Computers

Computers touch every part of modern life, so students usually have plenty to share about how they use them. These questions range from basic daily uses to bigger discussions about privacy, artificial intelligence, and how technology is changing society.

Questions are organized by level from beginner to advanced. A printable PDF of all the questions is available at the bottom of the page.

Beginner (A1-A2)

1. Do you own a computer? What do you use it for?
2. Do you have a tablet (like an iPad)? What do you like about it?
3. What websites do you visit every day? What do you like about them?
4. Do you ever watch movies or TV shows on a computer? Where do you watch them?
5. What is the most useful thing you do on a computer? How often do you do it?
6. Where do you usually use a computer? (At home, at work, at a coffee shop, etc.) What do you like about that place?
7. Do you like playing games on a computer? What are some good ones?
8. What programs or apps do you use the most on your computer? What are they for?
9. What is something you can’t do on a computer? What do you wish it could do?
10. Do you ever talk to friends or family on a computer? (Video calls, messages, etc.) How often do you do it?

Elementary (A2)

1. What do you know about the history of computers? What is an interesting fact you have learned?
2. Tell me about the first computer you ever used.
3. Do you prefer a laptop or a desktop computer? What’s good about each?
4. What’s the worst problem you’ve ever had with a computer?
5. Have you ever bought something online? What did you think of it?
6. Do you prefer typing on a keyboard or using your phone? Why?
7. Have you ever taken an online class or learned something online? What was it?
8. What kind of computer problems can you fix yourself? What do you do when it breaks?
9. Have you ever lost an important file on your computer? What happened?
10. What kind of things do you not like to do on a computer? Why not?
11. Do you back up your computer files? How do you do it?
12. What kind of computer do you want to buy next? Why?
13. What is something you used to do on paper but now do on a computer? Why did you change?
14. Do you worry about hackers or viruses on your computer? What do you do to protect yourself?

Intermediate (B1)

1. Think about smart phones, like the iPhone. Do you consider them computers? Why or why not?
2. Do you think the desktop computer is going to become less popular in the future? If so, what will replace it?
3. Computers are being built into more and more houses and apartments. Would you like a computer to control your house for you? Why or why not?
4. Do you think the invention and rise of computers has been a good thing or a bad thing? Why?
5. How do you think computers will change in the next 10 or 20 years? What new things will they be able to do?
6. Do you think people rely too much on computers and smartphones? Why or why not?
7. Do you think current AI models have “real” intelligence? Why or why not?
8. Talk about the differences between how you use a computer and children use a computer.
9. Should children under 10 have their own computers? Why or why not?
10. What do you think makes someone good with computers? Give me some examples.
11. Do you think people should be allowed to repair their own computers and devices, or should companies control repairs? Why or why not?
12. If you could only use your phone or only use a computer for a year, which would you choose? How would that change your daily life?
13. Do you think computers make people more creative or less creative? How so?
14. Some people say handwriting is dying because of computers. Do you think that matters? Why or why not?
15. How is the way you use computers now different from how you used them five or ten years ago? What changed the most?

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

1. What do you think will happen if AI becomes self-aware? Would it be exciting or scary?
2. Do you think working from home on a computer is better than working in an office? What are the downsides of each?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of keeping all your personal information on computers and devices?
4. How does the way you use a computer differ from the way your parents or grandparents use one? What causes those differences?
5. Compare how people found information 25 years ago versus how they find it now with computers and the internet. What has been gained and lost?
6. How is online shopping changing retail businesses and physical stores? What do you think about those changes?
7. How has technology like computers and smartphones affected people’s ability to focus and concentrate? What do you think causes this?
8. What role should computers play in education? Compare their advantages and disadvantages for learning.
9. How has the rise of computers changed the kinds of jobs that are available? What jobs have disappeared, and what new ones have appeared?
10. How is the way people use computers in your country different from how people use them in other countries you have visited or heard about?
11. Some people think computers are making us less social, while others say they help us connect more. What do you think, and what evidence have you seen in your own life?
12. Computers were supposed to make life simpler, but many people feel more stressed and overwhelmed than ever. Why do you think that is, and is there a way to fix it?
13. Many people now do most of their work, shopping, and socializing on computers. What happens to people who don’t have access to one, and how does that divide grow over time?
14. Some countries want to control what their citizens can see and do on computers, while others want the internet to be completely open. What are the real consequences of each approach?

Advanced (C1)

1. When people use computers or their phones constantly, at what point does it become a real problem? Who gets to decide where that line is?
2. As computers take over more tasks that humans used to do, how does society decide what types of work should remain exclusively human?
3. When companies collect data about everything we do on our computers, who really benefits — the users, the companies, or the governments? How do the interests of each group conflict?
4. Computers can now write essays, create art, and compose music. At what point does something made by a computer stop being a tool and start replacing human creativity?
5. As more decisions in hiring, banking, and law enforcement are made by computer programs, how do we make sure those decisions are fair? Who is responsible when they are not?
6. Children today grow up using computers before they can read. How might that change the way their brains develop, the way they learn, and the way they relate to other people?
7. Computers have made it possible for anyone to publish ideas to the world, but they have also made it easy to spread false information. Has giving everyone a voice made society better informed or more confused?
8. On the internet, people can be completely anonymous. How does that anonymity bring out both the best and worst in people, and should we try to end it?
9. People replace their computers and phones every few years, and the old ones often end up in landfills. Why is it so hard to break this cycle, even when people know how wasteful it is?
10. We used to memorize phone numbers, directions, and facts, but now computers remember everything for us. What happens to people and society when we stop needing to know things ourselves?

PDF: Download a PDF of all the questions