A1–C2 · Duolingo English Test
Duolingo English Test Practice Test 17
AI-generated practice paper in the style of Duolingo English Test — original material, not a reproduction of any real exam paper, following the official task types. Listening audio is read aloud by your browser's voice. For Speaking you can record yourself and compare with a model answer, and Writing tasks include a model answer — neither is scored automatically, since that needs real speech and writing evaluation this site does not offer for this exam.
Reading
Read and Select
Look at each word. Is it a real English word?
1.bewilder
2.weernible
3.foltot
4.spirnous
5.slenib
6.brinent
7.eager
8.nelor
9.argue
10.urgent
11.jeedry
12.inflate
13.carpenter
14.lantern
15.maintain
Fill in the Blanks
Type the missing letters to complete the word in each sentence.
Wherever there is a shortage of skilled workers, wages naturally rise and employers begin to off better conditions.
It took the workers nearly two years to restore the frescoes, using tiny brushes and a great deal of pati.
Rising rents have forced many young families to move out of the city and buy smal homes in the countryside.
No sooner had the mayor announced the new tax than protesters began gathe outside the town hall.
Jumping into a cold lake on New Year's morning is a tradition that bri together hundreds of cheerful swimmers.
Ali's grandfather built the wooden bench in front of the house from planks he found on a bea.
Read and Complete
Type the missing letters to complete the text below.
What was once considered vandalism has, in many cities, become a respected and celebrated form of public art. Local coun now commi artists to paint enormous murals across blank walls, turning grey car parks and empty factory buildings into outdoor galle that attract tourists with cameras. Some pain spend weeks on a single wall, using cranes and safety harne to reach the highest sections while sketching the design free as they go. Resid often say that a well-chosen mural gives a forgo street a genuine sense of pri and iden.
Interactive Reading
Read the passage and complete each step.
In the summer of 1858, London was hit by a smell so foul that the newspapers called it the Great Stink. The cause was the River Thames, which had become an open sewer. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the city more than two million people, and much of their waste ran straight into the river. The problem got worse when flush toilets became popular, because they sent far more waste into the drains. That June, the weather turned unusually hot, and the stink grew so strong that Parliament, which stands beside the river, could hardly continue its work. Members soaked curtains in chloride of lime, and some even considered moving the government elsewhere. For years, doctors had blamed disease on bad air, so the crisis seemed as well as disgusting. In fact, cholera spreads through dirty water, a truth that the physician John Snow had shown a few years earlier. Whatever the reason, the politicians acted with astonishing speed. Within weeks, they had approved a plan by the engineer Joseph Bazalgette to build a huge system of underground sewers that would carry waste , far from the city centre. The work took years, and it was so well built that parts of it still serve London today. the sewers were finished, deaths from cholera fell sharply.
16. The passage stops before its final sentence. Which sentence best completes it?
17. Highlight the answer: Which sentence names the cause of the smell?
18. Highlight the answer: Which sentence describes what Members of Parliament did at first to escape the smell?
19. What is the main idea of the passage?
20. What is the best title for the passage?
Listening
Listen and Type
Listen and type the sentence you hear. You can play the audio as many times as you like.
1. Type what you hear.
2. Type what you hear.
3. Type what you hear.
4. Type what you hear.
5. Type what you hear.
6. Type what you hear.
Interactive Listening
Listen to each conversation, then answer.
Transcript (available after checking)
Grace: I was sick on Monday and missed the whole lecture. Could I borrow your notes?
Henry: Sure, I took pretty detailed notes that day, so they should help a lot.
Grace: Thank you so much, I'll return them by tomorrow if that's okay.
Henry: No rush at all, just send me a photo once you've copied them.
7. What is the best reply to the last speaker?
8. Why does Grace need to borrow Henry's notes?
Summarize the conversation in one or two sentences.
Show sample answer
Model answer: Grace asks Henry to borrow his detailed notes from a lecture she missed due to illness, and he agrees to lend them without any rush.
Transcript (available after checking)
Frank: I saw a pottery class starting next month at the community center. Interested?
Grace: Actually, yes, I've wanted to try that for a while now.
Frank: Great, it meets every Thursday evening for six weeks in total.
Grace: That works with my schedule. Let's sign up together this weekend.
9. What is the best reply to the last speaker?
10. How many weeks does the pottery class run?
Summarize the conversation in one or two sentences.
