Speaking prompts for teens and adults

B1 · Intermediate

• Describe a typical weekday for you, from morning to night.
• Are you a morning person or a night person?
• Tell us about a day when everything went wrong.
• Which do you prefer: weekdays or weekends? Why?
• What is the most useful thing you own?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Is it important to have a fixed daily routine?
• What advice would you give someone who is always late?
• If you had one extra hour every day, how would you spend it?
• Is everyday life easier now than it was for your grandparents?
• Should household chores be shared equally by everyone at home?

C1 · Advanced

• Do small daily habits matter more than big decisions?
• Are we too busy to be bored — and is that a problem?
• Describe a moment when you realised you had changed as a person.

B1 · Intermediate

• What is your favourite meal, and when do you usually eat it?
• Tell us about the best meal you have ever had.
• Do you prefer eating at home or eating out?
• Which dish from your country should a visitor try first?
• Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• If you could only eat food from one country for a year, which would you choose?
• Is cooking a skill everyone needs, or is it fine to rely on others?
• Have you ever hated a food at first and later loved it?
• Is fast food really cheaper than cooking at home?

C1 · Advanced

• Will we be eating very different food in thirty years?
• To what extent does food define a culture?
• Should supermarkets be required to give away food they cannot sell?
• Describe a food tradition in your family that you would like to keep.

B1 · Intermediate

• Describe the most beautiful place you have ever visited.
• Do you prefer holidays by the sea or in the mountains?
• Tell us about a journey that took much longer than planned.
• What should a tourist see in your town?
• If you could visit any country tomorrow, where would you go?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Is it better to travel alone or with friends?
• Do you need to travel to understand other cultures?
• What advice would you give someone going abroad for the first time?
• Have you ever got lost in a new place?

C1 · Advanced

• Does mass tourism do more harm than good to popular cities?
• Planned trips or spontaneous adventures: which make better memories?
• If you could only travel by train or boat, how would your holidays change?
• Describe a place that changed the way you see the world.

B1 · Intermediate

• What job would you like to have in ten years?
• Which jobs are the most important for a town?
• Tell us about your first job, or a job you helped with at home.
• Would you prefer to work in an office or from home?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Is it better to have a job you love or a job that pays well?
• What advice would you give someone before their first job interview?
• If you could try any job for one week, which would it be?
• Are teamwork skills more important than technical skills?
• Should young people take a gap year before university or work?

C1 · Advanced

• Will machines take over most jobs in the next twenty years?
• Is a four-day working week a realistic idea?
• Is loyalty to one employer still valued, or should people change jobs often?
• Describe the best manager or teacher you have ever had.

B1 · Intermediate

• What was your favourite subject at school, and why?
• Tell us about a time you learned something new outside school.
• Is homework useful?
• How can someone remember new English words?
• Do you learn better alone or in a group?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Should students be allowed to choose all their own subjects?
• Is online learning as good as learning in a classroom?
• Describe a mistake that taught you an important lesson.
• Are exams a fair way to measure what students know?

C1 · Advanced

• Is it ever too late to learn something completely new?
• Should schools focus more on practical life skills?
• Does failure teach us more than success?
• If you could redesign the school day, what would it look like?

B1 · Intermediate

• Which app do you use the most, and what for?
• How old should children be before they get their own phone?
• Do you prefer reading on paper or on a screen?
• Tell us about a time technology let you down at the worst moment.
• If the internet stopped working for a week, what would you do?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Are people more connected or more lonely because of social media?
• What advice would you give someone to stay safe online?
• Should phones be banned in classrooms?
• Which has changed everyday life more: the car or the smartphone?

C1 · Advanced

• Should there be limits on how much apps are allowed to keep us scrolling?
• Will artificial intelligence make people more creative or less?
• How far should we trust information we find online?
• Describe a piece of technology that you think is badly designed.

B1 · Intermediate

• Describe your favourite season and what you do in it.
• Which animal would make the best pet for a busy family?
• What can one person do every day to help the environment?
• Tell us about a time you spent a whole day outdoors.
• Would you rather live by the sea, in a forest or in the mountains?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Should zoos still exist?
• Is recycling enough to solve the problem of waste?
• If you could protect one wild place in the world, which would you choose?
• Is a holiday in nature more relaxing than one in a big city?

C1 · Advanced

• Can technology solve environmental problems, or do we need to change how we live?
• Are individuals or big companies more responsible for protecting the planet?
• Describe how the place where you grew up has changed over the years.
• Is it realistic to expect people to change their lifestyle for the environment?

B1 · Intermediate

• What do you do to relax after a long day?
• What can people do to sleep better?
• Is walking the best form of exercise?
• Tell us about a time you tried a new healthy habit.
• Is it easier to eat well at home, at school or at work?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Should healthy food be cheaper than unhealthy food?
• How important is mental health compared with physical health?
• What would you say to a friend who is very stressed before exams?
• Is it better to exercise alone or with others?

C1 · Advanced

• Is the pressure to be healthy all the time becoming unhealthy itself?
• Should workplaces and schools be responsible for people's well-being?
• Do fitness trackers and health apps actually make people healthier?
• If you could change one thing about how your country looks after people's health, what would it be?

B1 · Intermediate

• What do you like doing in your free time?
• If you could learn any new hobby, what would it be?
• Tell us about the best weekend you have had recently.
• Do you prefer hobbies you do at home or outside?
• What is a good hobby for someone who is shy?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Should hobbies be relaxing, or is it good when they are challenging?
• Have you ever given up a hobby? Why?
• Are collecting hobbies, like stamps or cards, still popular?
• Is it a good idea to turn a hobby into a job?

