What does your Duolingo Score actually mean?
I got to thinking this week:
If you reach a Duolingo score of 129 (the highest you can go) does that mean you’re fluent?
Instinctively, I suspect, most would answer: “obviously bloody not”.
But Duolingo have made a big push over the last couple of years to elevate their courses to this magic number. For 129 (they say) aligns with B2 on the CEFR – which, many would contend, is fluency.
It is also Duolingo’s stated objective to get their users to this level, for it is at B2 that you can apply for what is regarded as a ‘knowledge job’.
But does completing a B2-aligned course automatically mean you’re B2?
Automatically, no. I think there’s an awful lot more to it than that.
It all depends, to my mind, on:
- what you did and didn’t do along the way
- your subscription tier
- your degree of immersion
- your ‘why’ (i.e. your reason for doing)
For instance, let’s take these two hypothetical duolingo users:
Jeff has just reached a Spanish score of 129. Along the way, he skipped all of the speaking and listening exercises. He didn’t practice any conversations. He barely engaged with the language away from Duolingo. The only reason he started in the first place was in preparation for an all-inclusive holiday in Benidorm, only to find, when he got there, that everyone spoke better english than he did. That was four years ago. He kept going because he’d built such a long streak and simply didn’t want to lose it.
Dave has also reached a Spanish score of 129. But, unlike Jeff, he practiced speaking and listening at every opportunity (only skipping these exercises whilst at work, in hospital waiting rooms, and at funerals). He had daily conversations: some with a human, some with an AI. And he immersed himself most days in Spanish-speaking podcasts and passed his evenings watching his favorite Mexican soap operas. He kept going because his wife’s family were originally from Guadalajara and he wanted to understand what they were saying about him during their monthly get-togethers.
Both Jeff and Dave have a Spanish score of 129. But can we seriously say they are both at the same level?
It is almost certain that Dave will be light years ahead of Jeff in pretty much every area (bar, perhaps, reading). Drop them both into the middle of Sevilla, and it will be Dave who carries the conversations and ensures only the finest plates of tapas are served.
This is why the accuracy of your score depends so much on what you did in that time. We can all complete a course on Duolingo, but the way in which we complete it can be very different. Some can reach 129 with daily Video Calls and regular, authentic exposure. Others can reach 129 without ever opening their mouthes.
All we can really draw from score is that we completed content to a specific level. It does not mean we are that level.
What do you think?
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