Speaking Topics: Hometown
Speaking Topics: Hometown
Part 1
Hometown
Please decribe your hometown a little. / What is your hometown well-known for?
Do you like your hometown?
Is that a big city or a small place?
How long have you been living there?
Do you think you will continue living there for a long time?
Would you like to live / have you ever lived in the countryside? / Do you ever
spend time in the countryside?
What is the difference between living in the countryside and the city?
What do you like to do in the countryside? / What do people living in the
countryside like to do?
How has your town changed over the last 20 years?
Home, decoration
What colour would you choose to paint the walls of your room?
What colour would you never use in your home?
Can you describe the place where you live? / What kind of housing
accommodation do you live in?
Which room does your family spend most of the time in?
Do you prefer living in a house or a flat?
What do you like / dislike about your flat? / What would you like to change in
your flat?
What can you see from the windows where you live?
Advertisements
Do you watch ads from the beginning to the end?
Is there much advertising in your country? / What advertising do you have in your
country?
What are the different places where we see advertisements?
How do you feel about advertisements?
Do you like ads? / Do you like ads on TV? / What kind of ads do you dislike?
What do you think is the purpose of advertising? / Why do you think companies
advertise themselves or their products?
Do you think advertising plays a very important role in today’s world?
Boring things
Do you think school is boring?
What things are boring to you?
What do you do when you feel bored?
Do you ever get bored?
Do you feel more bored than when you were young?
Watches
Do you like to wear watches? / Do you think a watch is important for you?
Have you ever received a watch as a gift?
Why do people like expensive watches?
Computers
Is it difficult for you to use a computer?
How often do you use a computer? / What do you usually use your computer for?
What kinds of computers are popular in your country?
When was the first time you used a computer? / Who taught you how to use a
computer?
Do you think computers have changed your life?
Old buildings
Do you prefer living in an old building or a modern house?
Are there any old buildings you want to see in the future?
Should old buildings be preserved?
What aspect of culture do old buildings reflect?
How do old buildings affect the appearance of a place?
Reading
Have you ever read a novel that was adapted into a film?
Do you like reading? / What books do you like to read?
What book did you read recently? / What did you learn from it?
Have your reading habits changed since you were younger?
What was your favorite book as a child?
Meeting places
Where do you usually meet your friends?
Do you think there are some places that are more suitable for meeting others?
Talents
Do you have a talent or something you are good at?
Sports programs
Do you like watching sports programs on TV?
What was your favourite sport when you were young? / Did you do any sports
when you were young?
Do you like to watch live sports games?
What is the difference between watching sports events at home and at the
stadium?
Who do you like to watch live sports games with?
Do you like sport? / Do most people in your country like sport?
Sitting
Where is your favourite place to sit? (E.g. the couch/sofa/armchair in our living
room/in my bedroom/in the kitchen etc.)
Do you often sit down for a long time?
Evening time
Do you like the morning or the evening?
What do you usually do in the evening?
Collecting things
What items are considered collectibles in your country?
Is collecting a popular pastime in your country? / Do a lot of people in your
country collect things?
Why do people like collecting?
Do you collect things?
What are the benefits of collecting?
Speaking Topics
Part 2
Describe a day out that did not cost a lot
What you did
When you did it
Who you were with
Why it did not cost a lot
Part 2
Describe a positive (or recent) change in your life
What the change was and when it happened
How it happened?
Why it was a positive change
Part 3 (Changes)
Why do you think adapting to change is difficult for some people?
Is it easy for old people to change?
Do people usually change their routine?
Is it easier for young people to change?
Do you think change is good?
Do old people often change plans?
Do young people like to change plans?
What are the common reasons when people need to change plans?
What are some of the major changes that occur to people throughout their lives?
How can people change their daily routine if they want to?
Is it good for people to change jobs frequently?
Do you think people change every day?
How long should people stay at a job?
