Duolingo English Test · Guides · November 5, 2026 · 7 min read
DET writing tasks: Write About the Photo, Interactive Writing and the Writing Sample, with model answers
The Duolingo English Test (DET) has no long essay. Instead, your Writing subscore comes from several short, timed answers: three photo descriptions of one minute each, one Interactive Writing task in two parts, the Writing Sample, and the summaries you write in Interactive Listening. All of them are scored by AI on four criteria, and none of the photo or sample tasks is adaptive. The Writing Sample is also sent to every university you share your results with, so an admissions officer may actually read it.
How writing is scored
| Criterion | What it looks at |
|---|---|
| Content | relevance to the prompt, development, effect on the reader |
| Discourse coherence | clarity, structure, how ideas connect and progress |
| Grammar | range and accuracy of structures, punctuation |
| Lexis | range and precision of vocabulary, word formation, spelling |
Duolingo’s Scoring Guide describes the top level (155–160) as an answer that “fully addresses the task” with a wide range of structures and rare errors, and the 100–125 level as relevant and partially developed, with errors that usually do not block communication. Both UK and US spelling are accepted. The scoring also detects answers that are off topic, contain little real language or rely heavily on repetition, and gives them very low scores. A memorized paragraph pasted into every prompt is exactly that kind of answer.
The writing tasks at a glance
| Task | Time | Number | What you write |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write About the Photo | 1 minute | 3 | a description of a photo |
| Interactive Writing | 30 s to plan, 5 min + 3 min | 1 (2 parts) | an answer, then a follow-up on a new aspect of the same topic |
| Writing Sample | 30 s to plan, 5 min | 1 | an experience or an opinion; universities see it |
| Summarize the Conversation | 75 seconds | 2 | a summary of an Interactive Listening conversation |
The summary is covered in Interactive Listening. The other three are below.
Write About the Photo
You see a real photo of people, animals or objects and have one minute to describe it. The photo stays on screen while you type.
A structure that fits one minute
- One sentence for the whole scene: who, where, what is happening.
- Two or three sentences of detail: positions, actions, clothes, objects, colors.
- One sentence of reasonable inference: what might be happening or how someone feels.
Model answer (photo: a man fixing a bicycle on a city sidewalk while a boy watches)
A man is repairing a bicycle on a busy sidewalk in a city. He is kneeling next to the bike and holding a small tool, while a boy in a red T-shirt watches him closely. Several tools are lying on a cloth on the ground. The boy might be his son, waiting to ride again.
That is about 55 words. Strong points: specific verbs (repairing, kneeling, watches closely), a position phrase (next to, on the ground), and an inference marked with might. Duolingo’s own advice: describe in detail rather than just naming things, write full sentences, and skip long openings like “This picture shows a situation that might be happening in everyday life…”.
Interactive Writing
You read a question, plan for up to 30 seconds and write for 5 minutes. Then a second question appears on the same topic but asks about an idea you did not write about, and you have 3 minutes, with your first answer still visible. Both parts are scored together, and a second part that changes the subject or adds unrelated ideas can score lower.
Part 1 prompt: Some people think university students should have to do volunteer work as part of their degree. Do you agree? Explain your view.
Model answer, Part 1 (about 140 words)
I agree that volunteer work should be part of a university degree, as long as students can choose where they help. First, volunteering teaches skills that lectures rarely cover. A student who tutors children or organizes a food drive learns to communicate, plan and solve problems with real people, and employers value these abilities. Second, it connects universities with their communities. In my city, engineering students have helped repair water pumps in nearby villages, and both sides benefited: the villages got working pumps, and the students saw how their knowledge matters outside the classroom. Some people argue that students are already too busy. However, even twenty hours a year would make a difference without harming their studies. For these reasons, I believe a small, flexible volunteering requirement would make graduates more capable and more responsible citizens.
Part 2 prompt: What problems could a university face if it made volunteering compulsory?
Model answer, Part 2 (about 80 words)
The main problem would be organization. A large university would need hundreds of placements every year, and someone would have to check that students really completed their hours. Another risk is that compulsory volunteering could feel like a chore, so students might do the minimum without caring about the people they help. To reduce these problems, the university could partner with local organizations and let students choose projects connected to their subjects.
Why it works: Part 2 stays on the same topic, does not repeat Part 1, answers the new question directly, and even links back to the first answer’s idea of choice. That connection is what the scoring looks for.
Planning in 30 seconds: decide your position in one line, then two reasons with one example each. For Part 2, answer the new question in your first sentence.
Writing Sample
You get up to 30 seconds to read a prompt asking about something that happened to you or your opinion, then 5 minutes to write. It counts toward Writing and is shared with the institutions that receive your results. Duolingo’s tip: remember that someone at your future university will read it.
Prompt: Describe a time when you had to learn something new very quickly. What happened, and what did you learn from the experience?
Model answer (about 170 words)
Last year, two weeks before my cousin’s wedding, the photographer canceled, and my family asked me to take the photos. I had only ever used my phone camera, so I had to learn fast. I borrowed a camera from a friend and spent every evening watching tutorials about light, focus and composition. Each day I practiced on my younger brother, and each night I compared my photos with the examples to see what was wrong. At first most pictures were too dark, but by the end of the first week I understood how to adjust the settings for indoor light.
On the wedding day I was nervous, yet the photos turned out better than anyone expected, and my aunt printed several of them for her living room. The experience taught me that I learn best through short, focused practice with quick feedback. I now use the same method for my studies: I practice a small skill, check my mistakes immediately, and try again the next day.
Why it works: a clear story with time markers (Last year, At first, by the end of the first week, On the wedding day), specific details, a range of past forms, and a final paragraph that answers “what did you learn”. It sounds like a person, not a template.
Common mistakes
- Writing too little. Unused minutes are lost content. In five minutes, 120–180 words is a realistic aim for most students at B2 and above.
- Memorized introductions. “In this modern era, technology is a double-edged sword…” adds words but no content, and repetitive templates are penalized.
- One long paragraph without links. Use first, however, for example, as a result to show the progression of ideas.
- Ignoring Part 2’s new question. Repeating Part 1 in other words scores lower.
- No time to check. Leave 20–30 seconds for capital letters, full stops, -s endings and typos.
- Lists in the photo task. “Man. Bicycle. Tools. Boy.” is not a description.
How to improve in two weeks
- One photo a day, one minute, three times. Use any news photo. Compare your three versions.
- Two Interactive Writing prompts a week, with feedback, and rewrite one answer each time.
- Build a bank of linking phrases and verbs, not of paragraphs.
- Keep an error list from feedback: articles, prepositions, verb tenses. Check them in every new answer.
For how Writing combines with the other subscores, see Duolingo English Test scores; the speaking tasks follow a similar logic in DET speaking tasks.
Practice the writing tasks in the Nomto room
The Interactive Writing drill in the Nomto DET room gives you a prompt, a 5-minute and a 3-minute part, and a review of both on content, coherence, grammar and vocabulary, with corrected sentences and a model answer. The photo task and the Writing Sample have their own drills. One written answer is reviewed free with an account; a Nomto pass opens more. Our ratings are estimates, not Duolingo scores.
Common questions
Is there a minimum word count on DET writing tasks? Duolingo does not set one, but answers that are too short cannot show enough content, range and organization.
Can I use British spelling? Yes. Both UK and US spellings are accepted.
Do universities see my writing? They see the Writing Sample from the test you send them, not the other writing tasks.
Are the two parts of Interactive Writing scored separately? No. They are scored together.
Duolingo English Test is a trademark of Duolingo, Inc. Nomto is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Duolingo.
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