A language proficiency assessment exam that is fully digital, Duolingo takes its name from an American language-learning website and mobile app through which the test is made possible.
Duolingo’s popularity derives from the fact that the company relies on a video game structure and a ‘freemium’ model: the app and the website are accessible without charge alongside a premium service that comes for a fee. The Duolingo website and app was offering 106 different language courses in 38 languages as recently as March 2021.
Duolingo is akin to video games in many ways for users. It features a reward system in which users can acquire ‘lingots’ or gems, a game currency they can use to get features such as character customizations or bonus levels (both available on the mobile app only).
On public leaderboards, people can compete against their friends or see how they stack up against the rest of the world in randomly selected groupings of up to 30 users. The level system that Duolingo uses is XP (experience points), a numerical system that represents a user’s skill level.
The study process is made possible by a mix of methods such as listening to the pronunciation, reading sentences, voice recording, forming phrases by ordering words, and matching images to words. ‘Duolingo for Schools’ is a version with features designed to allow teachers to track the progress of students.