Interactive Writing strategy for the main question

Interactive Writing (updated from April 02, 2024) includes a main question and a follow-up one, that DET takers have five and three minutes to answer respectively. Our members have improved their scores significantly by applying our step-by-step strategy, and we strongly believe that you can do the same. We only need you to read our guide rigorously and apply it to practice.

Do bear in mind that this is our strategy to help you optimize your skills to get the most out of it. Thus, we built it very detailed to help you study easier and more efficiently; and of course, you can practice along the way with us. So please DO NOT expect it to be short.

Besides, if you need to improve your writing generally, we strongly suggest you check out this article How to improve your performance for Writing questions.

We will be going through both the main and follow-up questions to aim for the highest score possible!

I. The main question - Read then Write

All types of the main question

According to Duolingo English Test, this question has three types: Describe, Recount, and Make arguments.

Some examples below you may find in the Official Guide for test takers from Duolingo English Test. 

Describe type: Describe a time you were surprised. What happened? 

• They ask you to describe a time you were surprised. 

Recount type: People have jobs because they need money to live, but what are some other important reasons that people have jobs? 

• They ask you to share your experience about other reasons people have jobs. 

Make argument type: People are never satisfied with what they have; they always want something more or different. Do you agree or disagree? Why? Give specific reasons for your answer. 

• They ask you whether you agree or disagree with the question, and you need to tell them why.

Among these questions, which one is the most difficult type for you? Please share your thought in the comment section.

There are three vital steps to help you deliver the best answer to this question. Besides, we also share how to manage your time properly based on a total of 05 minutes which we have to complete the task.

1. Read and Brainstorm ideas

What are your two first steps after seeing your challenge? Do you write your answer right away, or what should you do?

a. Step one: Read the question carefully 

Please read the question carefully cause this’s the most important task. Even if you have to spend around 30 seconds, you still have to ensure that you completely understand it. Otherwise, your answer is going to be NOT RELATED, for which you will pay a high price. 

Time management: You have about 20 seconds to read the question carefully; please try to save time as much as possible as you still have lots of challenges ahead of you. But again, in case you’re not able to completely understand it, it’s okay to use a few more seconds. 

b. Step two: Brainstorm your ideas

Brainstorming your ideas is truly imperative, and by that, I mean we should know what to share in particular. Let’s solve it for all question types. 

• Describe type: Describe a time you were surprised. What happened? 

Because this question asks you to answer generally; thus, you have a ton of smaller questions to tackle, such as: When was it? What surprised you? How did you feel? Or even what did you learn from it?

• Recount type: People have jobs because they need money to live, but what are some other important reasons that people have jobs? 

Apparently, the question is specific. You have to share other essential reasons why people have jobs nowadays. And how many other reasons do you need to answer? You may ask! We strongly suggest 02 other reasons because it wouldn’t be enough to consolidate your point if you deliver only one. However, if you share more than two other reasons, your time will definitely not allow you. 

We simply cannot just label the answers, but we need to prove them by elaborating, giving examples, facts, or so on.

• Make argument type: People are never satisfied with what they have; they always want something more or different. Do you agree or disagree? Why? Give specific reasons for your answer. 

This type is the most difficult one for most people. There are two possible ways you may come up with some ideas. 

Firstly, whether you agree or disagree with the statement, you would better give two strong points to convince others. Precisely, you should come up with two strong and concise points about why you agree or disagree with the statement. And why should we deliver two points but not one or more than two? You already know the answer! Only one point isn't enough to support your initial idea, and you will definitely not have enough time to write over two points.

Secondly, you perhaps partially concur with the idea. In this case, you have to present your reasons to support both sides clearly in order to demonstrate to others. 

For example, the below question is similar to one question in the Practice Test offered by Duolingo English Test.

“A university plans to develop a new research center in your country. Some people want a center for business research. Other people want a center for research in agriculture. Which of these two kinds of research centers do you recommend for your country?” 

If you want to support both sides, should you go for it? 

Go for it, buddy! Because it’s totally alright as long as you deliver coherent and relevant content to the question. If you still doubt it, you should check all the grading aspects in the Official Guidance for test takers on DET’s website, and there is no such thing as the matter that we are discussing. 

