This article aims to help Duolingo English Test takers deliver the best answer for the Interactive Writing follow-up question, which was added to the Official DET on April 02, 2024. We already shared the unique strategy to answer the Interactive Writing main question, if you haven’t read it yet, please do it first as the two articles are closely connected to one another.
This is the sample question that we used in the Strategy for the main question, and we surely have a follow-up one to that question in the course of this strategy.
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.
Follow-up question:
What strategies can individuals employ to cultivate contentment with what they have rather than constantly yearning for something more or different?
What do you feel when you first see the follow-up question? Have you got any ideas to deliver your answer yet? If you haven’t, it’s okay and you will surely do after exploring our unique step-by-step strategy. Nevertheless, there is one requirement that we need you to do – practice for real while reading this article on the DET Practice Website because it’s a FREE question, Question number 3, Interactive Writing for FREE account.
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Fundamental information
Task: Write an answer to a follow-up question (in the Interactive Writing) for at least one minute
Timer: 03 minutes
Frequency: One time
Sub-scores: Literacy and Production
All types of the follow-up question
The Interactive Writing main question has three topic types including Describe, Recount, and Make arguments. Regardless of the main question type, the follow-up question will fall into the following categories: How, What, Can.
Do you remember that the main question appears in the 30-minute practice tests provided by the Duolingo English Test? You can check it in the Official Guide for test-takers.
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The follow-up question will, most of the time, start with How, What or Can. We already have the How and Can examples in the DET Official Guide, and the What example is here:
What strategies can individuals employ to cultivate contentment with what they have rather than constantly yearning for something more or different?
We will be using the What example until the end of this strategy, which is also available on the DET Practice Website – TADE Hub, feel free to practice directly on our website for free.
A unique step-by-step strategy
Step 1: Read and Brainstorm ideas
1.1. Read the question carefully
We have a total of three minutes to read and answer the follow-up question. Reading the question carefully is the first and most important task as if we get the question point incorrectly, we will deliver an irrelevant answer, which leads to zero score.
It’s better to spend less than 15 seconds to complete this reading step. You can take it up to 20 seconds, which is the maximum amount of time because there are many other tasks, and we obviously don’t have enough time to deal with them if we spend too much time reading the question. DET takers should always remember “Practising is the key to future success”. If you cannot complete this reading part in 20 seconds at this moment, you need to put more effort into practice. Our unique tip is to pay close attention to related keywords to the main question, which helps us comprehend the follow-up question faster.
For example, here are our main and follow-up questions.
Main question
Follow-up question
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.
What strategies can individuals employ to cultivate contentment with what they have rather than constantly yearning for something more or different?
When we read the follow-up question, there are only several keywords (phrases) that catch our eyes and relate to the main question.
What strategies?
To cultivate contentment
Not for more or different things
The major objective is to comprehend the follow-up question as fast as we can, and one of the best ways is to paraphrase the question in our own words by utilising the keywords (phrases) for a deeper understanding. Here is what we understand after paraphrasing: “Need to have strategies develop satisfaction with what we currently have” – Is this easier to understand? Definitely, it is not only easier to understand, but it is also easier for brainstorming in the next step.
Recommended timer: Maximum 20 seconds
1.2. Brainstorm your ideas
Because it asks “What strategies”, so we need to come up with two strategies to help us foster contentment with what we have at the moment instead of yearning for something more or different. Some students may ask “Why two but not three?”. Apparently, two strategies meet the requirement, however, we never have enough time to share three strategies including supporting points. As a result, it’s always best to have two main ideas to answer the question, and kindly bear in mind that this applies to all cases.
In this step, we simply need key ideas, and we will be developing and answering simultaneously in the next step because we do not have enough time to brainstorm and answer the question in detail. So, let’s review the follow-up question again and share with us your two strategies.
If you already did, let's move to Step 2: Lay out your structure to find strategies for developing satisfaction with what we currently have.
Recommended timer: Maximum 15 seconds
Step 2: Lay out your structure
Delivering our answers in three parts is the easiest way to show off our organisational skills. But, sometimes, it is unlike that we are able to do so due to lots of factors. However, we will be sharing how to do it through our detailed step-by-step guide.
Here is our sample follow-up question, make sure to review it again for a more effective lesson.
What strategies can individuals employ to cultivate contentment with what they have rather than constantly yearning for something more or different?
2.1. Give a general answer – Opening
The Opening part aims to express our initial answer to the question generally and how we are about to offer detailed information in the Body. Besides, we already read the question carefully and took notes on some keywords, so it’s time to utilise those keywords to write the Opening with an Opening statement.
Here are several ways to start the Opening, Duolingo English Test takers should learn as many ways as they can because we need to use a wide range of words to aim for higher scores. You can try to write the Opening part by using one of the following statements.
As far as I am concerned, …
As far as I can tell, …
In the age of …
In terms of …
From my point of view …
When it comes to …
If you already wrote your answer, here is ours:
In terms of contentment cultivation with what we have, there are several ways that I utterly reckon could be applied.
