Sports and exercise
Discussion questions
Describe something healthy you enjoy doing.
You should say:
• what you do
• where you do it
• who you do it with
and explain why you think doing this is healthy.
Discussion questions
Keeping fit and healthy
What do most people do to keep fit in your country?
How important is it for people to do some regular physical exercise?
Health and modern lifestyles
Why do some people think that modern lifestyles are not healthy?
Why do some people choose to lead unhealthy lives?
Should individuals or governments be responsible for making people’s lifestyle healthy?
What could be done to encourage people to live in a healthy way?
Describe something healthy you enjoy doing.
You should say:
• what you do
• where you do it
• who you do it with
and explain why you think doing this is healthy.
Describe a competition (e.g. TV, college, work or sports competition) that you took part in.
You should say:
• what kind of competition it was and how you found out about it
• what you had to do
• what the prizes were
and explain why you chose to take part in this competition.
Sporting competitions
What are the advantages and disadvantages of intensive training for young sportspeople?
Some people think that competition leads to a better performance from sports stars. Others think it just makes players feel insecure. What is your opinion?
Do you think that it is possible to become too competitive in sport? In what way?
Describe a game or sport you enjoy playing.
You should say:
• what kind of game or sport it is
• who you play it with
• where you play it
and explain why you enjoy playing it.
Discussion questions
Young people doing sports
What sports do most young people in your country enjoy doing?
What are the main benefits for young people of learning to play different sports?
Can you suggest some ways to encourage young people to play more sport?
Sports on TV
What kinds of sport do people in your country most often watch on TV? Why?
What do you think are the disadvantages of having a lot of coverage of sports on TV?
How do you think the broadcasting of sports on TV will change in the next 20 years?
International sports competitions
Why do you think international sports competitions (like the Football World Cup) are so popular?
What are the advantages and disadvantages to a country when it hosts a major international sports competition?
What should governments invest more in: helping their top sports people to win international competitions, or promoting sport for everyone? Why?
Describe a sports match which you saw and which you found enjoyable.
You should say:
• what the sport was
• who was playing in this game
• where you watched it
and explain why you enjoyed watching the match so much.
Celebrations and ceremonies
Describe a celebration that you enjoyed.
You should say:
• what the event was and what it was celebrating
• where the event was held and who went to it
• what people did during the event
and explain what you enjoyed about this celebration.
Discussion questions
Special occasions
What type of occasions are usually celebrated in your country?
How important is it for people to celebrate occasions? Why?
Are family occasions as important today as they were for previous generations?
National celebrations
What kinds of national celebration do you have in your country?
Who tends to enjoy national celebrations more: young people or old people? Why?
Why do you think some people think that national celebrations are a waste of government money? Would you agree or disagree with this view? Why?
Describe a celebration that you enjoyed.
You should say:
• what the event was and what it was celebrating
• where the event was held and who went to it
• what people did during the event
and explain what you enjoyed about this celebration.
Describe a festival that is important in your country.
You should say
• when the festival occurs
• what people do during it
• whether you like it or not
and explain why this festival is important.
Discussion topics
Purpose of festivals and celebrations
Why do you think festivals are important events in the working year?
Would you agree that the original significance of festivals is often lost today? Is it good or bad, do you think?
Do you think that new festivals will be introduced in the future? What kind?
Festivals and the media
What role do the media play in festivals, do you think?
Do you think it’s good or bad to watch festivals on TV? Why?
How may globalization affect different festivals around the world?
Describe a festival that is important in your country.
You should say
• when the festival occurs
• what people do during it
• whether you like it or not
and explain why this festival is important.
Describe a memorable event in your life.
You should say
• when the event took place
• where the event took place
• what happened exactly
and explain why this event was memorable for you.
Discussion topics
The role of ceremony in our lives
How important are ceremonies in our lives?
Do you see the role of private and public ceremonies changing in the future?
Attitudes to marriage in your country
Have attitudes to marriage changed in recent years?
In what ways do men and women feel differently about marriage, do you think?
Events of national/global significance
What sort of national events make headlines in your country?
Do the media in your country pay more attention to national or global events?
Describe a memorable event in your life.
You should say
• when the event took place
• where the event took place
• what happened exactly
and explain why this event was memorable for you.
Describe a special gift or present you gave someone.
You should say:
• who you gave the gift to
• what the gift was
• where you got it from
and explain why this gift was special.
Describe a present that someone gave you which you liked a lot.
You should say:
• what the present was
• who gave it to you
• why the person gave you the present
and explain why you liked that present a lot.
Discussion topics
Giving gifts in families
On what occasions do family members give gifts to each other?