Part 2
Describe a quiet place you like to spend time in
What place it is
How often you go there, when you go there
What you do there
Why you like the place
Part 2
Describe an occasion when you got stuck in a traffic jam.
Where you went
How often you do this
When you did this
Why you dislike it
Part 2
Describe a time when you lost something and then got it back
What it was
Where you lost it
How you found it
How you felt
Part 2
Describe an important river or lake in your country
What river it is
What you know about it
Why it is important
Part 2
Describe a competition (music, sports, etc.) you would like to take part in
What competition it is
What you would do in this competition
Why you want to take part in it
Part 2
Describe an interesting neighbour
Who this person is
How often you see him or her
How long you have known this neighbour
Why you consider this person to be interesting
Part 3 (Neighbours)
Do you think it is easier for people to get to know each other if they live in the
countryside?
How do children build relationships with others in a community?
Do you think it is important to have a good relationship with neighbors?
Is it beneficial to get along well with neighbours?
How can people improve their relationships with their neighbours?
Do you think people’s relationships with their neighbors today are the same as
they were in the past?
Do you think people are familiar with their neighbours?
What factors help neighbours to have good relations with each other?
What makes a neighbourhood a good one to live in?
Part 2
Describe an important event that you celebrated.
What event it was
When this happened
Who was with you
How you feel about this event
Part 2
Describe something you do to keep fit and healthy
What you do
When and where you usually do it
How you do it
How it helps you keep healthy
Part 3 (Happiness)
Why do some people hide their happy feelings?
How do people express happiness in your culture?
Do you think happiness has any effect on people?
Is it good to be unhappy?
What kinds of things make people in your country happy?
Do you think money can make people happy?
Do you think failures help people feel happiness?
Is it important to have goals in life in order to feel happy?
Do you think people will be happy if they don’t have goals to achieve?
How would you define happiness?
Why do some people say happiness never lasts long?
What do you do when you feel unhappy?
Are people in your country happier now than they were 30 years ago?
Part 2
Describe a product from your area (such as a food or handicraft)
What the product is
When you tried it for the first time
Where you can buy it
How it is produced
Why it is popular
Part 2
Describe something you do to keep yourself concentrated
What is it
How often you do it
When you started doing it
Why it helped you concentrate
Part 3 (Concentration)
Can exercise help people improve concentration?
What kinds of jobs require higher concentration at work?
How we can help children stay focused?
Is it important for children to learn how to concentrate?
What can employers do to help employees concentrate?
Have you ever felt difficult to concentrate?
What distractions are bothering you in your life?
Part 2
Describe an invention that changed the world for the better
What it is
How it changed the world
How popular it is
Part 3 (Inventions)
Do you think AI will replace human teachers?
What inventions do you hope to have in 20 years?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of online courses?
How can technology be used in the classroom?
What electrical appliances do people in your country have at home?
What household appliances make us lazy?
Do you think modern technology makes people lazier?
What do you think have been some of the most important inventions in the past
100 years or so?
Do you think it’s good that new inventions are appearing so often?
Do you think there will be any negative effects resulting from future technology?
Part 2
Describe a time when you were very busy
When this time was
What you did at this time
How you arranged your time
How you felt after this busy time was over
Part 3 (Being busy)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of always being busy?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a stressful job?
How do you think highly efficient people manage their time?
Do you manage your time efficiently?
Part 2
Describe a time when you helped a child
How you helped a child
Why you helped them
When it was
How you felt about it
Part 2
Describe something you do to save time
What it is
When you do it
How you feel when you do this
How it helps you
Part 3 (Time management)
How do people manage their time?
What can people do to spend their time efficiently?
What do people do to save time?
Is it important to manage your time efficiently?
Do you agree that today success mainly depends on being able to manage time
effectively?
Should parents help children manage time?
How can we avoid wasting time?
Do you think deadlines are necessary?
