Duolingo English Test Gains Support, Questions Remain
2022-01-02
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1You may know Duolingo as an app on your mobile phone to learn languages, including English.
2But the company recently launched an English test that it hopes will gain more acceptance, like the long-established TOEFL and IELTS.
3TOEFL is an English test from the American organization Educational Testing Service.
4And IELTS is owned by the British Council and others.
5Duolingo was founded in 2011 by Luis von Ahn, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, along with one of his students.
6The company launched its Duolingo app a year later.
7It now provides learning instruction for over 40 languages.
8Von Ahn grew up in the Central American country of Guatemala.
9The company said he had to travel to neighboring El Salvador for an English test while applying to universities in the United States.
10With that experience, he wanted to create a test so more students could prove their English ability.
11And the Duolingo English Test, DET, came out in 2016.
12Jennifer Dewar works for Duolingo.
13She helps universities around the world understand how the Duolingo test can measure students' English language skills.
14"For me, when I encountered the Duolingo English Test, I saw it as a real solution and as a real tool that could democratize access to education for students around the world."
15Dewar said hundreds of universities had already accepted the Duolingo test before the COVID-19 pandemic closed many testing centers.
16Since then, the number grew to almost 2,000 around the world.
17The schools included well-known universities like Georgetown, Caltech and Yale.
18Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida is one of the schools that is trying out Duolingo's test.
19Patrick Kennell is director of the university's Center for Intensive English Studies.
20He is excited about the new ideas Duolingo brought to English testing,
21but he is not sure whether it measures English skills as well as the traditional tests.
22"Is it valid for what it says it measures?" he asked.
23He also wondered if students who use their score on the DET to get into a university will have trouble keeping up in the classroom.
24"Only time will tell," he added.
25The Duolingo test requires students to fill in missing letters in groups of words,
26listen and choose whether the word they hear is English or made-up, write short answers to questions,
27 and listen to a sentence and write it word-for-word.
28Test takers are also required to speak English into their computer microphone about several subjects.
29Most questions have a time limit.
30And the test, which costs $49, takes less than one hour to complete.
31Because Duolingo's test can be taken by a student at home, some universities are concerned that it might be easy to cheat.
32But Duolingo says it is always working to make sure that students cannot.
33The company also works on security because it does not want a student who got a good score on the DET to arrive at school and not be able to speak English as well as their score showed.
34Before the online test starts, students must show their identification paper or passport, and take a photo of themselves.
35If the two photos do not look the same, a reviewer will question the test results.
36Since Duolingo's test is adaptive, meaning the next question depends on the answer to the current question, no one has ever taken the same test as another person.
37Basim Baig is Duolingo's head of security.
38He said no matter what testing companies do, some people probably cheat and do not get caught.
39Most universities want students to score close to 120 points on the DET.
40The top scores will be around 150.
41But even people who grew up speaking English do not always score that high.
42Burr Settles is one of the test creators at Duolingo.
43He said Duolingo aims to make its test a good simulation of how people speak English in real life.
44"We want the test to be something that is ... fun and natural to take, and at the same time, you're better off learning the language than to, like, learn how to take the test."
45In the year ending on July 31, 2021, Duolingo said most test-takers came from India, China and the U.S.
46Kennell compared the DET to tests that one might give an athlete.
47He said just because a soccer player can run fast or kick the ball well, it does not mean that player will be as good as Lionel Messi.
48The player must understand the game, work with teammates and fit into the team's system.
49In the same way, he said a college student needs to be able to read difficult books, listen to lessons, write papers and join class discussions in English.
50The IELTS and TOEFL, Kennell said, measure those skills better since they simulate what students will do in a university classroom.
51Beau Benson works with international students who are thinking of coming to Northeastern University in Boston.
52The school has over 10,000 international students each year.
53He thinks the Duolingo test does a good job of showing that a student can speak English well enough to take classes in the U.S.
54"We just need something we can trust, something that's going to be fast, something that we don't need to question ... that's not going to slow us down. And Duolingo's been great in that sense."
55Regardless of the acceptance rate for the Duolingo English test, it has already made an impact.
56Earlier this year, ETS, the maker of TOEFL, launched a shorter, less costly test called TOEFL Essentials.
57Florida State's Kennell, however, warned that no English test is perfect.
58"Tests don't tell it all, definitely. We've had students come to us, they've gotten 100 on the TOEFL, they get started in their classes and they can't, they can't do it. An English test is just a piece of the whole package."
59I'm Dan Friedell.
