Updated 2026-08-28upper

Duolingo English Test Interactive Writing Practice #11 — Upper Level

Free DET (Duolingo English Test) Interactive Writing practice #11 — Upper level. Just DET Writing questions, no grading — solve it yourself and check the answer or model response.

How to practice: This set collects only the Interactive Writing question type from the real DET (Duolingo English Test) — DET Writing questions. No grading, no timer — solve it yourself, then tap each question to reveal the answer or model response.

Surveillance capitalism refers to the economic logic by which technology companies extract value from the behavioral data of their users. First theorized by Shoshana Zuboff, the concept describes how platforms like search engines and social media sites collect vast quantities of data about user behavior — what people search for, how long they linger on particular content, whom they communicate with — and use this data to build predictive models of human behavior. These models are then sold to advertisers seeking to influence consumer decisions with unprecedented precision.

What distinguishes surveillance capitalism from ordinary commercial data collection is its scale, its opacity, and its one-sidedness. Users typically have little understanding of the scope of data being collected or how it is used. The data flows in a single direction: from the user to the platform and from the platform to a largely invisible market of data brokers and advertisers. Users receive access to free services in return, but this arrangement has been compared to a trade in which one party does not fully understand what they are giving up.

Privacy advocates and regulators have pushed back against this model with varying degrees of success. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, enacted in 2018, established legal requirements for transparency and user consent that have forced technology companies to modify their data practices, at least within European jurisdictions. Critics argue, however, that compliance has often been superficial — platforms have adapted their interfaces to technically satisfy legal requirements while preserving the core architecture of behavioral data extraction.

Part 1
Based on the reading passage, explain the concept of surveillance capitalism and discuss why you think data privacy should or should not be considered a fundamental right in the digital age. Use evidence from the passage and your own reasoning. (5 minutes)
Useful Expressions
as described in the passage · this suggests that · I believe that · a more fundamental approach would
Show Model Answer
Surveillance capitalism, as described in the passage, refers to the practice whereby technology companies treat human behavioral data as a raw material to be extracted, processed, and sold. What makes this model ethically troubling is not simply the collection of data itself, but the profound asymmetry it creates: users generate the data that fuels billion-dollar prediction markets while remaining largely ignorant of both the scope of collection and the uses to which their information is put.

I believe data privacy should be recognized as a fundamental right in the digital age, and the passage provides compelling reasons why. The comparison to a trade in which one party does not understand what they are giving up captures a real and systemic imbalance. When individuals cannot meaningfully understand or control how their behavioral patterns are monetized, they cannot participate as fully autonomous agents in the information environment. This has implications that extend beyond personal inconvenience: targeted influence operations, discriminatory algorithmic profiling, and the psychological manipulation of consumer and political behavior all become easier when detailed behavioral data is commercially available.
Part 2
Now consider the role of government regulation. Do you think legislation like the GDPR is an effective solution, or are more fundamental changes needed? Expand on your previous response with specific arguments. (3 minutes)
Show Model Answer
Regarding regulation, the GDPR represents a meaningful step in the right direction, but the passage itself acknowledges that compliance has frequently been superficial. Platforms have proven adept at satisfying the letter of transparency requirements while preserving the underlying logic of behavioral extraction. This suggests that consent-based frameworks, while necessary, are insufficient on their own.

More fundamental reform might require structural interventions: limiting the types of data that can be collected regardless of consent, prohibiting the sale of behavioral data to third parties, or reclassifying certain data categories as non-commodifiable. I recognize that such measures would face significant opposition from the technology industry and raise legitimate questions about innovation. But the core argument is that some goods — including the conditions necessary for genuine informational autonomy — cannot be adequately protected by market mechanisms alone.

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