Recommended timer: Maximum 20 seconds
After reading the question thoroughly and brainstorming ideas to answer the question, it’s super easy to write the Opening part. DET takers only need to master the above opening statements and act quickly to general the answer. Never forget to practice on a regular basis to improve your performance.
2.2. Provide reasons for your perspective – Body
Firstly, let’s review our follow-up questions for a second.
Example 1: Can you share an example from your life or someone you know where contentment was chosen over ambition, or vice versa? What were the outcomes and lessons from this choice?
Example 2: How do you see the role of materialism and consumerism affecting people’s satisfaction in your community or society at large?
Example 3: What strategies can individuals employ to cultivate contentment with what they have rather than constantly yearning for something more or different?
Have you noticed that each question has two minor questions that we need to answer? The first thing we need to ensure is to answer all minor questions. Regarding our sample question, they ask for two strategies that each person can apply to generate happiness with what we have.
a. Start with phrases
There are a variety of ways to start each point to make our writing attractive. Besides, different topics or questions have different ideas to start as well, so we will be giving examples for all three above questions for a better understanding. Kindly notice that there are unlimited ways to write our answers, our examples are just one of them. Therefore, DET takers have to enhance their English skills on a daily basis in order to answer questions flexibly and effectively. Moreover, students can also check our Sample Answer for each follow-up question in Interactive Writing, which is a great source to learn new ideas and knowledge.
Example 1: Can you share an example from your life or someone you know where contentment was chosen over ambition, or vice versa? What were the outcomes and lessons from this choice?
The first question asks DET takers to share an example, there are tons of ways to start.
To illustrate, …
For example, …
For instance, …
If I’m not mistaken, …
If my memory serves me right, …
Answer to the first point: If my memory serves me right, at the end of 2022 a friend of mine was promoted to be the Sale Team Manager but he rejected it because he wasn’t yet ready to sacrifice his happiness over a new challenge, even though this new challenge could offer him lots of benefits.
The second question asks about the outcomes and lessons from the choice, if students face similar questions, feel free to use one of the below expressions to start.
When it comes to …
Regarding …
In terms of …
The first outcome/ lesson / advantage/ disadvantage that pops up in my mind is …
Answer to the second point: The first outcome that pops up in my mind is that he had more time to train himself for better. Rejecting a great opportunity had reasons, and one of them was that he didn’t believe he was able to handle that position, which may lead to negative feelings including disappointment.
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Example 2: How do you see the role of materialism and consumerism affecting people’s satisfaction in your community or society at large?
Duolingo English Test takers should read this question carefully because it’s a bit tricky. Materialism and Consumerism are two completely different things. So it’s the clue to organise our answers.
Here are a few expressions DET takers can use to practice.
When it comes to …
Regrading …
In terms of …
In the matter of …
With reference to …
Speaking of …
Answer to the question: Speaking of materialism, It emphasises the acquisition of goods and the pursuit of monetary success as primary sources of fulfilment. In other words, materialism fosters the habit of owning new stuff and gaining different experiences nonstop. In the matter of consumerism, it promotes a culture of relentless purchasing and consumption, driven people’s desires for new stuff as it is how people judge others in society at large. In both cases, materialism and consumerism affect people’s satisfaction negatively in the long run.
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Example 3: What strategies can individuals employ to cultivate contentment with what they have rather than constantly yearning for something more or different?
This is a different question type compared to the previous two. If a question asks a plural number of something, we can use the following expressions to start.
For the first point:
First of all, …
First and foremost, …
Firstly, …
To begin with, …
To initiate with, …
To start with, …
Provide the first strategy: First of all, taking time each day to reflect on the blessings in my life shifts my focus from what I lack to what I already possess. For example, my family finance is in the middle class, so I keep telling myself that I am luckier compared to lots of others, which is a quick fix to boost my gratification.
For the second point
Additionally, …
In addition, …
Furthermore, …
Moreover, …
Besides, …
Aside from that, …
Not to mention, …
Provide the second strategy: Not to mention, setting realistic expectations and embracing simplicity allows me to find joy in the present moment. In detail, engaging in activities that bring fulfilment rather than chasing material possessions also plays a significant role.
b. Expand your answer
In Part a. Start with phrases, we shared lots of sample answers on how to start your writing by using phrases, expressions or collocations. In those sample answers, we also expanded our answer through three different types.
Elaborate answers: We offer detailed information to reinforce our points or give a better explanation. Simply put, whatever we do, we try to give a longer answer but still relate to the question in order to show off our skills. The Duolingo English Test is an English proficiency test, students need to take all possible opportunities to show off their skills for a higher score.
This is an example of “Elaborate answers”. In this example, it answers the question clearly and then offers a result of the action, which makes the response full of information.
Speaking of materialism, It emphasises the acquisition of goods and the pursuit of monetary success as primary sources of fulfilment. In other words, materialism fosters the habit of owning new stuff and gaining different experiences nonstop. In the matter of consumerism, it promotes a culture of relentless purchasing and consumption, driven people’s desires for new stuff as it is how people judge others in society at large. In both cases, materialism and consumerism affect people’s satisfaction negatively in the long run.