1You may know Duolingo as an app on your mobile phone to learn languages, including English. But the company recently launched an English test that it hopes will gain more acceptance, like the long-established TOEFL and IELTS. 2TOEFL is an English test from the American organization Educational Testing Service. And IELTS is owned by the British Council and others. 3Duolingo was founded in 2011 by Luis von Ahn, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, along with one of his students. The company launched its Duolingo app a year later. It now provides learning instruction for over 40 languages. 4Von Ahn grew up in the Central American country of Guatemala. The company said he had to travel to neighboring El Salvador for an English test while applying to universities in the United States. With that experience, he wanted to create a test so more students could prove their English ability. And the Duolingo English Test, DET, came out in 2016. 5Jennifer Dewar works for Duolingo. She helps universities around the world understand how the Duolingo test can measure students' English language skills. 6"For me, when I encountered the Duolingo English Test, I saw it as a real solution and as a real tool that could democratize access to education for students around the world." 7Dewar said hundreds of universities had already accepted the Duolingo test before the COVID-19 pandemic closed many testing centers. Since then, the number grew to almost 2,000 around the world. The schools included well-known universities like Georgetown, Caltech and Yale. 8Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida is one of the schools that is trying out Duolingo's test. Patrick Kennell is director of the university's Center for Intensive English Studies. He is excited about the new ideas Duolingo brought to English testing, but he is not sure whether it measures English skills as well as the traditional tests. 9"Is it valid for what it says it measures?" he asked. He also wondered if students who use their score on the DET to get into a university will have trouble keeping up in the classroom. "Only time will tell," he added. 10The test 11The Duolingo test requires students to fill in missing letters in groups of words, listen and choose whether the word they hear is English or made-up, write short answers to questions, and listen to a sentence and write it word-for-word. Test takers are also required to speak English into their computer microphone about several subjects. Most questions have a time limit. And the test, which costs $49, takes less than one hour to complete. 12Because Duolingo's test can be taken by a student at home, some universities are concerned that it might be easy to cheat. But Duolingo says it is always working to make sure that students cannot. 13The company also works on security because it does not want a student who got a good score on the DET to arrive at school and not be able to speak English as well as their score showed. 14Before the online test starts, students must show their identification paper or passport, and take a photo of themselves. If the two photos do not look the same, a reviewer will question the test results. 15Since Duolingo's test is adaptive, meaning the next question depends on the answer to the current question, no one has ever taken the same test as another person. 16Basim Baig is Duolingo's head of security. He said no matter what testing companies do, some people probably cheat and do not get caught. 17Most universities want students to score close to 120 points on the DET. The top scores will be around 150. But even people who grew up speaking English do not always score that high. 18Burr Settles is one of the test creators at Duolingo. He said Duolingo aims to make its test a good simulation of how people speak English in real life. 19"We want the test to be something that is ... fun and natural to take, and at the same time, you're better off learning the language than to, like, learn how to take the test." 20In the year ending on July 31, 2021, Duolingo said most test-takers came from India, China and the U.S. 21Kennell compared the DET to tests that one might give an athlete. He said just because a soccer player can run fast or kick the ball well, it does not mean that player will be as good as Lionel Messi. The player must understand the game, work with teammates and fit into the team's system. 22In the same way, he said a college student needs to be able to read difficult books, listen to lessons, write papers and join class discussions in English. 23The IELTS and TOEFL, Kennell said, measure those skills better since they simulate what students will do in a university classroom. 24Beau Benson works with international students who are thinking of coming to Northeastern University in Boston. The school has over 10,000 international students each year. He thinks the Duolingo test does a good job of showing that a student can speak English well enough to take classes in the U.S. 25"We just need something we can trust, something that's going to be fast, something that we don't need to question ... that's not going to slow us down. And Duolingo's been great in that sense." 26Regardless of the acceptance rate for the Duolingo English test, it has already made an impact. Earlier this year, ETS, the maker of TOEFL, launched a shorter, less costly test called TOEFL Essentials. 27Florida State's Kennell, however, warned that no English test is perfect. 28"Tests don't tell it all, definitely. We've had students come to us, they've gotten 100 on the TOEFL, they get started in their classes and they can't, they can't do it. An English test is just a piece of the whole package." 29I'm Dan Friedell. 30Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 31Have you taken the Duolingo English Test or studied a language using one of their programs? Tell us in the Comments section and visit our Facebook page. 32________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34apply - v. to ask formally for something (such as a job, admission to a school, a loan, etc.) usually in writing 35encounter - v. to have or experience or meet something 36access - n. a way of being able to use or get something 37valid - n. fair or reasonable 38microphone- n. a device into which people speak or sing in order to record their voices or to make them sound louder 39simulation - n. something that is made to look, feel, or behave like something else especially so that it can be studied or used to train people 40definitely - adv. without doubt : in a way that is certain or clear