Here is the most common way to start your two points (two paragraphs) if you are neutral to the question.

• On the one hand, ...
• On the other hand, ...

You can answer the above question as follows in the body.

On the one hand, establishing a research center focused on business could contribute significantly to economic growth and innovation within the country. It could foster entrepreneurship, attract investments, and provide valuable insights into market dynamics, potentially boosting various sectors of the economy.

On the other hand, a research center dedicated to agriculture holds promise for addressing food security issues, promoting sustainable farming practices, and advancing technologies to enhance agricultural productivity. Such a center could be vital in tackling challenges related to climate change, soil degradation, and ensuring the long-term viability of the agricultural sector.

Time management: You should utilize roughly 10 seconds after understanding the question to brainstorm your points. You only need concise and relevant points to talk others into believing it instead of detailed paragraphs. Please always bear in mind that your time is very limited, and this is the brainstorming step.

2. Lay out your structure

Because the Make argument type is tough for most people; so, we use the below question as an example and apply all the upcoming strategies to it. 

“People are never satisfied with what they have; they always want something more or different. Do you agree or disagree? Why? Give specific reasons for your answer.”

a. Give a general answer – Opening

At first, you need to share your general answer to the question. Whether you agree, disagree, or partially agree with it. After that, you should also address why you chose so. 

There is a bunch of ways to start your writing. 

• As far as I’m concerned…
• In the age of…
• Speaking of…
• Regarding…
• From my point of view…
• In my humble position…
• When it comes to…

And lots more of others. 

Regarding our example, we should start as:

When it comes to satisfaction, I wholly uphold the statement that human beings always try something new for a myriad of critical points.

And if you disagree, what should you say?

b. Provide reasons for your perspective – Body

Our example is an argument type; hence, we have to deliver two strong points to convince others.

In terms of agreeing with the statement, we have two following points:

• 1st one: It’s our nature to keep trying new things every day.
• 2nd one: Because people only live once in their lives, so let’s enjoy it. 

You still remember you need to come up with these points in the beginning, don’t you? 

However, how do you make your points sound engaging and inviting? 

The simplest but most efficient way is to use linking words and collocations to connect your bullet points with bullet points and sentences with sentences. 

We have a total of 16 linking words' categories and hundreds of collocations and idioms to share, which you may see below. 

As a result, your answer may look like this:

1st point: The first and foremost reason is that our nature is to conquer every single stuff exists in this remarkable world. Due to our curiosity that we never stop pursuing things that we have not done before in order to have a sense of satisfaction, even though sometimes we have to work our tail off. 

2nd point: Moreover, it is a well-known fact that We Only Live Once. Therefore, what is the point of devoting your time to working so hard but not treating yourself properly with something different? For instance, I have a friend who works like a dog on a daily basis, but he also spends time pursuing unprecedented challenges on a weekly basis. 

It’s not easy to expand your answer from your points. It requires vocabulary bank, knowledge, writing skills, and much more to achieve a high score. Nevertheless, you are still able to achieve it in a short time if you follow our tips to improve your performance and strategies to enhance your score.

In case you want to learn how to expand your answers, there are three major ways to do so, including Elaborate answers, Share opinions, and Give examples. Check everything in detail in this article, “Read then Speak strategy to aim for a high score”.

c. Deliver a conclusion – Ending

Last but not least, you need to close your writing task with a concise conclusion by paraphrasing your position in the beginning. 

And how do you often do it? Please try to write a conclusion before checking our suggestions.

If you want to deliver an ending, you will need to learn how to start it. Some ways you could use to get the ball rolling are: 

• All in all,
• To conclude this,
• To encapsulate,
• To recapitulate,
• In conclusion,
• In summary,

Would you mind trying to paraphrase your perspective by applying one of the starting ways above? 

If we were you, we would say something like, “All in all, I utterly agree that humankind is never satisfied with what they have, so they always look for something more fascinating to cheer them up.”

3. Double check your essay and use appropriate punctuation 

a. Use appropriate punctuation 

If you check our strategy for the Write about The Photo question type, you will see the same points below. 

