Duolingo English Test Interactive Writing — Practice and Examples
You answer a question in writing, then answer a follow-up that pushes on your first answer.
Practise Interactive Writing →
What it tests
Writing that responds to a challenge — not just stating a view, but defending or adjusting it.
Worked example
Question: A city is deciding whether to open its central market on Sundays as well as the other six days. Give your view and one reason.
Model answer
I think it should open on Sundays. Sunday is the one day most people are free all day, so families would actually have time to walk around and buy properly instead of rushing in after work. The traders would sell more, and the streets around the market are quiet on Sundays anyway, so the extra traffic would not cause problems.
Follow-up: Market traders already work six days a week. Explain how the city could open on Sundays without making their working week longer.
Model answer to the follow-up
The simplest answer is to close on a different day instead of adding one. If the market shut on Monday, which is the quietest day, traders would still work six days and the city would gain the busy Sunday. Stalls could also be allowed to share: two traders selling the same goods take alternate Sundays, so each works every second weekend. The city could help by charging no stall fee on Sundays for the first year, which would make it worth paying an extra assistant.
How to do well
- In the first answer, give a view and one concrete reason. Keep it focused.
- The follow-up usually raises a problem with your idea. Answer that problem directly — do not repeat yourself.
- Practical detail (who, when, how) makes a follow-up answer convincing.
Practice at three levels
Our practice for this task comes in three levels you choose yourself: Foundation teaches the format, Standard is 12 sessions plus 12 full tests at the level most candidates aim for, and Hard is another 12 + 12 with academic topics and tighter wording. Progress is kept per level, so you can move up when the current one feels easy.
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