How does the Duolingo English Test work?ĭuolingo, a popular language-learning app, launched its online Duolingo English Test in 2016, which it claimed marked was the “first high-stakes, digital-first English proficiency test that could be taken anytime and anywhere”. “Many do accept Duolingo and that weaker English appears to correlate with higher rates of academic misconduct,” he said. Professor John Heathershaw told i that a “proper study” was needed to find out how extensive the problems that Duolingo and similar tests had caused for UK universities were. “There is no evidence that those students on Duolingo were failing or, indeed, fraudulent, but just not performing at the same level as peers on their course, so we have chosen to remove acceptance for the test.” “We have since removed the approval for the Duolingo test, following our January 2023 student intake in response to anecdotal feedback that the students who had taken the Duolingo test were not doing as well as peers on their programmes,” they said. A spokesperson told i that the decision was taken because of concerns about student performance. It is hard to believe that this person could have achieved a valid pass mark themselves without assistance in the test.”Īston University in Birmingham is one of the many UK institutions that adopted Duolingo at the height of the pandemic but has now dropped it. When I checked her record, I found she had entered on Duolingo scores. “In the classroom, I have seen a student whose English was far below the necessary standard and unable to contribute in class or pass the oral presentation component of the course. “They are more likely to commit plagiarism because they are less able to understand and apply academic conventions – such as how to paraphrase – correctly. Teachers’ union threatens to keep striking until general election over pay dispute 06 April, 2023 Schoolgirl with cancer faces ‘dragging herself into GCSEs’ or sitting exams in hospital 05 April, 2023 Teacher strikes could last until Christmas as NEU announces re-ballot on more industrial action 04 April, 2023Ī lecturer at a Russell Group university who asked to remain anonymous told i:“We’ve seen several students who entered the university via the Duolingo tests be found guilty of plagiarism in recent months.

Log in duolingo