Today, can Duolingo still be the "Plan B" of "roast ducks"? When it comes to the Duolingo test, many people think that it can be tested on the Internet, without going to the test room, and the test is short and fast, which is very suitable as a "lower substitute" for IELTS. Especially in the past few years, the IELTS test has been temporarily canceled from time to time due to epidemic prevention, which has made many candidates who are anxious to get their language scores turn to Duolingo. But this way of thinking doesn't work at the moment. After all, Duolingo is more "immature" in all aspects, and it is difficult to bridge the huge gap with IELTS and really help candidates.
Duolingo vs IELTS: Compare international recognition, test gold content, IELTS stabilized Duolingo
The language test is not an end in itself, but a key to success. Whoever can give candidates more opportunities and benefits, so that his study and job search will go more smoothly and steadily, who is more worthy of our time and energy to prepare for the competition and strive to sprint for a good result.
In this regard, IELTS, which is more internationally recognized, obviously provides far more support to candidates than Duolingo, which has insufficient knowledge and low recognition. In addition, IELTS, which has been deeply involved in the global market for decades, has won a long-term and stable trust, and has truly achieved a smooth global journey.
In terms of the total amount, there are 12,000+ universities and institutions around the world (140+ countries and regions) that use IELTS scores as a "key indicator" to screen applicants. Especially in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and other popular study destination countries, IELTS is a "golden signboard" that really works.
On the other hand, Duolingo, even after eating a wave of "epidemic dividends" and increasing its global recognition by a large margin, it has only been recognized by 4900+ colleges and universities, which is a huge gap with IELTS. There is also a lot of "water" in it, because the undergraduate programs and graduate programs of the same institution are double-counted. This means that if Duolingo is chosen, the actual range of options will be narrower.
For example, more than 3,400 universities in the United States accept IELTS. Whether you want to sprint to an Ivy League school, a USNews Top 100 college, or a lower-ranked college, a good IELTS score is a good "stepping stone".
The help of Duolingo is very limited. This sense of disparity is also experienced by Duolingo candidates when applying to colleges and universities in other countries. Especially in the UK, IELTS has not only won the trust of all universities, but also is highly recognized by the Visas and Immigration Department (UKVI).
This means that in addition to using IELTS scores to apply to any UK university, if the scores do not meet the standards, they can also take the IELTS UKVI test to apply for preparatory courses and language classes.
When you want to study and find a job in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, IELTS is also a "double insurance" for universities and visa applications. You can also take the UK-US joint application, the UK-Australia joint application and other methods to further improve your chances of getting a satisfactory offer.
Switching to Duolingo obviously does not achieve the same effect. What's worse is that many colleges and universities that recognize Duolingo just use it as a "spare tire" during the epidemic, and once the special period has passed, they have "broken up" with it. For example, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom are typical of them.
It can be seen that Duolingo still has a long way to go if it wants to catch up with IELTS in terms of international recognition. Before that, instead of choosing Duolingo and narrowing your path, it is better to concentrate on preparing for IELTS, make up for your shortcomings, and raise your IELTS score.
Duolingo vs IELTS: In terms of test difficulty, format and practicality, IELTS is closer to the needs of Chinese people
From the perspective of international recognition, IELTS, which has high gold content and multiple uses, obviously has more benefits and a wider range of choices than taking Duolingo. So, focusing on the test itself, such as the difficulty of the test, the test format and the practicality, who is more in line with the needs of the candidates?
The answer is still IELTS. Many people may think that the Duolingo exam is short and has few questions, so you can get a good score by brushing the questions casually. But those who have actually taken the test will find that Duolingo's question types are very novel, and although there is a question bank to brush, you will have to spend a lot of time to familiarize yourself with and get used to it.
Moreover, the difficulty of the questions in the same exam is not fixed. It uses an adaptive system, and if you do well in the previous questions, the system will give you strength and increase the difficulty of the later questions. This "you are strong, it is stronger" model is full of uncertainty and is obviously not in line with the habits of Chinese people.
On the other hand, IELTS, as a standardized test, has scientific and strict unified standards for its propositions, tests, and scoring. When you get the exam paper, the questions will not change, and how many points you can get depends on your own strength and whether you have prepared for the exam sufficiently. In addition, in terms of test format and service experience, IELTS is also more humane, fully taking into account the pain points of different candidates.
For example, in addition to the computer-based IELTS test, a large number of paper-based test centers have been opened. In this way, those who type slowly on the computer and like to take notes on the test paper do not have to take the computer-based test. On the other hand, Duolingo only has one way to take the computer-based test, and the above groups have no problem with it.
In addition, Duolingo uses machine scoring throughout the process, which is very dull. For example, when taking the speaking test, IELTS candidates can ask the examiner to repeat the questions if they do not hear the questions clearly, and Duolingo candidates can only consider themselves unlucky in the face of impersonal AI.
Another point is that although Duolingo does not require candidates to go to a special test center, and can take the test at home or in the dormitory, the test environment is not friendly. If your instrument and actions do not meet the requirements, and there is a problem with the network and equipment, it is likely to be judged as cheating, and you will not get the results.
In contrast, IELTS will provide each candidate with a comfortable and safe test environment and supporting test supplies. What candidates need to do is to adjust their presence and do a good job in each question seriously.
In addition to the above differences, the practicality of IELTS is also far better than Duolingo. In the process of preparing for IELTS, candidates can not only gain a transcript, but also improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. For example, in terms of speaking, IELTS emphasizes communication-oriented, so it has always adopted everyone's dialogue, and the topics also take into account academic scenes and life scenes, which can realistically restore real communication scenes and effectively improve candidates' communication skills.
Generally speaking, you can master the speaking of IELTS, and you can quickly adapt to the unfamiliar language environment when you go abroad, and better integrate into the new life. If you take the Duolingo test, you may be able to get a good speaking score, but when communicating with real people, it is still easy to show timidity. In short, whether in terms of international recognition, test gold content, or comparing the difficulty, form and practicability of the test, IELTS is a choice that can meet the needs of Chinese people. As for the Duolingo test, it is obviously not enough to serve as a "lower substitute" for IELTS.
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