Interactive Writing
Two linked pieces of writing: five minutes on a prompt, then three minutes on a follow-up question that grows out of your first answer. The only writing task on the test that answers back.
- 5 + 3 min on the clock, 1 set per full test
- Feeds your Writing subscore
- Built for the current July 2025 DET format, including the new Interactive Speaking task
Interactive Writing gives you a written prompt and five minutes to answer it. When you submit, a second question appears that follows on from your first answer, and you have three more minutes to respond. Duolingo's own description is two steps: "Write about the topic below for 5 minutes", then "Write a follow-up response for 3 minutes."
Eight minutes of writing makes this the largest single block of writing in the adaptive part of the test, ahead of the one-minute Write About the Photo tasks. It sits before the Writing Sample, which looks similar but has no follow-up.
The second step is what makes it different. You cannot pre-write it, because it is built on what you said in step one. The people who do well treat step one as the start of a conversation: a clear position, two reasons, and an example they can come back to.
What you actually see
A prompt, a text box and a timer, twice. In step two your first answer stays on the screen.
- Step 1: the directions and the prompt appear for 30 seconds before the five-minute timer starts. You can press Continue to start sooner.
- A text box and a five-minute countdown. The question stays visible while you write.
- Step 2: a follow-up prompt based on your first answer, with your first answer still on screen.
- A three-minute countdown for the follow-up.
- One set per test. Each step is submitted with Continue, and you cannot go back to step 1.
One prompt, both steps
Step 1 prompt (written for this guide): "Many people now work from home. Describe the advantages and disadvantages, and say which you prefer."
A plan made in the 30 seconds before the timer: prefer working from home · reason 1: no commute, more time and energy · reason 2: fewer interruptions · but: it is harder to feel part of a team.
Step 1 answer, opening (the full answer runs to three short paragraphs):
"I prefer working from home, although I can see why some people dislike it. The biggest advantage is time: without a one-hour commute, I start the day with more energy and finish it with time for exercise. I also concentrate better, because there are fewer interruptions than in an open office…"
Step 2 follow-up (it appears only after you submit): "You mentioned that it can be harder to feel part of a team. What could a company do to keep people who work from home connected?"
"The most useful thing a company can do is make contact regular rather than occasional. A short video meeting at the start of each week gives everyone the same picture of the plan. Beyond that, teams could meet in person once a month, which would turn colleagues from names on a screen into people…"
Notice what step two does: it answers the new question in its first sentence, and it builds on the point already made in step one instead of repeating it. That is the skill this task measures and the Writing Sample does not.
How Interactive Writing is scored
Interactive Writing feeds Writing, Literacy and Production, the subscores Duolingo lists for it.
Both steps are open responses, so Duolingo's grading engine rates them rather than checking them against a right answer. Its help centre lists what that engine looks at in writing: content (relevance, development and effect on the reader), discourse coherence (clarity, cohesion, progression of ideas and structure), vocabulary (range, sophistication, word choice, word formation and spelling) and grammar (complexity, accuracy and punctuation).
Two things follow. A long answer that drifts from the prompt loses on content however good the English is. And step two is a new question: repeating step one in other words does not answer it.
| What the scorer looks at | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Answering both prompts | Step 1 answers the topic; step 2 answers the follow-up, not the original question again. |
| Development | Reasons with an example or a consequence, not a list of points. |
| Coherence | Short paragraphs, linking words that show the logic: although, as a result, for example. |
| Vocabulary | Precise words for the topic and spelling you have checked. |
| Grammar | Some complex sentences, written accurately. Range only counts if it is correct. |
| Using the time | Duolingo advises writing as much as you can while the English stays effective and relevant. |
The mistakes that cost the most
Almost every lost mark here comes from one of two places: an unplanned step one, or a step two that ignores the question it was asked.
Do this
- Decide your position and two reasons during the 30 seconds before the timer.
- Give each reason its own short paragraph with an example.
- Leave something to build on, such as a disadvantage you mention, because the follow-up often picks up on your own words.
- Answer the follow-up in its first sentence, then explain.
- Keep the last 20–30 seconds of each step to re-read before you press Continue.
Not this
- Do not start typing before you know what you think. Five minutes is too short to change direction.
- Do not repeat step one in step two. It is a different question.
- Do not pad with memorised openings such as "In today's modern world". They use time and show nothing.
- Do not press Continue early. Once a step is submitted, it is gone.
- Do not leave the follow-up half-finished. Three minutes is enough for a clear answer of four or five sentences.
How to actually get better at Interactive Writing
The skill is writing to a plan under a clock, twice in a row. That can be drilled with a timer and a friend, or with our practice task.
Time both steps
Five minutes on a prompt, then three on a follow-up, without a break. Practising only the first step misses what makes this task different.
Write your own follow-ups
After step one, re-read your answer and write the question an examiner would ask next. Then answer it in three minutes.
Plan in 30 seconds
Position, two reasons, one example. Practise until the plan takes no longer than the screen gives you.
