.
- Three individualistic speaking tasks.
- One with listening prompts.
- Two with written prompts.
Strategies for Specific Duolingo Speaking Question Types
These Duolingo speaking tips can be used according to your strengths and weaknesses of different questions. For “Read Aloud” questions, pay attention to punctuation, pausing at commas and periods, and use a clear and accurate tone, with emphasis on keywords. In “Speak About the Photo” questions, use the 5 W’s strategy to generate ideas: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and describe the image in detail, going beyond simple labeling.
The “Read, Then Speak” questions, read the prompt carefully, taking note of key points, and use the 5 W’s strategy to generate ideas. For “Listen, Then Speak” questions, use the “I LAST” strategy to plan your response: Identify, List, Answer, Support, Talk. These strategies will help you structure your responses effectively and ensure you cover all necessary points.
Top 7 Expert Duolingo Speaking Tips To Score High
Tip #1: Bypass Using Uncommon Words
You might want to sound fancy with the complex and bigger words while speaking. But, it’s recommended not to use those complicated words you’re unfamiliar with. It’s because while using those words while constructing sentences, you might mispronounce or put those words incorrectly in a sentence, which might bar you from getting the desired score. Instead, you can use vocabulary that you’re well-acquainted with and pertinent to the topic.
Tip #2: Don’t Bother About Your Accent
If you can interact well with native English speakers, your accent is nothing to worry about! But you should be mindful of the English sounds you might have problems with and be sure about using English pronunciation features, such as intonation and stress.
Tip #3: Extend Your Answers
Mainly, there will be 2-3 questions within one speaking prompt. Hence, you need to unfold your answers by delivering examples or reasons for your opinions. If your answers are short, this showcases Duolingo that you can’t discuss a topic in detail.
Tip #4: Use a Broad Range of Grammatical Arrangements
When Duolingo evaluates your speaking skills, they utilize the below-mentioned assessment measures:
- The wide array of word preferences, for example, lexical diversity.
- The preciseness of your grammar, such as grammatical accuracy.
- How much you can write or say in a limited time, such as assessing your fluency.
- The level and variety of your grammar, such as grammatical intricacy.
- The pace and pronunciation, for example, the acoustic features.
- How amazingly you answered the question which was asked.
In order to obtain a high Duolingo score, you can try using a range of grammatical structures by using simple and complex sentences. In addition, you’re marked on your capability to use distinct grammatical structures precisely. Hence, it’s imperative to practice discussing the past, present, and future using the right tenses. These Duolingo speaking tips will help you simplify your preparation.
Tip #5: Steer Clear of Using Fillers
You need to speak confidently and steer clear of using filler words. Fillers are mainly used when we don’t know how to answer mindfully. Therefore, your inclination toward using filler words will show Duolingo that you can’t access the right ideas or language. It would be better to avoid using fillers significantly to improve your score.
Tip #6: Never try to Memorize Duolingo English Exam Answers
The memorized language never shows the right benchmark for judging your English language proficiency. The AI marking system can easily identify if you have memorized your answers or not. So, you will be disqualified promptly.
Tip #7: Keep practicing common Duolingo English Test Topics
The most ordinary topics you can practice for speaking include the internet, travel and tourism, family life, retail, advertising, education, crime, and punishment. You need to read, speak, and then listen, and after that, speak questions on the exam need you to talk about a topic for 30-90 seconds approx.
How to avoid Score Invalid for Duolingo Speaking?
Duoling exam has a very robust AI to evaluate your exam which gives you results based on your performance. AI will invalidate your scores if you are breaching any of the Duolingo exam policies. One of the policies includes how well you have responded in the speaking section. Duolingo AI will invalidate your score if you provide rehearsed speaking answers. You should always focus on providing natural answers during the exam to score high in the Duolingo Speaking task.
Effective Practice Strategies
You can improve your Duolingo speaking score by practicing regularly at Gurully’s platform by attempting the full-length mock test, where you can get a score similar to a real Duolingo exam. Focus on developing your fluency, coherence, and adaptability in spoken English. Practice active listening and observation skills, and use the strategies outlined above for specific speaking question types. Additionally, consider using a free practice platform like Arno, which provides unlimited questions and feedback on grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. Regular practice will help you become more comfortable with the test format and improve your overall score for Duolingo speaking and your ability to respond confidently and accurately.
Conclusion
A successful interaction always counts on integrating your skills. In today’s article, we have shown you the best expert-recommended tips for Duolingo speaking with ease and getting the most out of this exam. So, what are you worried about? Start practicing the Duolingo practice test today and fulfill your dream of entering a world-class foreign university.
