How the Duolingo English Test Is Scored: A Complete Guide
The Duolingo English Test (DET) gives you an overall score from 10 to 160, plus eight subscores that break down your skills in more detail. Understanding what each score means, how the test grades your answers, and what gets you points is the fastest way to set realistic goals and decide what to work on.
This guide walks through everything you need to know about DET scoring, based on the 2026 official scoring guide from Duolingo.
Table of Contents
- The DET Score Scale at a Glance
- The 4 Main Subscores and 4 Combined Subscores
- How DET Scores Compare to IELTS, TOEFL, and CEFR
- The 4 Scoring Methods Used Across Question Types
- The 6 Criteria Used to Grade Speaking and Writing
- What Each DET Score Band Looks Like
- How to Move Up a Score Band
- How AI Scoring Works (and Why It's Reliable)
- Frequently Asked Questions
The DET Score Scale at a Glance
Every DET test taker receives an overall score between 10 and 160. Scores move in steps of 5, so possible results are 10, 15, 20, 25, all the way up to 160. The lowest score is 10. The highest is 160.
Your overall score is the average of your four main subscores (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing), rounded up to the nearest 5. The test takes about an hour, and results are available within two days. The test is adaptive, which means the questions get harder or easier based on how you are performing, so the system can land on an accurate score faster than fixed-length tests.
For context, 120 is enough to be admitted to most universities that accept the DET, and 135 or above puts you in range of almost all competitive programs.
The 4 Main Subscores and 4 Combined Subscores
Along with the overall score, you receive four main subscores, one for each language skill:
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
- Writing
Each of these is also on the 10 to 160 scale. The overall score is the average of these four, rounded up to the nearest 5. So if your subscores are 90 (Listening), 100 (Speaking), 110 (Reading), and 120 (Writing), your overall is (90 + 100 + 110 + 120) ÷ 4 = 105.
You also receive four combined subscores, which group the main skills into pairs that reflect real-world communication abilities:
- Comprehension = average of Reading and Listening
- Conversation = average of Speaking and Listening
- Literacy = average of Reading and Writing
- Production = average of Speaking and Writing
So if you scored 110 in Reading and 120 in Writing, your Literacy subscore would be 115.
Some universities and programs look at specific subscores in addition to the overall score, so knowing your weakest area is important. If your Production subscore is dragging your overall down, that tells you to spend more time on Speaking and Writing practice.
How DET Scores Compare to IELTS, TOEFL, and CEFR
If you have already taken IELTS or TOEFL, or if you know your CEFR level, this table will help you set a realistic DET target. The numbers below come from the official Duolingo English Test score comparison.
| CEFR | DET | IELTS | TOEFL iBT |
|---|---|---|---|
| C2 | 155 – 160 | 8.5 – 9 | 119 – 120 |
| C1 | 130 – 150 | 7 – 8 | 98 – 118 |
| B2 | 100 – 125 | 5.5 – 6.5 | 65 – 97 |
| B1 | 60 – 95 | 4 – 5.5 | 18 – 64 |
| A1 – A2 | 10 – 55 | 0 – 4 | 0 – 17 |
Source: Duolingo English Test score comparison.
A few benchmarks worth remembering: DET 115 ≈ IELTS 6.0 ≈ TOEFL ~80, which is the typical minimum for undergraduate admission. DET 120 ≈ IELTS 6.5, the most common requirement for graduate programs. DET 135 ≈ IELTS 7.0, the level expected by competitive universities and many professional programs.
For a deeper comparison of the tests themselves, including cost, format, and convenience, see our guide to choosing between the DET, PTE, IELTS, and TOEFL.
The 4 Scoring Methods Used Across Question Types
Not every DET question is scored the same way. The test uses four different scoring methods, and knowing which one applies to each question helps you understand why some questions feel strict and others feel forgiving.
1. Right or Wrong
The answer is either fully correct or fully wrong. There is no partial credit. This applies to Read and Select (real vs. fake word), Fill in the Blanks, Read and Complete, most Interactive Reading tasks, and Listen and Respond. One missed letter on Fill in the Blanks loses you the whole point, so accuracy matters.
2. 0 – 1 Partial Credit
The answer is scored on how close it is to the correct response. This applies to Listen and Type, Highlight the Answer (Interactive Reading), and Listen and Complete (Interactive Listening). On Listen and Type, even if you miss one or two words, you can still earn most of the points.
3. Writing Criteria
The AI grades your response on four aspects: content, discourse coherence, grammar, and lexis. This applies to Summarize the Conversation, Write About the Photo, Interactive Writing, and the Writing Sample.
