winterwhite
Someone way back said: "I just wish the whole procedure of using DuoLingo could have been explained clearly somewhere." and that's just how I feel. Please could the OP or someone else explain it clearly?
Also: for brushers up / refreshers is there an intermediate type level, or do we have to trudge through the early stages first?
When one starts a course for a particular language, one is asked if one wants to go from Basics or from a Placement.
If one has learned some of the language before and requests a placement, then one will be given a test, which is in the same style as if one were starting from zero, except that the questions gradually increase in difficulty until one starts getting the wrong answer. The questions asked depend on whether one gets correct answers or not. After a while the test stops and a result is presented, which credits one with not needing to work through the earlier stages.
There are sets of classes, each set of which I refer to as "a circle" and the way it works seems to be that each circle has several levels, each level having several lessons.
It varies, but typically five or so levels and about four or five lessons in each level.
Each circle consists of several levels.
For each circle, the lowest level is the teaching level where one learns. The other levels in that circle are testing that learning, possibly at increasing levels of difficulty.
However, one does not need to complete every level of a circle before being allowed to move to the next circle. One needs to complete just the lowest level of a circle to be allowed to move to the next circle.
A placement gives one credit as if one has completed the lowest level of each circle up to where one is placed.
One need not work through any of the levels above the lowest level for any circle, however one can.
As the idea is to try to do some Duolingo each day, I often start by going back and first doing the next lesson from one of the earlier circles.
So, for example, I am learning Welsh and I have thus far completed eight circles at the lowest level, and the levels I have completed for each of those eight circles is 4, 4, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1 and or some part way through the next level.
Some time ago, as I went to Italian evening classes in the 1970s, I tried a placement for Italian and got some credit.
However, I regretted that as I could not then access the learning level of the credited circles.
However, today I found Manage courses, so I was able to remove Italian from my profile, then add it again and get a new copy so I can go through the learning material of the course.
I have only been Duolingo for three weeks thus far, so I am not an expert on Duolingo. Yet I hope that what I have written helps.
That’s brilliant 
