Onterra TutorDescribe a skill you taught yourself without a teacher.
Duolingo English Test writing question in the official format, with a full model answer and notes on why it scores. Write your own version below it and get an instant rater-style score.
The question
Describe a skill you taught yourself without a teacher. How did you learn it, and what advice would you give someone trying to do the same?
Model answer
I taught myself video editing using only free software and an enormous number of mistakes. My method was reverse engineering: I would pick a thirty-second clip I admired, then try to rebuild it cut by cut, pausing hundreds of times to see exactly when the music changed and why the shot switched. Every failed copy taught me a rule that no tutorial had bothered to state. The hardest part of self-teaching was not information, which is everywhere, but feedback, which is nowhere; without a teacher, you do not know which of your habits are bad. I solved that by posting work publicly and treating comments as my classroom. My advice to anyone self-learning: copy masters shamelessly, publish early, and let strangers be your teacher.
Why this answer scores
- Describes a specific, believable method rather than vaguely 'watching videos'.
- Identifies the real obstacle (feedback, not information), which shows insight.
- Ends with transferable advice, directly answering the prompt's final part.
Do not memorise model answers; raters recognise recycled essays instantly. Study the moves, then make them with your own ideas, and check where you stand with a scored practice.
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