4. Speaking Criteria
The AI grades your response on six aspects: content, discourse coherence, fluency, grammar, lexis, and pronunciation. This applies to Speak About the Photo, Read Then Speak, Interactive Speaking, and the Speaking Sample.
The next section covers what these criteria actually measure.
The 6 Criteria Used to Grade Speaking and Writing
This is the part most students need to understand well. The criteria below decide your Speaking and Writing subscores, which together make up half of your overall score.
Content
Did you actually answer the question? Did you cover all parts of the prompt and stay on topic? Did you use the right level of formality, and did you develop your ideas with examples or details? A short response that does not address the prompt will score low here, even if the grammar is perfect.
Discourse Coherence
Are your ideas organized in a way the reader or listener can follow? This includes clarity, how well your ideas connect, the logical progression from one point to the next, and (for writing) overall structure such as introduction, body, and conclusion.
Grammar
This covers two things: grammatical complexity (using a range of structures) and grammatical accuracy (using them correctly).
Many students put a lot of energy into making their sentences more complex. In our experience, that is the wrong focus. You already use advanced grammatical structures naturally, the same way you do in your first language. The bigger gain for most students comes from accuracy: avoiding mistakes with verb tense, subject-verb agreement, articles, and punctuation. A response full of complex sentences with errors will score lower than a clear response in correct simple sentences.
Lexis (Vocabulary)
This is graded on diversity (are you avoiding repeating the same words), sophistication (are you using advanced vocabulary), word choice (are the words appropriate for the context), word formation (using the correct form, like "challenge" vs "challenging"), and spelling for writing tasks. Advanced vocabulary helps only if you use it correctly. Using a C2 word in the wrong way costs more points than not using it at all.
Fluency (Speaking Only)
Are you speaking at a natural pace, pausing in natural places (between clauses, not in the middle of words), and not relying on filler words like "um", "uh", and "like"? Some hesitation is fine and even expected, especially on harder topics. Brief silence is better than constant fillers.
Pronunciation (Speaking Only)
Pronunciation covers whether the listener can understand you, whether individual sounds are clear, whether word stress is correct (baNAna, not banaNA), and whether your sentence rhythm and intonation match the meaning. Any standard English accent is fine. The AI is not grading you on having a specific accent; it is grading you on being easy to understand.
For a deeper look at each writing question and how to improve, see our Ultimate Guide to DET Writing Questions. For speaking, see the Ultimate Guide to DET Speaking Questions.
What Each DET Score Band Looks Like
The 2026 scoring guide describes typical performance at each score band. Use this to figure out where your current responses likely land and what you need to do to reach the next level.
155 – 160 (C2 / Very Advanced)
Fully addresses every part of the task. Ideas are clear, focused, and well developed with relevant examples. Speaking is smooth and steady with natural pauses; writing is well structured throughout. Vocabulary is broad and precise, with effective use of collocations and idiomatic language. Grammar is highly accurate; only the kinds of slips that expert speakers occasionally make. Pronunciation is clear and natural, with accurate stress, rhythm, and intonation.
130 – 150 (C1 / Advanced)
Clearly answers the prompt with relevant ideas and supporting examples. Generally well structured and logically organized. Vocabulary is wide and appropriate, including some idiomatic expressions and common collocations. Grammar uses a variety of structures correctly most of the time, with small mistakes that do not affect clarity. Speech is easy to follow with brief pauses; pronunciation is easy to understand throughout.
100 – 125 (B2 / Upper Intermediate)
Addresses the question and includes the main required points. Mostly easy to follow. Uses a range of grammatical structures correctly most of the time, with some errors. Vocabulary is appropriate but may include some repetition or imprecise word choices. Speaking has noticeable pauses and some hesitation, but speech remains generally understandable. This is the band most students should target as a first goal: it lines up with IELTS 6.0 – 6.5 and is the typical minimum for university admission.
60 – 95 (B1 / Intermediate)
Basic responses with some relevant ideas. Underdeveloped or loosely connected ideas; basic vocabulary; frequent errors that sometimes affect understanding. Speech is broken up by long, unfilled pauses.
30 – 55 (Low Intermediate)
Includes some relevant ideas, but details are missing or unexplained. Limited vocabulary with frequent errors. Basic grammar with frequent mistakes that impact understanding. Pronunciation problems often affect intelligibility.
10 – 25 (Beginner)
Very short or off-topic responses. Isolated words or phrases; slow, broken delivery; very limited vocabulary; speech is mostly unintelligible.