Part 2
Describe a family member you would like to work with
Who this person is
What kind of work you would like to do
Why you want to work with him or her
How you feel about this person
Part 2
Describe a difficult decision that you once made
What the decision was
How you made your decision
What the results of the decision were
Why it was difficult to make
Part 2
Describe a famous person in your country
Who this person is
What this person has done or does
Why this person is popular
How you feel about this person
Part 3 (Popularity)
What benefits are there when a child is popular at school?
What kinds of people are popular at work?
Part 2
Describe an occasion when someone gave you positive advice or suggestions
about your work
Who this person is
What they said
How this advice affected you
How you felt about the advice
Part 2
Describe a time when you used your cellphone to do something important
What happened
When it happened
How important your cellphone was
How you felt about the experience
Part 2
Describe a person you enjoyed talking with
Who this person is
When you talked
What you talked about
Why you enjoyed talking to this person
Part 2
Describe a time when you gave advice to others
Who you gave advice to
What the situation was
What advice you gave
What the result was
Part 2
Describe a place you visited (not your hometown) that you recommend others
to live in
What place it is
When you went there
Why you recommend living there
Part 3 (Cities, countryside, relocating)
Why do many people move to the countryside?
Why do some people like to live close to the company?
Why do people change their places of living? / Why do people move to other
areas?
Why do people move to a new home?
What are the advantages of living in the city?
Is it good to move to a new place frequently?
What problems will people face after moving to a new home?
What do people need to prepare for when they are moving?
What makes a location suitable for young people to live?
What makes a location suitable for old people to live?
Part 2
Describe a popular place for sports
You should say:
What this place is, where this place is
What kinds of people go there
What you did there
How you felt about it
Part 3 (Money)
Why do people rarely use cash now?
Do you agree that nowadays people value money the most?
What do young people spend money on?
Why do young people tend to waste money?
Do people in your country like to save money?
What is the best way of saving money?
Part 2
Describe a story you’ve heard
You should say:
What this story was about
Who told you this story
When you heard it
How you felt about it
Part 3 (Stories)
Why do children like hearing the same bedtime story?
Why do children like stories?
What kind of stories do children like to listen to?
What can a child learn from a story?
Part 2
Describe an important thing you learned (not at school or college)
You should say:
What it is
When you learned it
Why it was important
Part 2
Describe a photo you took that you’re proud of
You should say:
Where you took it
When you took the photo
How you took it
Why you’re proud of it
Part 3 (Photos)
What do you think of those who like to change or beautify faces and post them on
social media?
Do people in your country like to take photos?
Why do people like to record important things with photos?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling with a camera?
Part 2
Describe a movie you watched recently and want to watch again
You should say:
What the movie is about
Where you watched it
Why you liked it
Why you want to watch it again
Part 2
Describe a time when you searched for information
You should say:
Why you needed it
What information you were looking for
Where you were searching
How much you enjoyed looking for the information
TV programs
What shows do old people and young people watch?
What other programs do you like to watch?
What TV programs are popular in your country?
What is the influence of foreign shows on the shows produced in your country?
Part 2
Describe a time when you shared something with others
You should say:
What you shared and why
When you shared it
Who you shared it with
How you felt about sharing it with them
Part 2
Describe a problem you had while shopping online or in a store
You should say:
What you bought
What problems you had while shopping online
How it was used
Explain how you felt about it
Part 3 (Service)
What’s good service?
As a customer, what kinds of services do you expect from a company?
What is bad service?
Do you think it’s important for a company to provide after-sales service?
Why is online shopping so popular these days?
What is the difference between shopping online and in a store?
What should customers do if there are problems with products they bought
online?
Part 2
Describe an object that you think is beautiful
You should say:
What it is
What it looked like
Where you saw it
Why you think it’s beautiful
Part 2
Describe a time you forgot an appointment
You should say:
What the appointment was
When and where it was
Why you forgot about it
How you felt
Part 2
Describe a friend from your childhood
You should say:
Who this person is
How you met each other
What you did together
Explain why you liked him or her
Part 3 (Friendship, social media)
Why is it hard to maintain friendships for some people?