Check your linking
Underline every linking word in your answer. If there are none, the ideas are not connected.
Mark your own work
Next day, check each step against the prompt it answered: did it answer that question, and only that question?
How much this one task moves your score
One set per test, made of two responses, feeding Writing and through it Literacy and Production.
Because it is eight minutes of writing, it gives the grading engine more of your writing to judge than any other task except the Writing Sample. A weak Writing subscore usually shows here first. If your Writing number lags your Reading, this task and the Writing Sample are the place to work.
Interactive Writing: questions people ask
What is Interactive Writing on the Duolingo English Test?
It is a two-step writing task. You write about a prompt for five minutes, then you get a follow-up question based on your first answer and write for three more minutes. It is one of the 13 current question types and feeds the Writing, Literacy and Production subscores.
How long do I get for Interactive Writing?
Five minutes for step one and three minutes for step two. Before step one, the directions and prompt appear for 30 seconds before the timer starts, which is your planning time. You can press Continue to start sooner.
Is the follow-up question the same for everyone?
No. Duolingo says the step-two prompt is based on your initial response, so it follows from what you wrote. That is why you cannot prepare a step-two answer in advance, only the habit of answering a new question directly.
Can I see my first answer while I write the follow-up?
Yes. During step two your first response stays on screen, so you can refer back to the points you made. Use it to build on an idea rather than repeating it.
How is Interactive Writing different from the Writing Sample?
The Writing Sample is a single five-minute response at the end of the test, and it is shared with institutions. Interactive Writing comes earlier, has a second three-minute step that responds to what you wrote, and is not the sample institutions read. Both are rated by the grading engine.
How many words should I write in Interactive Writing?
Duolingo gives no word count. Its advice is to use all the time and write as much as you can, as long as the English is effective and relevant. In practice a planned step one runs to three short paragraphs, and a follow-up to four or five sentences that answer the new question.
What happens if I press Continue too early in Interactive Writing?
Your answer for that step is submitted and you cannot go back to it. Duolingo advises proofreading carefully before you press Continue, so keep the last 20 to 30 seconds of each step for checking.
Which subscores does Interactive Writing affect?
Writing, Literacy and Production. It is one of the main sources of Writing evidence on the test, alongside Write About the Photo and the Writing Sample.
Should step two repeat what I said in step one?
No. The follow-up asks a new question, often about a point you made. Answer that question in your first sentence, then explain. Repeating step one in different words does not answer it.
What kind of topics come up in Interactive Writing?
Everyday and general topics that ask for a description, a view or an explanation, such as work, study, technology, cities or habits. No specialist knowledge is needed: the task tests how you explain and develop ideas in English.
How do I plan Interactive Writing in 30 seconds?
Decide three things: your position or main answer, two reasons, and one example. Write them as a few words in your head or on screen, then start. A plan that small is enough to keep five minutes of writing on track.
Can I practise Interactive Writing on this site?
Yes. The practice task runs both steps with the same timings, and every full mock test includes it in the writing section. Your answers are graded, with feedback on each step.
Where Interactive Writing sits in a full test
No task on the DET is scored in isolation. The adaptive engine is building one picture of your English out of every response, so it helps to know how much of the hour this particular task accounts for and which of the others are drawing on the same ability.
The table below is the whole test. Your current page is highlighted.
| Question type | Time | How often | Subscores it feeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read & Complete | 3 minutes | 3–6 times | Reading, Writing |
| Read & Select | 5 seconds | 15–18 times | Reading |
| Fill in the Blanks | 20 seconds | 6–9 times | Reading, Writing |
| Listen & Type | 1 minute | 6–9 times | Listening, Writing |
| Speak About the Photo | 90 seconds | once | Speaking |
| Read, Then Speak | 90 seconds | once | Speaking |
| Interactive Speaking | 35 seconds each | 6–8 questions | Speaking, Listening |
| Write About the Photo | 1 minute | 3 times | Writing |
| Interactive Writing — you are here | 5 min + 3 min | 1 set of 2 | Writing |
| Interactive Reading | 7 minutes | 2 sets | Reading |
| Interactive Listening | 7 min 45 s | 2 sets | Listening, Writing |
| Speaking Sample | 3 minutes | once | Speaking |
| Writing Sample | 5 minutes | once | Writing |
Two things are worth reading off that table. The first is that the tasks feeding Writing are not only this one — improvement transfers, so time spent here shows up elsewhere. The second is that the tasks taking the largest share of the hour are not the ones most people practise most.
Question types that use the same muscles
Writing Sample
An extended written response to an open prompt. It is sent to institutions alongside your score.
Read the guide → WritingWrite About the Photo
An image appears and you write one or more sentences describing it.
Read the guide → Speaking + ListeningInteractive Speaking
A short spoken conversation with an animated character. You hear one question at a time and record a reply to each, and every question builds on what you just said.
Read the guide →Start a practice test
An hour under real conditions, all eight subscores, and feedback on every written and spoken answer.
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