EOI B1 TOPICS FOR SPEAKING –

MONOLOGUES
TELEVISION AND MASS MEDIA
 Programmes: reality shows, gossip programmes, documentaries, soap operas, cartoons, the news, weather forecast,
sports programmes, music programmes, talk shows, dramas, sitcoms, series, serials, etc.)
 Impact on people and children
 Newspapers (tabloid vs broadsheets, magazines, daily newspapers, etc.) Online newspapers
 Children and television. Violence and impact on children
 Positive aspects vs negative aspects
 Educational programmes on TV

HOLIDAYS 
 Different kinds of holidays: package holiday, camping, guided tours, cruises
 Favourite means of transport for holidays: own car, plane, train, etc.
 People to go with: alone, family, friends, partner, etc.
 Your last holiday
 Your future holiday
 Rural tourism (relaxing, nature, sports) vs urban tourism (sightseeing, monuments, museums)

EDUCATION 
 Private education vs state education
 Past education vs today’s education: What was school like for your parents? Is it very different from the education you
have received/are receiving?
 Your school days: favourite subjects, teachers, school, uniform, etc.
 Technology in class: positive and negative aspects?
 Lack of money for grants?

SPORTS
 Sports you do and how often?
 Children and sports. Sedentary life? Present and past, difference?
 Your opinion on risky sports
 Footballers: do they earn too much money?
 The Olympic Games

JOBS
 Describe your job. How long have you been doing it? What do you like about it?
 Your ideal job.
 Retirement age: the ideal age?
 Dangerous jobs.
 Your opinion on civil servants in Spain.
TECHNOLOGY
 How has technology changed the world?
 Past and present: comparison
 I couldn’t live without my mobile. Do you agree with this statement?
 E-books. Do you have one? Why (not)?
 Technology in education. Positive and negative aspects?
 Do children have too many gadgets?

MONEY
 Social difference: rich and poor people?
 The economic crisis. How is it affecting society?
 What do you spend your money on?
 Todays’ salaries. Is it possible to save money?
 Do you give money to them? Why (not)?
 Do you like it? Where do you like shopping?
 Money corrupts people. Do you agree?

MUSIC AND BOOKS

EATING HABITS
 You are what you eat. Do you agree with this statement?
 Your favourite food.
 Do you like fast food? How often do you have it?
 Eating out, do you like it?
 Children and obesity.
 Organic food, too expensive?

THE ENVIRONMENT
 What do you do to help the environment?
 Do you recycle? What and how?
 Temperatures are rising more and more. What’s the cause?
 What can you do at home to save energy? 

STEREOTYPES
 Are there any typical characteristics which you think describe the people from your country? Which ones?
 Are people from different areas of your country similar / different in any way?
 Do foreign people have any stereotypes about people from your country? Which ones? Do you think they are right?
 What are the stereotypical ideas you have about people from other countries (United Kingdom, USA, France, Italy,
China…)? Are they realistic?
 Think about this sentence and comment on it: “People from different countries are not very different from each other”.
Do you agree with it? Why? Why not 

ANIMALS
 Do you have any pets? If so, talk about it.
 People sometimes abandon their pets. Talk about this.
 Some people keep exotic and wild animals as pets, in apartments. What’s your opinion?
 Fur coats, ivory decorative furniture, using animals for the cosmetic industry… How do you feel about this?
 Keeping animals in captivity for our entertainment: zoos, circuses…Do we really need this?
 Can animals help people in any way? How? Therapies with animals.

PARENTAL RELATIONSHIPS
 Parents should be strict about what time their children come home.
 Every child needs at least one brother or sister.
 Children learn more from their parents than they do at school.
 Everybody in the family should cooperate with the housework.
 Children should work in their school holidays and earn money.
 Children should leave the family house before 25.

OLD AGE
 How are elderly people treated in our society by the government / by other people?
 What kind of problems do they have? What advantages can we find in old age?
 Many of them live alone and feel lonely. Why? How can this problem be solved?
 Homes for elderly people. What are their advantages and disadvantages?
 How should we spend our time when we retire? How can we feel useful in society?
 Your life when you are old. How do you imagine it?

HEALTH (STRESS)
 Do you think stress is a problem in current society? How does it affect our lives?
 Is everybody affected by it, even children? Give examples.
 How can we avoid or relieve stress? Talk about different methods you can think of.
 Are you stressed? What causes this feeling? What are the consequences for you?
 How do you relax?
MUSIC AND BOOKS
 What kind of music do you like? What is your favourite band or singer? Why?
 What kind of music do you listen to in different situations, for example…
…when you are sad? / …when you are happy?
…when you want to relax? / … when you want to have fun?
 Do you play any musical instruments? Can you sing? Do you like karaoke?
 What kind of books do you like? Do you usually read novels / essays / poetry?
 Is reading a good habit? Why? Why not? How can we encourage children to read?
 What is your favourite book? Why? What book / books didn’t you like at all? Why?
 What do you think about the books which have been made into films? Do you remember any?

CELEBRITIES/ ADMIRATION
 Who is the person you most admire (artists, sportspeople, celebrities…)? Why?
 Do you admire anybody in your family? Why? Do you admire any of your friends? Why?
 Do you think it is necessary to admire your boyfriend / girlfriend to love him / her?
 Do you admire any organization or group (NGOs, teams…)?
 ‘Heroes and heroines are really normal people’. Do you agree with this sentence?
 What do you admire most about yourself?

FAME
 Nowadays, a lot of people want to become famous…and they want it really quickly!
 Do you think that we have become obsessed with the concept of becoming an overnight celebrity? Are people who
participate in contests like “Big Brother”, “Operación Triunfo”… really celebrities?
 Being famous is a positive value in our current society.
 I would love to be famous.
 If I became a celebrity, I would…

MEMORIES
 Do you usually remember anniversaries or birthdays? Do you forget where you have left things? Are you a forgetful
person or are you able to remember small details?
 Have you ever used mnemonic techniques (strategies to remember things)? Which ones? Did they work?
 What is the oldest memory that you have? Do you have any special memories from your childhood (good or bad)?
 Do/did your parents tell you any memories from the times when they were children?
 What are the ones which they tell/told you more often?
 Do you think remembering things from the past is good/bad?
 SPEAKING ABOUT YOURSELF
 How would you describe your character? What’s your sense of humour like?
 How much attention do you pay to your appearance?
 What is your job? / What are you studying? What’s your attitude to work?
 What are your hobbies? What activities would you never take up?
 What are your ideals in life? Do you have any ambitions?
 Who are the most important people in your life? Why?
 Which are the most important decisions you have made in your life?

GOOD MANNERS
 Young people should not call elderly people by their first names.
 Men should open doors for women.
 It is rude to check your phone while you’re talking to someone
 It is rude to look at your watch when you are with people.
 You shouldn’t talk too loudly if you are in a public place.
 Cashiers should give customers their change into their hands.
 People shouldn’t play loud music on their phones in public.
 People should be considerate when talking on their mobiles on public transport.
 You shouldn’t interrupt someone or talk at the same time when someone else is talking during a conversation.
 Many people think that technology is making us ruder. What do you think?