Short Answer
No. Copy and paste is disabled across the entire Duolingo English Test, including on writing questions like Write About the Photo, the Writing Sample, and Summarize the Conversation. Any detected copy action is treated as a violation and can cause your result to be invalidated.
Why This Trips People Up
On tasks like Summarize the Conversation, the previous exchange stays visible on screen while you write — which makes it tempting to copy a phrase directly from the transcript. Don't. Even where copy-paste isn't actively blocked by the app, using another person's exact wording as your own doesn't demonstrate your vocabulary and will read as a red flag during human review.
What You Should Do Instead
- Paraphrase, don't quote. Reading the transcript to understand the conversation is fine — retyping it word-for-word as your "summary" is not.
- Practice typing at speed. Since you can't paste in prepared text, comfortable typing speed under a countdown matters more on the DET than on hand-written exams.
- Build your own phrase bank in advance through practice, so useful vocabulary comes from memory rather than from copying anything on screen.
Related Reading
For the full list of behaviors that can get a test invalidated, see our guide to DET invalidation mistakes.