Share opinions: When a question asks your position concerning a particular topic, for example, the question about “What strategies can individuals employ to…”, which is what we call “Share opinion”. In the following example, we not only share our opinion, but we also give an example to concrete our idea.
First of all, taking time each day to reflect on the blessings in my life shifts my focus from what I lack to what I already possess. For example, my family finance is in the middle class, so I keep telling myself that I am luckier compared to lots of others, which is a quick fix to boost my gratification.
Give examples: Yes, DET takers can try to deliver examples in each paragraph in their answers as long as examples are closely related to the question asked. Apparently, the below answer gives an example of a friend who chose contentment over ambition.
If my memory serves me right, at the end of 2022 a friend of mine was promoted to be the Sale Team Manager but he rejected it because he wasn’t yet ready to sacrifice his happiness over a new challenge, even though this new challenge could offer him lots of benefits.
Note: It’s much better if students are able to combine at least two methods to expand their answers, which makes it easier to come up with ideas and makes our answers more attractive.
c. Use linking words
To deliver an organised and logical answer, not only for Interactive Writing but also for all response question types, DET takers have to use linking words (somebody else calls transition words). Transition words help us connect sentences with sentences and paragraphs with paragraphs, so we can see all key points are closely connected to one another and create a complete answer.
There are sixteen linking-word categories available in your Dashboard (only for Premium users) on the DET Practice Website, you can take a visit and review them all.
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To use linking words effectively and appropriately, there is no way but reading on a daily basis and learning from our sample answers for each open-response question. When it comes to reading, we scan through the text and pay close attention to linking words in order to study how they are used in specific contexts. It’s also similar to learning from our sample answer. The key difference is that we use linking words in all sample answers on the DET Practice Platform, so DET takers can learn new ideas, and gain more knowledge besides understanding how to apply linking words in specific scenarios.
Recommended timer: Maximum 80 seconds
For each minor question, we have around 40 seconds to write our answers. Typing fast is also the key element to achieving higher scores in Writing question types if DET takers have great ideas but type too slowly, it will become nothing! Luckily enough, typing is a skill that can be easily improved through everyday practice. While practising answering Writing questions, make sure that you also pay attention to your typing skills. Once you become aware of your ability, it will just be a matter of time to advance it.
2.3. Deliver a conclusion – Ending
After completing the Body, let’s strive for the Ending. We simply need to paraphrase our initial answer and use one of the following expressions to start our conclusion.
All in all, …
To conclude this, …
To end this, …
To recapitulate, …
To encapsulate, …
In summary, …
In a nutshell, …
We wholly recommend you write the Ending first and check our sample later.
Here is our sample Ending: To recapitulate, knowing the limit of pursuing new things and finding joy in everyday activities are keys to a fulfilling life, and the above strategies will definitely do the job for our better lives.
Recommended timer: Maximum 25 seconds
The Ending part is not so different from the Opening one. We one more time state our position as clearly as we did for the Opening part by paraphrasing the initial answer.
Step 3: Double-check your essay
This step is genuinely vital in minimizing grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes for a higher score.
Within three (03) minutes to write the answer, there aren’t too many words to check. Hence, 20 seconds is more than enough to skim through our answers and eliminate mistakes where we find them.
Live-interactive DET Practice Website
Welcome to your effective Duolingo English Test Practice Website offering the following benefits:
Thousands of practice questions: By the time this article is published, we have over 5,000 practice questions including all questions in Interactive Reading, Interactive Listening, and Interactive Writing.
Instantly detailed feedback for all question types: After submitting your answers, the DET Practice Platform immediately offers detailed feedback for your study. From our feedback, DET takers are able to learn from their mistakes, improve their weaknesses and advance their skills to aim for higher scores.
Same grading elements as the Duolingo English Test: Regarding all Writing and Speaking item types, we evaluate your practicing answers based on the same grading aspects that the DET uses to assess your skills based on Content, Fluency (only for Speaking questions), Grammar, Lexis, Coherence, and Pronunciation (Acoustic features – only for Speaking questions). To illustrate, after practicing a follow-up question in Interactive Writing, you will receive the following feedback. Feel free to review our video sample feedback for a better understanding.
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At least 15 1-hour mock tests with estimated scores: We developed all full tests exactly the same as the actual tests in order to create the best simulation for students to prepare for the DET. On top of that, after completing any full test, the DET Practice Website provides estimated overall, sub-score, and each question type scores. From these estimated scores, students know what to do in order to obtain their desired scores.
And lots of other supportive features: Three supportive vocab lists, the History feedback page saves your feedback, an integrated dictionary, and many others that support your preparation.
Duolingo English Test takers can experience everything for FREE, so don’t give it a try right away to pursue your dream!? Let’s take a look at the DET Practice Website, create your free account and start boosting your scores.