C1 · Advanced

• Do people have less free time than in the past, or do they just use it differently?
• Why do some people need a hobby to feel happy?
• Describe a hobby that people often misunderstand.
• If you had a whole year off and enough money, how would you fill your time?

B1 · Intermediate

• Describe your best friend.
• What makes a good neighbour?
• Tell us about a family celebration you remember well.
• Is it better to have many friends or a few close friends?
• Who in your family are you most like?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Can people stay close friends when they live in different countries?
• What would you do if two of your friends had an argument?
• Who has it easier: the oldest child or the youngest?
• Describe someone who has had a big influence on you.

C1 · Advanced

• Should grandparents play a bigger role in bringing up children?
• Is complete honesty always the best thing in a friendship?
• Are friendships made at school stronger than those made later in life?
• How has the idea of family changed in the last fifty years?

B1 · Intermediate

• Describe your neighbourhood to someone who has never been there.
• Would you rather live in a big city or a small village?
• What is the best way to get around your town?
• If you were the mayor of your town for a day, what would you change?
• What should a family who has just moved to your town know?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Should city centres be closed to cars?
• What makes a city a good place for young people?
• Are big shopping centres better than small local shops?
• Describe a building in your town that you love or hate.

C1 · Advanced

• Is it a city's job to make people feel part of a community?
• Should people be encouraged to move away from overcrowded cities?
• If you could design a new town from scratch, what would be at its centre?
• Does street art make a city better or worse?

B1 · Intermediate

• What is the last film you watched? Would you recommend it?
• Is the book always better than the film?
• Do you prefer watching films at home or at the cinema?
• Describe a song that always puts you in a good mood.
• Tell us about a concert, show or performance you have seen.

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Are long series better than films for telling a story?
• Should everyone read a few classic books?
• Is music better on your own or shared with other people?
• Which book or series would you recommend to someone learning English?

C1 · Advanced

• Do reviews and ratings help us choose, or stop us discovering things for ourselves?
• Should famous people be role models for young people?
• Is it acceptable to download films and music without paying?
• Describe a story — from a book, film or game — that changed how you think.

B1 · Intermediate

• Should children get pocket money?
• What is the best thing you have ever bought?
• Do you prefer shopping online or in shops?
• How can a student save money?
• Tell us about something you bought and then regretted.

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Is it better to spend money on things or on experiences?
• Should schools teach students how to manage money?
• Cash or card: which do you trust more?
• If you were given a large amount of money to give away, who would get it?

C1 · Advanced

• Does advertising make us want things we don't need?
• Can money buy happiness?
• Is buying second-hand the future of shopping?
• Is it wiser to save for the future or to enjoy your money now?

B1 · Intermediate

• Describe a festival or holiday in your country.
• Tell us about a birthday you remember.
• Which holiday of the year do you like best?
• What should a visitor know about good manners in your country?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Is it important to keep old traditions alive?
• How are big family celebrations different in other countries?
• Describe a time you experienced a different culture.
• Should everyone learn at least one foreign language?

C1 · Advanced

• Is globalisation making cultures around the world too similar?
• Should museums return objects to the countries they came from?
• Describe a custom in your country that might seem strange to outsiders.
• Can you truly understand a culture without speaking its language?
• If you could live in another country for a year, which culture would you most like to experience?

B1 · Intermediate

• What do you think your life will be like in ten years?
• Would you like to travel into space?
• Describe a machine you would like someone to invent.
• If you could talk to yourself ten years ago, what would you say?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Will robots be part of every home in the future?
• Is space exploration worth the money?
• If you could know one thing about the future, what would you want to know?
• Which will change our lives more in the next twenty years: medicine or transport?

C1 · Advanced

• Should scientists be allowed to bring back extinct animals?
• How far should we let technology change the human body?
• Are people today too pessimistic about the future?
• If people lived to 150, how would society need to change?
• Should we try to contact life on other planets, or stay quiet?

B1 · Intermediate

• Which sport do you enjoy playing or watching?
• Should every school have sport every day?
• Tell us about a match or race you will never forget.
• Do you prefer team sports or individual sports?
• Which sport would you recommend to someone who hates sport?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• Are top athletes paid too much?
• Should video games count as a sport?
• Is it better to win, or to play well and lose?
• Describe a time you pushed yourself harder than you thought you could.

C1 · Advanced

• Do big sporting events really benefit the cities that host them?
• Is competitive sport good for children?
• Does technology like video replays make sport fairer or less exciting?
• Describe a sports star who is admired for more than their skill.

B1 · Intermediate

• You find a wallet with money in it in the street. What do you do?
• A friend gives you a present you really don't like. What do you say?
• Would you rather be very rich or very famous?
• You can only keep three apps on your phone. Which do you choose?
• Would you rather speak every language or play every instrument?

B2 · Upper-intermediate

• You see a classmate copying in an exam. What do you do?
• Would you rather have a job you love with little free time, or a boring job with lots of free time?
• A shop gives you too much change. Do you go back?
• You could win a big prize by living without a phone for a year. Would you do it?

C1 · Advanced

• Is it ever right to break a rule?
• If you could erase one invention from history, which would it be?
• Should you always keep a promise, even when circumstances change?
• You are offered your dream job on the other side of the world. Do you take it?