Is giving gifts important in families?
How important is it to wrap presents in an attractive way?
Do people who receive a present open it straight away, or do they open it later? Why?
Gift-giving in society
On what occasions do people in your country usually give presents?
What situations in business are there when people might give gifts?
How important is gift-giving for a country’s economy?
Do you feel the commercialization of gift-giving, e.g. Christmas in certain countries, has gone too far?
Routines
Discussion
Describe a typical day at school, work or college
You should say:
• what you do
• when you do it
• how long you’ve had this routine
and explain what you would like to change in your work or study routine.
Discussion questions
How people feel about routines.
Do young people and old people have different attitudes to routines where you live?
What are the benefits and drawbacks of having a daily routine?
Choice of routines
What factors influence most people’s daily routines?
Do you think people get enough choice in their daily routines? Why (not)?
Changes in routines
How are work or study schedules today different from those in the past? Why?
Is this a positive or negative development? Why?
How do you think people’s routines and schedules will change in the future?
Discussion questions
Being a teenager
What are some of the difficulties associated with teenage years? What are some of the benefits?
Do teenagers have more independence in your country than they used to?
Who are the role models for teenagers in your country? Do you think they are good ones?
Family relationships
What causes the most arguments between parents and teenagers?
In what way is the relationship between parents and teenagers differ from the relationship between parents and younger children?
Should teenagers be treated like adults?
Describe a typical day in your life when you were in your early teens.
You should say:
• what you did
• who you spent time with
• how you felt about the things you had to do
and explain what was the best and worst part of the day for you.
Entertainment, culture and arts
Discussion topics
Describe a film or a TV program which has made a strong impression on you.
You should say:
• what kind of film or a TV program it was
• when you saw the film or TV program
• what the film or TV program was about
and explain why this film or TV program made such an impression on you.
Discussion topics
People’s cinema-going habits nowadays
Do you think the cinema has increased or decreased in popularity in recent years?
In your opinion, will this trend continue into the future?
Making a film or TV drama of real/fictional events
What are the advantages and disadvantages of making films of real-life events?
How important do you think it is for a film-maker to remain true to the original story?
Censorship and the freedom of the film-maker/TV producer
Should films and television be censored or should we be free to choose what to see?
How do you think censorship laws will change in the next 20 years?
Describe a film or a TV program which has made a strong impression on you.
You should say:
• what kind of film or a TV program it was
• when you saw the film or TV program
• what the film or TV program was about
and explain why this film or TV program made such an impression on you.
Discussion topics
Music and young people
What kinds of music are popular with young people in your culture?
What do you think influences a young person’s taste in music?
Music and society
How important is it for a culture to have musical traditions?
Why do you think countries have national anthems or songs?
Music and technology
How has technology affected the way we make, play and listen to music?
Do you think these are positive developments?
Describe a music video or a concert that has made an impression on you.
You should say:
• which kind of music it was and who performed it
• what it was like musically
• what it was like visually
and explain why you liked or disliked it.
Discussion questions
Music in the world
Why is pop music so popular globally?
Which do you prefer: traditional music from your country or classical music from abroad?
The psychology of music
How do different kinds of music affect the way people feel?
What is the best music to listen to while studying?
Describe a book that has influenced you.
You should say:
• what the book was about
• why you read it
• how the writer made it interesting
and explain why this book influenced you.
Discussion questions
Reading
What kind of books are popular in your country?
Why do people read?
How important is reading?
Libraries
What is the role of libraries?
How should they be funded, by the government, private companies or citizens?
What can be done to make libraries more popular?
Books and technologies
How have modern technologies influenced people’s reading habits?
Some people believe that with the growing popularity of the Internet, books will soon become unnecessary. Would you agree?
What can be done to encourage people to read more?
Describe a book that has influenced you.
You should say:
• what the book was about
• why you read it
• how the writer made it interesting
and explain why this book influenced you.
Describe a TV series which you enjoy watching.
You should say:
• what the series is about
• who presents it/acts in it
• how often it is on
and explain why you enjoy watching the series so much.
Discussion topics
Foreign TV programs
What kind of foreign TV programs are popular in your country?
What are the advantages of having foreign-made programs on TV?
Some people think governments should control the number of foreign-made TV programs being shown. Do you agree? Why?
Children and TV
What do you think are the qualities of a good children’s TV program?
What are the educational benefits of children watching TV?
Many people think adults should influence what children watch. Do you agree? Why?
Changes in the media
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of having TV broadcast 24 hours a day?
In what ways have advances in technology influenced the way people watch TV?
What changes do you think will occur in broadcast media in the next 20 years?
Describe a TV series which you enjoy watching.
