Upper Intermediate Speaking Activities

Once students reach Upper Intermediate proficiency, you really need to throw plenty of interesting topics their way to keep motivation high and provide ample opportunity to voice opinions and develop the subtleties to disagree politely…

We’ve released 5 new Upper Intermediate Speaking Activities for you to teach! Details below.

Even though none of the topics presented below is likely to surface during the Speaking Portion of an IELTS or TOEFL exam, these lessons still allow for practicing the speaking skills needed to undertake these exams successfully. Besides, a little provocation is fine to get your students talking!
Here are five new Upper Intermediate Speaking Activities that we hope you will use with your students. Naturally, always be vigilant about your students’ cultural sensitivities before you undertake a controversial topic.
Finally, though we’ve aimed these at the Upper Intermediate level, with a little adaptation you will can use these with Intermediate and Advanced students too!

S410 – Is Sugar Bad for Us?

Sugar is fast becoming the new tobacco. Governments are talking about the introduction of a sugar tax, a hundred documentaries berate Big Food and its obsession with the white stuff, and the link between sugar consumption and the obesity epidemic continues to gather evidence. And yet, could you live without it?

S411 – Veganism and Vegetarianism

There are a myriad of reasons to go meat-free. Whether your concerns are about your health, animals or the environment, there are definite benefits to changing your diet. But of course, it’s easier said than done. Why go vegan when you still pollute the planet by driving a car? I mean, that’s why you do it, right? To save the planet?

 

S412 – Should Education Be Free?

All across the world, countries differ in their delivery of education. In some, you’ll leave college with a debt of $50,000 while others charge no tuition fees at all. So who does pay? If you pay taxes, you pay toward your country’s education system.

S413 – Euthanasia

In 2016, Belgium agreed to extend its euthanasia laws to minors. Of course, there are rules, regulations and limitations, but a child now has the right to ask for the ‘right to die’. Naturally, people are both for and against it. What you believe happens to you after death often affects your views on this very controversial topic.

S414 – Corruption

We’ve all done it. We’ll all passed a little extra money over to someone to get something done a little faster. In some cultures, ‘baksheesh’ is how you get something done. But of course, there are different types of corruption that have little to do with handing over small change. This is sure to be a topic of interest to every student.

We’ll leave you to explore the Upper Intermediate Speaking Activities with your students and feel free to leave us some feedback below.