Duolingo English Test

A weekend well spent at the Language Testing Forum (#LTF), hosted by UK Association for Language Testing and Assessment (UKALTA) and the wonderful team at the University of Southampton—led by Ying Zheng and a fantastic group of student organizers (many of whom had just arrived in the UK this term!). The conference opened with a thought-provoking keynote from Dr. Denis Drieghe, who asked whether bilingual readers are slower in their first language than monolinguals. His research confirmed what we love to hear: being bilingual doesn’t slow you down—so if you’re reading this, maybe it’s time for a little Duolingo. 😉 And of course, we had a few presentations of our own! 🟢 Maria (Masha) Kostromitina, Ph.D. presented on developing automated L2 pronunciation assessment with construct-aligned models, highlighting how AI can support more accurate and fair pronunciation scoring. 🟢 Ben Naismith shared his recent work reviewing how major English tests document their validity, and raised some great questions about how we communicate research and standards across the field. 🟢 Ramsey Cardwell explored how human–AI collaboration in language testing can advance both equity and validity in assessment design. We loved reconnecting with several DET grant and doctoral award winners throughout the conference and hearing about the exciting work this growing community is doing! It was an honor for the Duolingo English Test to sponsor this milestone year—45 years of LTF, 10 years of UKALTA, and the final LTF under Lynda Taylor’s presidency. We’re grateful for the warm welcome, the chance to share our work, and the lively discussions with colleagues shaping the future of language assessment. 💚 #LTF2025 #UKALTA #LTF

Duo is very interested in UCL Lecuturer and Researcher Dr. Ruolin Hu’s #LTF presentation at the University of Southampton this morning! Her study examined whether taking a test in a center or at home is more anxiety-inducing. 👀 Can you spot him in the audience? #LTF2025 #UKALTA #TestAnxiety

What an inspiring evening at the #WeAreInternationalAwards last night at the Bloomsbury Ballroom in London. 🌍✨ Hosted by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), the event brought together educators, students, and advocates who are raising the bar for what it means to welcome and support international learners. From more than 420 nominations across 120 institutions, 13 awardees were recognized for their exceptional contributions to international education. As headline sponsors, we were honored to be part of a night that celebrated the passion, creativity, and collaboration driving this community forward. Duolingo UK Country Director Michael Lynas spoke about the importance of working together to strengthen pathways for international students—both here in the UK and around the world. We were especially proud that Musa, our first UK Duolingo Access Scholar, joined us from Royal Holloway, University of London, where he’s studying genetics, to present an award—alongside Michelle Stewart of from our DET UK Advisory Group, who presented Institution of the Year, and Julia Jago, also a member of our UK advisory group, who was nominated for the Alastair Niven Student Voice Champion Award. A heartfelt thank you to Anne-Marie Graham, Yinbo Yu, and the entire UKCISA team for creating such a meaningful evening. At a time of uncertainty for international students, these awards were a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we work together. 💚

Huge congratulations to Kristina Melsheimer for hitting a 🔥1,000-day streak🔥 on Duolingo! Even better, she reached this milestone while visiting our Pittsburgh HQ for our latest Institutional Open House, repping UC Santa Barbara’s Graduate Admission Office. In true Duolingo fashion, we marked the occasion with two of our favorite things: 🎂 cake and 🦉 Duo! Kristina, thanks for your commitment to language learning and giving us a reason to celebrate!

Our global team converged in Beijing 🇨🇳 to host our biggest and boldest DETcon China yet! In his opening remarks, Rogelio Alvarez, GM of the DET, reaffirmed: 👉 “Our goal is clear—to make the Duolingo English Test the global standard for English proficiency and lead the future of assessment. China is at the center of that vision.” The DET has served more than 3 million test takers worldwide and is helping tens of thousands of students across China apply to 6000+ institutions around the globe. As our presence grows beyond Tier 1 cities, students from places like Chengdu, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Wuhan, and Zhengzhou are accessing opportunities that were previously limited.

What does the future of international education in Canada look like? 🇨🇦 At Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) | Bureau canadien de l’éducation internationale's 2025 conference, more than 1,000 education leaders gathered in Québec City to discuss access, collaboration, and the changing policy landscape. In our latest blog, Alyson Murray shares what stood out—from refugee access to AI in admissions. Read her reflections from CBIE: https://lnkd.in/eevyVyNB

💡 Call for Proposals: Duolingo English Test Competitive Research Grants We are inviting proposals for our 2025–2026 Competitive Research Grants, offering up to $120,000 USD per award for studies that advance the science of language assessment. Areas of interest include: 🟢 Validity, reliability, and efficacy 🟢 Fairness, justice, and test-taker experience (TTX) 🟢 Innovative task types 🟢 Artificial intelligence and responsible AI practices Proposals are due January 16, 2026; winners will be announced in February. 🔗 Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/eGbdDfmq

Think you know what your international applicants experience? We’re inviting graduate professionals across North America to find out through the Duolingo English Test North American Grad Challenge—an opportunity to experience the DET firsthand! The challenge kicks off in 🇨🇦  at the @canadian-association-of-graduate-studies (CAGS) conference in Ottawa (Nov 4–7) and in 🇺🇸  ahead of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) annual meeting in December. We’re offering cash prizes in both countries! 🤑 Winners can choose to fund professional development for graduate staff or donate to their Graduate Student Association, supporting growth and community on campus. Learn more and join the challenge 👇 https://lnkd.in/g7RdiA9V

The Conference on Test Security is officially underway at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and our team is ready to showcase how the DET remains at the forefront with its rigorous and innovative approaches. We've got many presentations on the program, including: 🔒 Opening keynote: Let's talk tech—Basim B. 🔒 Solving the commercial cheating mystery—Kimberly Snyder 🔒 Operational test security issues: Small budget, big impact—Kimberly Snyder 🔒 Evaluating the effectiveness of proctoring—Brooke Westerlund 🔒 Innovating fairly: How to experiment on remote proctoring without risking test equity—William Belzak, Angel Ortmann Lee, Brooke Westerlund, & Yong-Siang Shih 🔒 Detecting LLM-assisted cheating in open-ended writing—Chenhao Niu Novel detection strategies—Larry Chen 🔒 Using hidden messages on DET certificates to identify cheaters—Larry Chen 🔒The sorting hat speaks: Placing AI on the spectrum from test security hero to villain—Michael Sobczak Check out the conference program for more details, and don't miss our presentations! https://lnkd.in/eTB2J2-n