Conversations / School
School Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about School to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (A1–A2). Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up, every question is labelled with the thinking skill it practises, and each part fills roughly thirty minutes of class time on its own.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 13 Aug 2026
Part 1
School Life and Favorite Subjects
Focus: talking about school routines, subjects, teachers, classmates, places, and simple preferences
In one minute, think of two school subjects, two things in a classroom, two school actions, and one person at school.
EXPERIENCE
What kind of school did you go to? Sentence starter: I went to ...
PREFERENCE
What was your favorite school subject? Tell me one reason. Sentence starter: My favorite subject was ... because ...
ROUTINE
What time did your school day usually start? Sentence starter: School usually started at ...
PEOPLE
What kind of teacher did you like? Sentence starter: I liked teachers who ...
PLACE
What place at school did you like most? Sentence starter: I liked the ... because ...
ACTIVITY
What did you usually do during break time? Sentence starter: During break time, I usually ...
COMPARE
Did you prefer studying alone or with classmates? Tell me why. Sentence starter: I preferred ... because ...
PROBLEM
What could you do if you did not understand a lesson? Sentence starter: I could ...
ADVISE
What advice would you give a new student at a school? Sentence starter: I would tell them to ...
REFLECT
What is one good memory you have from school? Sentence starter: One good memory is ...
Part 2
Learning, Homework, and School Experiences
Focus: talking about homework, learning habits, school rules, simple problems, and ideas for a good school day
Choose one word from each group: Person: student, teacher, friend, principal; Action: study, ask, write, help; Place: classroom, library, cafeteria, playground; Feeling: happy, nervous, tired, proud. Use the words to make two or three simple sentences.
ROUTINE
How much homework did you usually have? Sentence starter: I usually had ...
PREFERENCE
Which is better for you: studying in the morning or evening? Tell me why. Sentence starter: I prefer studying in the ... because ...
SKILL
What school subject was easy for you? Sentence starter: ... was easy for me because ...
SKILL
What school subject was difficult for you? Sentence starter: ... was difficult for me because ...
PEOPLE
Who helped you most with schoolwork? Sentence starter: ... helped me with ...
DESCRIBE
What makes a classroom a good place to learn? Sentence starter: A good classroom has ...
PROBLEM
What can a student do if they forget their homework? Sentence starter: They can ...
PREFERENCE
Do you prefer tests, projects, or presentations? Tell me one reason. Sentence starter: I prefer ... because ...
ADVISE
What is one good study habit for a beginner English student? Sentence starter: A good habit is to ...
PLAN
If you could learn one new subject, what would you choose? Sentence starter: I would choose ... because ...