Onterra TutorDescribe something you failed at first and later managed to do
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 something you failed at the first time and later managed to do. What changed between the two attempts?
Model answer
I failed my driving test the first time, and I failed it within four minutes by pulling out in front of a bus. What changed before the second attempt was not really my driving. It was that I stopped practising the parts I was already good at. After the first test I asked the examiner exactly what had gone wrong, wrote the three items on a card, and spent six weeks doing only those: junctions, mirror checks, and the hill start I had been quietly avoiding for months. Practice felt much worse than before, because I was never doing anything I was competent at. I passed the second test comfortably. What I kept from it is that comfortable practice is usually revision rather than improvement.
Why this answer scores
- Opens with the failure and a concrete detail, which is more engaging than a general statement.
- Answers the actual question, what changed between the attempts, instead of only telling the story.
- The closing line generalises the lesson in one sentence without drifting into a lecture.
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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