hola π
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sorry I couldn't write last week, I was having too much fun in Naples π
we had the absolute BEST time
as planned, I unashamedly had pizza pretty much every day
(on one of the days I actually had pizza breakfast, lunch and dinner π)
I just couldn't help myself -- and every single one tasted incredible!
0 regrets π
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towards the end of our trip, we started thinking about where to go next
and it looks like we're going to try Zurich in January π¨π
officially it's a German-speaking city, so I've decided to switch my language focus to German for the next few months
I've dabbled with German on and off over the years without ever really getting comfortable in it, so i've set myself a challenge to try and get as close to B1 on the CEFR as possible
I already know it's gonna take A LOT of work π₯΅
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however, after completing my first German refresher lesson on Duolingo, I noticed a brand new feature that could be really helpful in getting me there...
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move over, XP π«Έ
so this is something I was actually made aware of a few months ago, but i've only just managed to play around with it myself
that's because (in typical Duolingo fashion) it's only available in a few courses at the moment... and Italian isn't one of them π
buuuuuuut... German is! π
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the new feature is called Duolingo Score:
Score is a brand new grading system that aims to give you a sense of where you're at in your target language
it works with ranges, spanning from 0 all the way to 160
each range aligns with a different part of the CEFR, and is broken down as follows:
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Beginner
- 0-10 - very early A1
- 10-20 - early A1
- 20-30 - high A1
- 30-60 - A2
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Intermediate
- 60-80 - early B1
- 80-100 - high B1
- 100-115 - early B2
- 115-130 - high B2
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Advanced
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as you move through your course, your score will increase
each time you complete a level, you'll see tokens float up towards your score, which will push the progress bar forward
this is very different to XP -- Duolingo's traditional measure of progress -- in that you have to complete levels to earn points
you can't just smash timed challenges all day
Score rewards genuine progress in your target language
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how to view your Duolingo score π§
as I mentioned, Score isn't currently available on all courses and devices
it seems to be popping up in the most popular ones at the moment. these are:
- Spanish πͺπΈ
- French π«π·
- German π©πͺ
I guess this is because these courses have the most content. most of Duolingo's courses only go up to about A1 on the CEFR, so there probably isn't much point in rolling out Score to these courses just yet.
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if it is available on your device and course, you should receive a notification after completing a lesson telling you you've now got a Score.
you'll be able to view it in the top left next to your course flag...
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if you tap it, you'll be able to see how far away you are from the next tier, as well as learn more about how the score system works...
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the interesting thing about the new Score system is that it goes all the way up to 160 - which Duolingo says aligns with Advanced content
now, they haven't actually added any advanced stuff yet... but surely this implies they're going to eventually? π€
definitely something to keep an eye on!
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anyway
I think Score is something Duolingo has been crying out for ever since it launched the learning path back in 2022
i've lost track of how many times I've been asked how Duolingo's courses align with the CEFR over the years π
it's not something I've really been able to answer until now
that being said, I still don't think it's an exact science at the moment. after all, your score is only based on where you are in your path. it doesn't take into account everything you do ((or don't do)) away from Duolingo
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so while your score might suggest you're at B1, it could be that you'd struggle to hold a B1-level conversation. what it really means is that you're now working with B1-level content, but it might take some time for your actual proficiency to reach this level.
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but even so -- this is definitely a much better measure of progress than XP ever was
seriously, it's already LIGHTYEARS ahead
unlike XP, Score actually encourages you to keep learning and tackle fresh content. this is a huge step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned π
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my goal for January, then, is to get my Score as close to 60 as possible -- which is the beginning of Early B1. I'm going to be doing stuff away from Duolingo as well, so it will be interesting to see how much progress I end up making.
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My current score is 15... so there's a lot of work to be done.
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better get to it! πͺ