Education / job / career goals

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of written, oral exams and practical assessment.

What kind of tests do you like or dislike?

Do you think that written exams are old-fashioned?

What is the education system like in your country?

Do you think your country has an effective education system?

Who should bear the responsibility for payment of tuition fees? What can be done to improve education in rural areas? Do you agree with private education? Why? Is the way that students learn nowadays different from the past?

What are the future career trends in your country / in Europe?

What kind of work teenagers in Russia hope to do for a career?

What careers are much more popular with boys than girls / with girls than boys?

Which of the top career choices in your country would be the best paid / the most satisfying / the most stressful / the shortest?

What personal qualities does a person need to be a good boss?

Would you prefer to work for an organization or to be self-employed?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of working from home, rather than going to an office?

Make a list of factors that may contribute to work satisfaction.

Should a company invest in training their staff?

Is it important that we enjoy doing the job we have?

How different do you think the world of work and training is for young people today? Do they have more opportunities now compared to the past?

Should all young people aim to go to university?

Do we work to live or live to work?

Do young people today have the same aspirations as previous generations?

In what ways can these aims and aspirations be achieved?

What is the key to success in life?

Do you think it is good to have aims and goals in life?

Hometown/country

What are the main industries in your hometown?

What are the advantages of living in your hometown?

What are some problems faced by your hometown?

What are some environmental problems faced by your hometown?

Describe the main types of food resources that are produced in your country.

What goods are manufactured in your home country?

What types of food are produces in your own country?

What produce is exported/imported?

Which part of your country do most people live in?

What are the main industries in your country?

Has your country changed much since you were a child?

What can be done to close the gap between urban and rural areas?

Which is the most interesting place in your country for a tourist to visit?

What is the staple food in your country?

What commodities are produces in your country?

Is the merchandise sold in the shops in your country the same as in other countries you have visited?

What crops are grown in your country?

Cities/buildings

What changes have taken place in architecture in the past two decades?

What are the most likely trends in city planning in the next 50 years?

What kinds of developments there will be in architecture in near future?

What do you think houses of the future might look like?

What effect might new technology have on house design in the future?

How necessary is it for building designers to consider energy use?

How important is it for public buildings to look good?

How necessary is it for governments to regulate building work in towns and cities?

Are cities a good place to live?

How important is it to provide public parks in inner city areas?

Do you think it necessary to protect old buildings?

Talk about somewhere foreign tourists would enjoy going in your town or country.

Do people need to have beautiful surroundings?

What is the effect of living and working in attractive building?

Which is more important, the design or the function of the building?

Is it important to try to make cities pleasing to the eye?

Beauty

What does beauty mean? Does it mean the same for every one?

Do you think the desire to acquire beautiful objects drives consumerism?

Are there differences in the concepts of beauty and taste between cultures?