Phillip Im

The usage of online Duolingo English tests for admissions has raised concerns about academic dishonesty and poor student performance at UK universities. The test was first utilized by 62 UK universities during the pandemic as an affordable replacement for conventional language proficiency tests. At least 23 universities still accept Duolingo scores, including three from the elite Russell Group, even though the majority have subsequently stopped.

Experts caution that students’ proficiency in the English language has declined as a result of these online tests. Professor John Heathershaw of the University of Exeter pointed out a link between higher rates of plagiarism and poorer English proficiency, implying that students who are accepted based on their performance on Duolingo examinations may have issues with academic integrity. An anonymous lecturer from a university in the Russell Group shared cases in which students accepted through Duolingo were found to have plagiarized and were unable to contribute productively to oral presentations or class discussions.

After initially accepting Duolingo scores, Aston University has recently stopped doing so because of worries about student performance. Although there was no concrete proof of deception, it was claimed that students who were accepted via Duolingo performed worse than their classmates.

Since poorer English proficiency seems to be associated with a higher rate of academic misconduct, Professor Heathershaw has called for a formal research to determine the scope of the issue. There is ongoing discussion on the validity of online language assessments, which raises concerns about how they may affect UK higher education standards.

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