Show sample answer
Model answer: Frank tells Grace about a six-week pottery class on Thursday evenings, and they agree to sign up together over the weekend.
Writing
Write About the Photo
Look at each picture and write one or two sentences describing it.
Describe this picture in one or two sentences.
Show sample answer
Model answer: I can see a round ball. It could be used for football or other games, and I remember playing with a ball in the street with my friends until it got dark.
Describe this picture in one or two sentences.
Show sample answer
Model answer: The picture shows a bright yellow sun with rays around it. It means the weather is warm and sunny, which is my favourite kind of day for a picnic in the park.
Describe this picture in one or two sentences.
Show sample answer
Model answer: This is a round red apple with a small stem on top. It is a healthy snack, and my grandmother always says that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Interactive Writing
Answer the question.
People often say that money cannot buy happiness. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Support your answer with a reason or an example.
Show sample answer
Model answer: I partly agree. Money cannot buy friendship or love, and I know rich people who are very lonely. But without enough money, it is hard to feel safe or to enjoy life because you constantly worry about bills. So I think money is not the source of happiness, but it removes many problems that block it.
Writing Sample
Write about the topic for up to three minutes.
What is a tradition in your family that you would like to continue with your own children?
Show sample answer
Model answer: In my family, we always cook a big pot of soup on the first cold day of the year, and everyone comes to eat it together. My grandmother started this tradition, and now my mother continues it. There is no special reason except that it brings us to the same table. I would like to keep it alive with my own children one day, maybe adding a new dish of my own each year. Traditions like this give children a feeling of belonging and create memories they can share with their own families.
Speaking
Speak About the Photo
Look at the picture and speak about it for 30 seconds.
Speak about the picture. Say as much as you can.
Show sample answer
Model answer: In this picture, I can see a dog. It looks friendly and full of energy, and I think it is waiting for someone to take it out. I have a dog at home myself, and every evening we go for a walk together. Dogs make people feel less lonely, so I really like them.
Read, Then Speak
Read the prompt, then speak about it.
Talk about a habit from your childhood that you have now stopped. Why did you stop, and do you miss it?
Show sample answer
Model answer: When I was a child, I used to collect stones from every place we visited. I had a big box full of them, and I remembered where each one came from. When I became a teenager, I stopped because it seemed silly, and my interests changed. Now that I am an adult, I sometimes miss it. I recently found the box in my parents' attic, and looking at the stones brought back many happy memories of our family trips.
Interactive Speaking
Answer each question in turn.
Which season do you enjoy the most?
Show sample answer
Model answer: I enjoy autumn the most, because the temperature is pleasant and the colours of the leaves are beautiful.
How does the weather usually affect your mood?
Show sample answer
Model answer: Grey, rainy days make me feel a little tired, while sunshine usually gives me more energy.
What do you typically do differently in summer compared with winter?
Show sample answer
Model answer: In summer I spend more time outdoors and eat lighter food, while in winter I stay in and cook warm meals.
Describe a time the weather completely ruined your plans.
Show sample answer
Model answer: I once planned an outdoor birthday party, but a sudden storm forced us to move everything inside at the last minute.
Why do you think so many people talk about the weather in everyday conversation?
Show sample answer
Model answer: It is a safe, neutral topic that almost everyone experiences the same way, so it is an easy way to start a conversation with a stranger.
Do you think climate change is already noticeably affecting the weather in your area? Explain.
Show sample answer
Model answer: I think summers in my area have become noticeably hotter and drier over the last ten years, and several older neighbours have mentioned the same thing.
Speaking Sample
Speak about the topic for up to three minutes.
Describe a place that feels like home to you, even if it is not where you currently live. Explain what makes it feel that way.
Show sample answer
Model answer: The place that feels most like home to me is my grandparents' old kitchen, even though I have not lived there for many years. It is a small room with a wooden table, faded yellow walls and a window that looks out onto their vegetable garden. Whenever I walk in, the smell of coffee and freshly baked bread instantly takes me back to childhood mornings spent there during summer holidays. It is not a grand or beautiful place by any normal standard, but every object in it carries a memory, from the chipped mug I always used to the clock that has been slightly wrong for as long as I can remember. Home, for me, seems to be less about the building itself and more about the familiar feelings a place brings back.
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Up next: Duolingo English Test Practice Test 18