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Duolingo English Test reading and writing practice

Duolingo English Test5 topics200 questions

The reading and writing half of the Duolingo English Test is where most candidates lose easy marks, because the tasks are short, fast and unforgiving of spelling. This section works through the five task types you will meet on screen, with original practice for each and the timing habits that keep you calm.

What this paper asks of you

  • Rebuilding a word from its first letters using the grammar and meaning around the gap.
  • Telling real English words from invented words that obey English spelling patterns.
  • Reading a short passage once, accurately, and answering several question types about it.
  • Producing a full, grammatical sentence about an image within a one-minute limit.
  • Planning, writing and checking an extended answer that answers every part of the prompt.
  • Typing accurately at speed, because every written task is produced directly on the keyboard.
  • Distinguishing what a passage states from what it merely implies.
  • Using hedges — seems, appears, may — instead of guessing at what you cannot see or read.
  • Recovering from a task that went badly instead of carrying it into the next one.
  • Building the daily reading habit that quietly raises every reading score on the test.

Task types, one page each