We all know how critical punctuation is in our writing. It helps you deliver the right impression to your reader. We use the comma “ , “ and full stop “ . “ very frequently compared to others. Thus, we will share how to use it effectively in our writing. 

• The comma “ ,”

The comma “ , “ is used to pause within or separate parts of sentences, making your thesis clearer and more enjoyable. Yes, there are three rules you can learn and apply using punctuation. 

Rule 1: Use a comma to separate a series of nouns, adjectives, or verbs.

Let’s retake a look at our example, can you find a list of nouns, adjectives, or verbs to make an example?

Example: Due to our curiosity that we never stop pursuing things that we have not done before, such as going surfing, climbing mountains, sky diving, or even jumping from a high cliff.

Rule 2: Put a comma before a FANBOYS when connecting two independent clauses.

First of all, you need to know that FANBOYS stands for “For And Nor But Or Yet So”. If you need to connect two independent clauses, please use an appropriate FANBOYS and put a comma before it.

Example: For instance, I have a friend who works like a dog on a daily basis, but he also spends time pursuing unprecedented challenges on a weekly basis.

Rule 3: Put a comma after adverbs.

Adverbs are deeply imperative in terms of connecting sentences and sentences or emphasizing some points after them. 

Example: Therefore, what is the point of devoting your time to working so hard but not treating yourself properly with something different?

Note: We only shared the top common rules that test-takers can use most in their English proficiency tests. If you want to know more about how to use commas accurately, please go search it on Google.

• The full stop “ .”

The full stop “ . “ is used to pause longer between sentences, show when a point is made, or end suggestions or commands. 

You should always bear in mind to make not-too-long sentences, so you stand a better chance to lure others’ attention. 

Let’s practice together. When you see a paragraph below, where should you add commas, full stops, or other punctuation, if any?

moreover it is a well-known fact that We Only Live Once therefore what is the point of devoting your time to working so hard but not treating yourself properly with something different for instance I have a friend who works like a dog on a daily basis but he also spends time playing pretty much on weekends. 

Your answer should be like this: 

Moreover, it is a well-known fact that We Only Live Once. Therefore, what is the point of devoting your time to working so hard but not treating yourself properly with something different? For instance, I have a friend who works like a dog on a daily basis, but he also spends time playing pretty much on weekends. 

b. Check errors 

It’s quite hard to check errors for Write about The Photo questions as it only gives you 01 minute per image. Contrastingly, we believe you definitely can check errors for Read, then Write if you follow our strategies and time management. 

Once you focus on checking your mistakes, what should you concentrate on? 

• Spelling

This is the easiest one as sometimes we type too fast, and it turns out to be the wrong words. You simply need to pay close attention to your written words and fix it while going over the whole answer.

• Grammar

This aspect will impact your score enormously. Hence, it’s better to check it carefully; you need to use the same tense that the question asks for your answer. 

Apart from that, you also need to check other grammatical points, such as passive voices, conditional clauses, and so on.

• Punctuation 

As you already know, punctuation’s clearly crucial to help you have an organized and coherent answer. By that, we mean you should practice our tips as much as you can to use them effectively. 

Admittedly, it will be stressful on your test day!

Most of us will struggle to check or correct our mistakes when our time is about to end. As a result, we build correcting systems to assist you in detecting almost every mistake. Since you can note down and practice again to avoid similar mistakes on your test day. 

II. The follow-up question

The strategy to deal with Interactive Writing follow-up questions is pretty long, so we shared it in another article. DET takers click this link to explore.

Practice makes perfect!

Live-interactive DET Practice Website

Bruce Lee once said: “Practice makes perfect. After a long time of practicing, our work will become natural, skillful, swift, and steady.” So, we are here to share millions of similar questions with the real ones for your practice aside from instantly detailed feedback, which help DET takers learn from their mistakes and improve their skills after every time practicing.

This is sample feedback for Writing question types, we evaluate your practicing answers based on Content, Coherence, Lexis (Lexical Sophistication and Lexical Diversity), and Grammar (Grammatical Accuracy and Grammatical Complexity) that the Duolingo English Test uses to assess your English skills.

Feel free to review our video sample feedback here for a better understanding.

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