ORAL COMMUNICATION

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS
for guided conversation and
picture description

June 2015
Level A2

The individual
Personal particulars
Appearance
Clothing
Daily routine

What do you want to learn about your partner when you meet new people? What questions
do you usually have?
What are your most important personal particulars? When is your birthday?
Where do you live?
What nationality are you?
Where do you work, what is your job?
What do you like wearing most, what colour clothes are your favourite?
What do people wear when they go to the theatre, a concert, when they are invited as guests?
What do you wear in summer / in winter?
Have you got a favourite piece of clothing? What colour clothes do you buy?
What do young people like wearing most?
What is your daily routine during the week and at the weekend?
Is there anything you don't have time for?
What do you like doing during the week / at the weekends?
What sort of clothes do little girls and little boys generally wear?
What do you think about small children?
Which are the most important family celebrations in your family?
How do you celebrate birthdays?
How do you celebrate Christmas?
What kind of food do you eat at Easter?
What do families celebrate together?
What is your favourite celebration?
 What do you usually celebrate with friends?

Partnership
Family
Relatives
Acquaintances, friends
Colleagues, classmates

How many members are there in your family? Who are they?
How often do you meet your relatives?
When do you usually meet your relatives?
Where can you meet new people?

How do you make friends?

Where do you work / study?
Have you got a favourite colleague / classmate /teacher? What do you like about him / her /
them?
What do you usually do together?

Family
Family members
Family occasions, celebrations

Talk about your close family!

Have you got any brothers or sisters? Are they younger or older than you?
Where do your parents / children / does your husband / wife work?
Talk about one of your family members.
How does your family celebrate name days / birthdays?
Which is your favourite family celebration? Why?
Which are the most important family celebrations in your family?
How do you celebrate birthdays?
Are big weddings still popular? What do you think about this?
 Tell us something about the last wedding you went to.
How do you celebrate Christmas?
What kind of food do you eat at Easter?
What do people do at these holidays?
What other occasions do families celebrate together?
What kind of housework do you do most often?
How do people share housework in your family?
Is life easier or more difficult for women nowadays? Why/how?
What kind of housework do you like doing?
How should a woman dress at home?

Place of living
House/flat
In the house/flat
Kitchen
The street/town
Housework

Do you live in a detached house or a block of flats?

What are your neighbours like?
Describe your flat / house! What rooms do you have?
How have you furnished your living room / kitchen?
Which is your favourite room?
Tell us where your town / village is.
How can one get to your house from the city centre?
What means of transport do you use to go to work? How long does your journey take?
Why do you like or why do you not like living here?
What kind of housework do you like doing?
How often do you do the housework?
Who helps you at home?
Are there any typically male or female household duties? What are they?
How do you share the housework in your house?
What jobs can you ask children to do?
What sort of housework can men do?
What sort of machines can help us with our housework?
 How would you design the kitchen in a new house?
What is a good study room like? Is it important that it is tidy?
How satisfied are you with your own flat/house (size, furniture, etc.)?
What would you change in your flat/house?
Where would you prefer to live: in a town or in the country? Why?
Where would you prefer to live in a flat or a house?
What are their advantages and disadvantages?
Would you prefer to live in an old or a new flat?
When did you move to your present flat/house? What did you have to do before you moved
in?
Why is the view from a flat/house important?
Would you like to live outside the city? Why?

Travelling/transport
Means of transport
Timetable
Buying tickets
Travelling documents

What means of public transport do you usually use?

Have you ever travelled by plane / ship? Where to?
What types of public transport are there in your town?
Have you got a driving license? Why do you like / do you not like driving?
Where and how do you buy tickets for the bus / tram / underground?
How much does a ticket cost?
Where do you buy train and plane tickets?
What documents do you need if you travel abroad by car?
What sort of transport do you usually use?
How often do you travel and where?
Where do you usually stay overnight when you travel?
Have you ever travelled by air? What was your experience like?
What means of transport do you like best?
How do you travel abroad?
Do you like travelling in your own country?
Where would you like to travel to? Why?
Shopping/shops
Shops
Markets
Department stores
Clothing

Where do you prefer to buy food?

What food products do you buy daily?
How do you prepare for the weekend?
What kind of fruits and vegetables do you buy? Where do you buy them?
Where do you like buying clothes? What is your favourite store? Why?
What kind of clothes do young people buy?
What kind of clothes do you like wearing?
How do you dress up for a party/celebration?
Where do you like to go shopping? Why?
How often do you go shopping? To malls or corner shops?
What kind of food do you usually buy?
What can you buy at a market?

Communication/keeping in contact
Post office
Telephone
SMS / e-mail

How do you send a letter / a postcard?

When do you send a postcard and to whom do you send it?
How do you make domestic and international calls?
Who do you call most often?
 Have you got a mobile phone? What is the difference between a landline phone and a mobile
phone?
Do you ever use a landline phone? When?
What role does the answering machine have?
What number do you call when you are in trouble?
How often do you send sms?
How often do you write e-mails?
How do you communicate with other people?
How often do you use a mobile phone?