Why do people lose contact with their childhood friends?
Which is more important, to maintain old friendships or make new friends?
What positive and negative effects do mobile phones have on friendship?
Do you think technology unites or separates people?
Do you think old friends are more important to the old generation or to the young
generation?
Part 2
Describe an impressive English lesson
You should say:
When it was
Where it was
What you did
What your teacher did
Why it was special
Part 2
Describe an occasion when you made a decision to wait for something
You should say:
What you waited for
Why you decided to wait
When it was
How you felt about your decision
Part 3 (Patience)
Compared to the past, are people less patient now?
Do you think children have more patience than adults?
Is patience always a good characteristic?
Do you think people have to have patience?
Part 2
Describe a song or piece of music you like
You should say:
What country it is from
What it is about
Whom you knew it from
Why you like it
Part 3 (Music)
What kinds of music do you like to listen to?
What kinds of music are the most popular in your country?
Part 2
Describe a person from a different culture
You should say:
Who this person is
Where you met this person
Why you like this person
What you learnt from this person
Part 3 (Cultures)
What is the best way to learn a foreign culture? Where and how can we get to
know people from other cultures better?
Do you agree that reading is the best way to know about culture?
Do you think people from different cultures will understand each other better in
the future?
Do you think cultural differences will disappear in the future?
What can be done to make people more interested in other cultures?
Part 2
Describe an outdoor activity you did in a new place
You should say:
What you did, when and where you did it
Who you did it with
Whether it was difficult or easy
Why this activity was new or exciting for you
Part 3 (Leadership)
What qualities make a role model?
Part 2
Describe a person who inspired you to do something interesting
You should say:
Who this person is
What this person inspired you to do
How this person helped you
Why this encouragement helped you to achieve a goal
Part 2
Describe an interesting place in your country that you would like to recommend
to tourists
You should say:
What place it is
Where it is
Why it is interesting
What people can do there
Part 3 (Travelling)
Is it important to take photos while travelling?
Part 2
Describe a disagreement you had with someone
You should say:
What it was about
Who you had the disagreement with
What opinions you had
How you felt about it
Part 3 (Disagreements)
Is the argument important?
What do brothers and sisters argue about?
What arguments occur between family members?
Part 2
Describe a person you know who loves to grow plants (vegetables, fruits,
flowers)
You should say:
Who this person is
What this person grows
Where this person grows them
Why this person loves to grow plants
Part 3 (Farming)
What are the differences between traditional and modern agriculture?
Do you think farming is important?
What do you think of a job of a farmer?
How do people feel when they eat vegetables that they grew on their own?
Do people like to grow vegetables in your country?
Do you think climate change is influencing food production in any way?
How will technological and scientific improvements affect food production?
Part 2
Describe a person who likes to dress fashionably
You should say:
Who this person is
What job this person does
What kind of clothes he or she wears
Why this person likes fashion
Part 3 (Fashion)
Why is fashion important to some people?
Do you think online shopping will replace shopping in reality?
Part 2
Describe a time when you saw a lot of plastic waste
You should say:
Where it was and what you saw
Why there was a lot of plastic
What you did
How you felt
Part 3 (Plastic)
Why do people like to use plastic products?
Part 2
Describe a house or apartment you often visit
You should say:
Whose home it is
How often you visit it
What it looks like
How you feel about it
Part 2
Describe something you did that was difficult but successful
You should say:
What you did
How you did it
How difficult it was
Why you are proud of it
Part 3 (Success)
In general, how do people judge or, assess the success of others?
Why do (or should) people set goals?
Do you believe being successful and making a lot of money are the same thing?
What does it take to become successful?
Why is it that some people achieve success faster?
Do you think that mistakes can help people achieve the greatest success?
Do you agree people learn the most from their mistakes?
Do you agree that today success mainly depends on being able to manage time
effectively?
What skills are important for success in business?
How do people achieve success at school?
Which do you think is more important, academic success or success in more
practical, everyday skills?