Duolingo English Test Read, Then Speak: practice prompt 3

One real-format Read, Then Speak prompt with a model spoken answer and notes on why it scores. You get 20 seconds to prepare, then speak about the prompt for at least 30 seconds and up to 90. Keep going until the time is nearly up.

The prompt

Describe a meal that means something to you. Who made it, when do you eat it, and what makes it memorable?

20 seconds to prepare, up to 90 seconds to speak.

Hear a strong answer

One way this question can be answered well, spoken at the pace and length the task expects. Listen for where the pauses fall, then try it again in your own words and with your own examples.

The meal I'd choose is the jollof rice my mother makes on the last Sunday of every December. She makes it in a pot far too big for the number of people present, over firewood in the yard, because she insists the smoke is the point. We eat it late in the afternoon when everybody has finally arrived, and there are always at least three people there who nobody formally invited. What makes it memorable isn't really the food, although it is very good. It's that it's the one day of the year when the whole family is in one place at one time without anybody looking at a clock. I've eaten better rice. I've never eaten a better meal.

Why this earns score 160

Covers who, when and what makes it memorable, in the order the prompt lists them.
The closing pair of short sentences gives the answer a definite ending inside the time limit.
Everyday vocabulary used precisely reads better than difficult words used loosely.

Questions about this answer

What score is this model answer?

It is written to earn the top of the Duolingo English Test scale, score 160, and the notes under it say why.

How long do I get for this prompt?

20 seconds to prepare and up to 90 seconds to speak.

What should I watch for in my own answer?

Covers who, when and what makes it memorable, in the order the prompt lists them.