Services
Restaurants (menu, ordering, paying)
Hotel

When do you go to a restaurant?

What do you order there?
Do you know any famous restaurants in your neighbourhood? Why are they famous?
Would you like to celebrate your birthday with friends in a restaurant? Why?
How do you reserve a table?
If you are satisfied with the service, do you give a tip?
How do you book a hotel room?
What does a hotel room look like?
Which services do good hotels offer today?
When did you last stay in a hotel? Where was the hotel?
Where do you like celebrating, at home or in a restaurant? Why?
Have you got a favourite restaurant, if yes, why is it your favourite?
What are your favourite dishes?
What sort of cakes do you like?
Do you like cooking and baking?
Do you like going to restaurants? Why? Why not?
Speak about a good hotel /restaurant/pub.
Culture/entertainment
Free time activities
Guests
Cinemas
Theatres
Museums
Concerts

When did someone last invite you to his house? Where do they live?
How do you prepare when you invite your friends to your birthday party?

What presents do you give when you are invited somewhere?

Do you often go to the cinema / theatre?
Which film / play did you see last?
How much does a cinema / theatre ticket cost?
Which do you prefer: cinema or theatre? Why?
How do you spend your free time?
Tell us about a theater play or a film that you like.

Are there enough entertainment and cultural facilities where you live?

Time/weather
Seasons
Weather
Rain/snow

What kind of weather is typical of each season?

Describe the four seasons briefly.
Which is your favourite season? Why?
What should we wear in summer / winter?
What is the weather like in your country in summer / winter?
What events/activities are linked to each of the seasons?
Where do you like to spend your holiday?
Which are your favourite fruits in the different seasons?
Is there any season of the year that you don’t like? Why?
Which season of the year do you go on holiday? Why?
Health/illnesses
At the doctor's
At the dentist’s
A few illnesses
Medicine
Chemist’s

When were you last ill? What symptomps did you have?
How do you feel when you have the flu?
What should we do if we feel the symptoms of a cold?
Why do we go to the doctor / dentist?
How often do you go to the dentist / doctor?
What can we do if we have a bad headache?
What do you have to do if there is a hole in your tooth?
What do you eat / drink / do to stay healthy?
What medicine do you usually buy at the chemist’s?
What do you do to be healthy?
When are people taken to hospital?
How often should you go to the dentist?

Sport
Popular sports
Football
Athletics
Doing sports
Sports and hobby

Which sports are popular in your country?

What kind of sports do people take part in summer / winter?
Do you or did you do sports earlier? What?
Why is regular exercise important?
What sports programmes do you like to watch on TV? Why?
Do you ever go to watch a match? Why?
How much time do you spend doing sports?
Which sports do you watch on TV?
What are the national sports in your country?
 What different sports can you name?
Are there summer and winter sports in your country?
What is your favourite sport? Why?
Do you ever go to see sports events live?
Why is football so popular all around the world?
What kind of sports do you do in your free time?

Media
Television
Radio
Newspapers
Magazines

Do you watch TV? What are your favourite programmes and why?
How much time do you spend watching TV during the day?
What dailies and weeklies do you read?
Do you know of any foreign papers?
When do you read newspapers?
Which articles do you like to read in the papers?
Do you go to the library to read in the reading room?
What can you find out from the papers?
Why do you watch TV?
When do you listen to the radio?

Hobby
Reading
Listening to music
Computer games
Favourite free time activities

What do you like reading?

What kind of music do you like?
 What did you last read?
Who is your favourite writer / composer?
If you have any free time, how do you like to spend it?
Do you agree that people have less and less free time?
How do you spend your weekend? What do you do?
How do you like spending your free time?
Why are hobbies important in the lives of people?
How do you find a hobby for yourself?
Are hobbies expensive today?
What do you prefer: indoor or outdoor hobbies?
Which would you choose: individual or group activities?
How do you spend your free time in nature?
Do you like going for a walk or doing sports?
Who likes dancing? When do you go dancing and who are your partners?
When and who do you play board games with?
How popular is chess among children?
What do you read and how much time do you spend on reading?
Do they like riding as a sport in your country?

Studying / Work
School subjects
Popular professions
Workplaces
Colleagues, classmates
Daily routine

Which were your favourite school subjects at school and why?

Speak about your class.
Did you do anything together outside school?
What is your profession / what would you like to work in the future?
What professions are fashionable today?
What did you want to become when you were a child?
Where do you work / study?
Have you got a favourite colleague/ classmate / teacher? Why do you like him/ her ?
Say something about one of your colleagues /classmates.
What programmes/lessons do you have together?
Say something about how you spend your time on Mondays.
How many hours do you work per day?
Why is it good to be a student?
What school type did you like best?
What do students like doing after school?
What is your favourite school experience?
What is worth studying to have a job in the future?