How to Move Up a Score Band
Once you know your current band, here is where the biggest gains usually come from, based on which criteria pull the most weight.
Focus on grammatical accuracy, not complexity. If you find yourself reaching for fancy sentence structures, stop. The faster path to a higher score is to fix the recurring small errors you already make in your normal speech and writing: subject-verb agreement, verb tense, articles ("a", "an", "the"), and punctuation. Watch a few of your own answers back and write down every error you spot. The list is usually shorter than you expect.
Study high-scoring sample answers. Reading and listening to model answers calibrated to a target score is the fastest way to understand what the AI rewards. Arno publishes high-scoring sample answers for Speak About the Photo, Write About the Photo, the Writing Sample, and the Speaking Sample.
Practice writing and speaking, not just comprehension. Reading and Listening are graded mostly on right or wrong answers, which improve with content knowledge and practice volume. Writing and Speaking are graded on six and four criteria respectively, and these criteria respond to deliberate practice. Most students underweight Writing and Speaking practice because it feels harder. Arno has unlimited free practice questions for every DET question type. If you want instant scoring and feedback on a specific writing or speaking response, your first 5 scoring requests are free, so you can see whether the feedback is worth paying for.
Work on pronunciation if your Speaking subscore is lagging. Pronunciation is one of six speaking criteria, so it carries real weight. If listeners often ask you to repeat yourself, that signals an intelligibility issue worth addressing. Recording yourself answering a Speak About the Photo prompt and listening back is a useful drill.
Use templates as a frame, not a script. Templates save planning time and help structure your responses, but the AI penalizes responses that feel memorized or do not engage with the specific prompt. Use templates to organize your answer; fill them with content that responds to what was actually asked.
Use a personalized study plan if you don't know where to start. When your subscores are uneven, picking which one to attack first can be the hard part. Arno's personalized study plan identifies your weakest areas and generates daily lessons and practice questions to target them, then updates as your scores change so you're always working on the right things. Personalized study plans are available on paid plans.
For a fuller list, see 10 things to do to get a high score on the DET.
How AI Scoring Works (and Why It's Reliable)
Many students worry that AI scoring is unfair, inconsistent, or harder than human grading. The 2026 scoring guide addresses this directly, and the answer is reassuring.
Speaking and writing tasks on the DET are scored by two AI models: the Duo Speaking Scorer and the Duo Writing Scorer. Both were trained on thousands of responses already scored by human examiners. When researchers compared AI scores to human scores, the AI agreed with humans about 85% of the time, which is roughly the same rate at which two human raters agree with each other. In other words, the AI is as consistent as human scoring, just faster and available 24/7.
The AI does not grade by reading your response the way a human would. Instead, it analyzes many language features at once: how well your response fits the prompt, how your ideas connect, how vocabulary and grammar are used, and (for speaking) how clear and fluent your speech is. The system also looks for responses that do not show real language ability, such as off-topic answers, very repetitive content, or memorized-sounding text, and gives those low scores.
One practical implication: writing 200 words of fluff to hit a word count will not help your score. The system can tell when content is padding versus when it is developing the answer.
Arno's AI scoring uses the same criteria covered in this guide, so the feedback you get on practice questions matches what the real test scorer is looking for. If you have heard worries about whether the DET is trustworthy because of AI scoring, see Common Myths About the Duolingo English Test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 120 a Good DET Score?
Yes. 120 is enough for admission to most universities that accept the DET, and corresponds to about IELTS 6.5 and TOEFL iBT 87 – 92. Competitive programs may ask for 130 or higher. See our full guide to passing DET scores for details.
What Is the Lowest DET Score Universities Accept?
Most universities that accept the DET set the minimum somewhere between 95 and 120. Conditional admission programs and pathway programs sometimes accept scores as low as 75 to 80, but these usually require additional English study before starting the main program. Always check the specific school's requirement.
Can I Get My DET Score on the Same Day?
No. Results are available within two days after you finish the test. The most common time is within 24 to 48 hours.
Are DET Practice Test Scores Accurate?
The official Duolingo practice test gives an estimated score range, not an official score. It has gotten more accurate over time but is not 100% reliable. See our analysis of practice test score accuracy.
How Are Speaking Responses Scored if No Human Listens?
Your speaking responses are graded by the Duo Speaking Scorer, an AI model trained on thousands of responses already scored by human examiners. It agrees with human scorers about 85% of the time, which matches the inter-rater agreement between two humans. Your full Speaking Sample video is also sent to the institutions you share your results with, so admissions officers can listen to your response directly if they want to.