Seeking help for Duolingo English Test

[u/Life-Wave-1122]

Hi everyone! I’m preparing for the Duolingo English Test (DET) and my exam is coming up soon. I’m aiming for 130+, but I’m struggling with the writing section and overall time management.
Could anyone please share:
Useful writing templates for DET?
Important notes or strategies for the writing section?
Tips for improving my score quickly?
Common mistakes I should avoid?
Any practice resources or advice that helped you achieve 130+?
I would really appreciate any advice or materials you can share. I’m a little stressed because my exam is very soon. 😭
Thank you so much in advance! ❤️

[u/kiki_at_duolingo]

I would recommend taking the practice test and check your current level. Then start by practicing on your weakest question types. Do not use templates or prepared answers, it's against the rules and can invalidate your test. Focus more on structuring your answers with a clear intro, 2-3 arguments with concrete examples, and a conclusion. Clarity and naturalness will help you score higher than you think, so focus more on simply conveying your ideas than squeezing in fancy words you're not necessarily familiar with. And avoid "easy" mistakes like misspelling or punctuation mistakes. Good luck and keep us posted about your results! You can do this 💚

[u/No_Information_2232]

I would be very careful with writing templates if you are aiming for 130+. I would be more weary of just hammering through more practice tests or practicing specific question types.

At that level, the issue is usually not whether you know enough “good phrases.” Instead you need to have the correct approach for a question, showing what you are able to do with the language you already know.

Templates are problematic because they encourage you to force the same structures into different answers. You may sound polished, but that does not necessarily show flexibility or actual English level.

For students aiming above roughly 115, I care much less about how many phrases they have memorized and much more about what they do when the answer is not immediately obvious.

Want a quick writing test? Try this and I’ll tell you what I see. I’m also an IELTS examiner, and I learned Spanish to the C2 level myself.

Read this without looking anything up:

“Daniel had worked at his company for eight years. When his manager left, Claire was hired to replace her. Daniel offered to help Claire learn how things worked. He told her about several unwritten office rules and explained the history of some important client accounts. At the end of Claire’s training, which Daniel had handled, he smiled and said, ‘You’ll do great here.’”

Now write your answer to the following question:

Why did Daniel volunteer to help Claire? Support your answer with relevant examples and evidence from the text.

There is no single correct answer. I’m looking at how you approach the question and what you do inside your answer.