Topics for speaking School Olympiad 2012-2013

7 form

1. English-speaking countries (traditions and customs, places of historical and cultural interest).

2. Shopping (traditional, virtual, shopping around the world).

3. Sport.

4. School life (favourite subjects)

8 form

1. What is the most important quality a friend can have?

  * Why is this quality so important?

  * Do your closest friends have this quality? Do you?

* How can you work to improve on this quality?

2. What activities do you find enjoyable when you are by yourself?

  * Why is this activity so enjoyable to you?

  * How often do you spend time by yourself? Do you feel it is important to have time alone? Why?

* Have you ever been afraid to spend time by yourself?

3. Choose a favorite holiday.

  * Explain why you like this holiday so much.

  * Tell a story from your life that illustrates what this holiday means to you.

* Explain how your family’s traditions are typical, or not, for Ukraine.

4. Do you like to keep pets?

  * What kinds of animals are best as pets? Why?

  * Are there some animals that should not be kept as pets?

* Why do you think so many people like to keep pets?

5. Ukrainian teenages often have responsibilities at school and at home.

     * What are some of your responsibilities at home? At shool?

     * Discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of working hard at school and home.

     * How does age affect your responsibilities?  

9^th form

1. School uniforms are mandatory in some schools around the world, although certainly not in every school

* If you were the headmaster of a school would you want your pupils to wear a uniform?

* Imagine the response of a pupil who disagreed with you. What would the pupil say?

* How would you respond to this pupil?

2. All schools have rules. What are some of the rules you have at your school?

* Which rules do you believe are necessary and which do you believe are unfair?

* What are the advantages and disadvantages of having rules?

* Have you ever been caught breaking any school rules?

3. What is your favourite subject? Why?  How will this subject help you in the future?

* Would you recommend this subject to some one else?

* How do teachers make lessons interesting for you?

* What role do you play in your own education?

4. Supermarkets are becoming more widespread and popular in the modern world, while traditional markets (bazaars) are becoming less common.

* Where do you or your family do most food shopping?

* What advantages and disadvantages do you see with modern supermarkets?

* Do you think that traditional markets will disappear? Why or why not?

5. Today many students in schools have mobile phones. Many of them don’t always turn their phones off before going to their lessons.

* Is it necessary for pupils to have mobile phones? Why do you think so?

* Do mobile phones interrupt teachers and students? How?  How about text messages?

* Should teachers be able to take phones from students? In which cases should they?

10^th form

1. People in your neighbourhood are concerned that a nearby factory is polluting the air, causing people to get sick

* What can one person do in such a situation?

* How can the community respond to the situation?

* Should people around the country be involved (even though it does not directly affect them)?

2. You have got an amazing chance to meet with a celebrity (living or dead) for one hour.

* Who would you meet and why?

* What questions would you ask this person?

* What would you like to tell him?

3. If you were seated on an airplane, and the person next to you was terrified of flying, what would you tell him or her to help calm that person down?

* Do you have a phobia? What and how do you deal with it?

* What method of transportation is the scariest? Safest? Why?

* What are some advantages and disadvantages of travelling by airplane?

4. You have decided to move to a different country and will take one person with you.

* Where will you go? Why did you choose that place?

* Who will you take with you? Why that very person?

* What will you miss about Ukraine?

5. Parents often tell children, “Mind your manners”.

* What do you think are examples of good manners? Bad manners?

* Can Manners affect your success in life? How?

* What is the best way to teach manners to children?

11^th form

1. Extreme sports such as skydiving, mountain climbing, and bungee jumping are very popular, but also very dangerous. What is so appealing about these sports that people will risk their lives to do them?

* Is there an extreme sport you want to try and one you don’t? Which one and why?

* What would be your family’s reaction to your doing an extreme sport?

2. Cigarettes and smoking should be banned.

* Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

* How will forbidding smoking help or hurt your country?

* Who could find this a popular or otherwise unpopular choice?

3. Art and music classes should be abandoned in schools in order to provide more time for lessons that are considered more academic such as foreign languages, maths and sciences.

* Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?

* How would abandoning art and music affect your school and your country?

* What do art and music bring to or take away from your school?

4. Global warming is receiving more attention as a concern and problem throughout the world.

* Do you think global warming is an important environmental issue? Why?

* What are three sources of global warming, and how does each contribute to the problem?

* What are three solutions to stopping, or at least slowing, the effects of global warming?

5. Do think a universal language would be useful for modern life?

* Which language would you suggest as the common language?

* What are the disadvantages of having a universal language?

* How do you think knowing more than one language can affect your life?