Why DET Combines Listening and Speaking

The DET replicates real-world scenarios—like having a conversation, attending lectures, or answering spontaneous questions. Combining listening and speaking in one task tests your comprehension, reaction time, pronunciation, and fluency all at once.

According to Wikipedia’s article on Language Skills, productive skills (speaking and writing) and receptive skills (listening and reading) are often used together in daily communication. The DET mirrors this integration for a more authentic evaluation.

Key Duolingo Question Types That Require This Skill

Some question types in the DET where you’ll need to use both skills simultaneously include:

• Listen and Speak: You hear a prompt and must respond aloud.
  
  

• Read Aloud: You read a sentence that also appears on screen—here, listening to yourself is vital to adjust pronunciation.
  
  

• Speak About the Topic: You get a topic and have to speak for 30–90 seconds, organizing your thoughts as you speak.
  
  

These tasks test your active listening, note-taking (mentally), fluency, and logical speech formation.

How to Practice Listening and Speaking Together

Here’s a structured approach to help you train for these dual-skill tasks:

1. Shadowing Technique

Shadowing is a powerful technique where you listen to a native speaker and repeat immediately, mimicking tone, pitch, and speed.

How to practice:

• Use English podcasts or YouTube channels (like TED Talks or BBC).
  
  

• Pause after every sentence and mimic it aloud.
  
  

• Gradually reduce the pause time until you can speak along with the audio.
  
  

This method improves listening accuracy, pronunciation, and intonation.

Learn more about Language Shadowing on Wikipedia.

2. Interactive Listening Tools

Use tools like:

• BBC Learning English or TED-Ed: Listen to short stories and repeat them out loud.
  
  

• YouTube Playback Speed: Slow videos down to 0.75x and practice repeating.
  
  

• Record your voice and compare it with the speaker’s original audio.
  
  

3. Dictation and Immediate Response

Practice listening to short sentences and then instantly:

• Repeat them aloud.
  
  

• Summarize them in your own words (paraphrasing).
  
  

Apps like Speechling or VoiceTube can help you simulate these tasks.

4. Use the Duolingo Practice Tools

Duolingo itself offers many exercises involving both skills. You can use speaking and listening practices in the app, even outside the test prep tool, to build habits.

5. Use AI Tools for Feedback

Use tools like:

• Google Speech-to-Text to evaluate your spoken words.
  
  

• Grammarly AI Speech Tools to assess fluency.
  
  

• ChatGPT or similar AI tutors to simulate speaking practice sessions and give feedback.
  
  

6. Daily Conversational English

Speak with someone in English daily, focusing on:

• Listening actively
  

• Responding without long pauses
  

• Correcting yourself when you notice mistakes
  
  

Joining forums like Reddit’s r/EnglishLearning or finding partners on Tandem can also help.

Sample Practice Routine (15–20 Minutes Daily)

Repeat consistently, and increase time as your endurance improves.

Mistakes to Avoid When Practicing

❌ 1. Ignoring Pronunciation Accuracy

Speaking fast but with poor pronunciation reduces clarity. It’s better to be clear and a bit slower than fast and hard to understand.

❌ 2. Over-Relying on Scripts

Reading from prepared notes doesn’t train your real-time listening and speaking muscles. Focus on unscripted responses.

❌ 3. Not Practicing in Noisy Environments

DET might be taken at home, but background noise affects focus. Train in different environments to simulate real testing conditions.

❌ 4. Speaking Without Pausing or Structure

Don’t speak in run-on sentences. Learn to use pauses strategically for clarity. Start with a short intro, body, and closing for each speaking task.

❌ 5. Not Listening to Your Own Recordings

You miss key improvement opportunities if you don’t review how you sound. Play your recordings and self-evaluate.

Tips to Improve Faster

• Use subtitles at first while shadowing, then turn them off gradually.
  
  

• Use apps like Elsa Speak or Google Recorder to monitor your improvement.
  
  

• Engage in mindful listening—listen with the goal of summarizing.
  
  

• Use cue cards to practice describing situations or objects spontaneously.
  
  

Final Thoughts

Improving your listening and speaking skills simultaneously for the Duolingo English Test takes consistent, targeted practice. The good news is that these are real-life skills that will help you far beyond the test—whether it’s in school, work, or travel.

Combining shadowing, active listening, spontaneous speaking, and structured routines can transform your performance in the speaking section. Just remember to track your progress, avoid common pitfalls, and build habits that encourage fluency and confidence.

To learn more about how language acquisition works, check out Second Language Acquisition on Wikipedia.

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New PTE Update Alert: Pearson Adds Two New Tasks to the Exam