Ellie Lee & Jade Koh

For many years, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) has been one of the most widely recognized English proficiency tests for university admissions. However, in recent years, it has faced increasing competition from the Duolingo English Test, which gained significant popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Duolingo’s test is both more affordable, costing only $59, and more convenient, as it takes just one hour to complete. In contrast, the TOEFL iBT costs $255 in the U.S. and previously required three hours.

To remain competitive, ETS, the organization that administers TOEFL, announced several changes in 2023. Beginning in July, the TOEFL iBT would be reduced to two hours. The reading section would be shortened to two passages with 10 questions each, the writing section would feature a more concise task, and unscored experimental questions would be eliminated to make the exam more efficient.

Despite these modifications, TOEFL remains more costly and time-consuming than Duolingo, which is now widely accepted by U.S. universities. ETS argues that TOEFL maintains higher standards of reliability, security, and fairness, while Duolingo contends that its test is equally effective and more accessible to students worldwide.

Additionally, ETS introduced the TOEFL Essentials Test in 2021, a 90-minute alternative to the iBT. However, it has not significantly slowed Duolingo’s growing popularity. As competition in the English proficiency testing market continues to increase, TOEFL is adapting, but it remains uncertain whether these changes will be sufficient to maintain its dominance.

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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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