You should say:
• what the series is about
• who presents it/acts in it
• how often it is on
and explain why you enjoy watching the series so much.
The effects of TV
Some people think that watching TV can be a negative influence. Would you agree?
What benefits can TV bring people?
What priorities do you think TV stations should have?
Developments in interactive TV
What kind of interactive programs are there in your country?
Are these a good or a bad development? Why?
What kind of programs will there be in the future, do you think?
Describe a TV or radio program you enjoyed when you were a child.
You should say:
• what the program was about
• when it was on
• where you watched or listened to it
and explain why you enjoyed this program.
Describe a newspaper or magazine article that you found interesting.
You should say:
• what it was about
• where you read it
• how it made you feel
and explain why you found this article interesting.
Discussion topics
Mass-media coverage
What sort of national events make headlines in your country?
Do the media in your country pay more attention to national or global events?
Are the media biased in any way?
The media and technologies
How have modern technologies changed the media?
Some people believe that the development of technologies makes traditional media redundant. Would you agree?
Discussion questions
Reading newspapers
When do people like to read the newspaper?
How important is it for people to have a choice of newspaper?
What does a ‘good’ newspaper contain?
The future of newspapers
Why do some people choose to read the news on the Internet rather than in a newspaper?
How is Internet news different from the news you read in the newspaper?
Will Internet news ever replace newspapers? Why (not)?
Describe a museum or art gallery that you have visited.
You should say:
• where it is
• why you went there
• what you particularly remember about it
and explain why it impressed you so much.
Discussion questions
The role of museums
What role do museums and art galleries play in our society?
How could this role change in the future?
What functions do they serve?
What can be done to make museums more interesting to the public?
Other forms of art and technologies
What other forms of art, besides traditional museum art, are appreciated today?
Would you say graffiti is a form of art or an act of vandalism?
How are modern technologies changing traditional museums?
Describe a photograph you have taken which is important to you.
You should say:
• what the picture shows
• when and why you took it
• where you keep it
and explain what is special about it.
Photography
Would you say that photography is a form of art?
Is photography becoming more or less popular these days, in your experience? Why do you think this is?
Why do you think image sharing services, such as Instagram, have become so popular nowadays?
Images
Some people believe that the written word is losing its importance, and images are becoming more powerful. Would you agree?
Do you think advertising can have harmful effects?
News photographers sometimes take pictures of people in distress, after a disaster, for example. Do you think this is justified?
Photographs
Why do you think people take photographs?
What is the role of family albums?
Would you rather have a photograph or a painting of yourself?
What are advantages and disadvantages of digital photography compared to traditional photography?
The power of images
Nowadays everyone can use a camera. The process of taking and sharing pictures has become incredibly simple. Do you think that photography will lose its artistic value due to this?
Why do advertisers use images to promote their products?
Some people think that image is becoming more powerful than written word. Would you agree?
Nature, environment, animals
Discussion questions
Describe a place you know that has a beautiful natural environment.
You should say:
• where it is located
• what it looks like
• when you first went there
and explain why you find this place especially beautiful.
Discussion questions
Nature
What kind of natural environment makes a place attractive for visitors?
Why do people enjoy spending time outside?
What are the benefits of being out in nature?
Environmental issues
What do you think is the main environmental problem in your country?
What could be done to deal with this problem?
Do you think this problem will get better or worse in the future?
Describe a place you know that has a beautiful natural environment.
You should say:
• where it is located
• what it looks like
• when you first went there
and explain why you find this place especially beautiful.
Discussion questions
Water-based leisure activities
What do people enjoy doing when visit rivers, lakes or the sea? Why do you think these activities are popular?
What benefits do you think people get from the activities they enjoy in the water?
What are the different advantages of going to the sea or to a swimming pool to enjoy yourself? What do you think the disadvantages are?
The economic importance of rivers, lakes and seas
How does water transport, like boats and ships, compare with other kinds? Are there any advantages of water transport?
How important is it for a town or city to be located near a river or the sea? Why?
Have there been any changes in the number of jobs available in fishing and water transport industries? Why do you think this is?
Describe a river, lake or sea which you like.
You should say:
• what the river, lake or sea is called
• where it is
• what the land near it is like
and explain why you like this river, lake or sea.
Discussion questions
Pets
Do many people have pets where you live?
Why do people have pets?
Are some animals more common as pets than others? Why do you think this is?
Animals helping people
How can animals help people do different jobs?
Do you think they should be treated the same way other employees are?
Describe an animal which belonged to you or someone you know.
You should say:
• what type of animal it was
• what personality it had
• what it typically did
and explain your own personal reaction to it.
