Science touches everything from what we eat to how we communicate, so most students have more opinions on it than they think. These questions work well for sparking debate about technology, discovery, and the role of science in everyday life.
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)
- When you were a child, did you have a favorite science class or science topic at school? What was it?
- Do you have a favorite scientist or inventor from history? What did they discover or invent?
- Do you prefer watching nature documentaries, space documentaries, or science shows about technology? What is a good one you have seen?
- What is the most amazing thing about the human body that you know? Where did you learn that?
- Have you ever looked through a microscope or a telescope? What did you see?
- Are you interested in dinosaurs? What is your favorite dinosaur or prehistoric animal?
- What is a science topic you would like to learn more about? (Space, animals, the ocean, the weather, etc.)
- Do you like science fiction movies or TV shows? What is your favorite one?
- What is one invention you use every day that you think is really amazing? (Your phone, a microwave, the internet, etc.)
- Have you ever watched a rocket launch on TV or online? What did you think?
Elementary (A2)
- What branch of science do you find the most interesting? (Biology, space, chemistry, psychology, etc.) What is it about that area that pulls you in?
- What is the coolest animal or plant scientists have discovered recently? What makes it so interesting?
- Have you ever done a science experiment at school or at home? What did you do?
- Do you like learning about space or the ocean more? What is interesting about it?
- Have you ever been to a science museum? Tell me about it.
- If you could visit any planet, which one would you choose? What do you think it looks like?
- Have you ever read a science book or article that really surprised you? What did it say?
- What science topics do you not understand well and wish you knew more about? Why is that topic confusing for you?
- What is the most impressive piece of technology that you use every day? Why do you use it so much?
- What kind of science news do you find boring? Why?
Intermediate (B1)
- What scientific discovery from the past 100 years do you think changed everyday life the most? Why?
- Do you think it is better to study science in school or to learn it on your own? Why?
- What field of medicine or health science would you find most interesting to study? Why that one?
- Would you like to work in a science lab? Why or why not?
- Should animals be used in scientific research if it helps develop medicines for humans? Why or why not?
- What do you think is the biggest unsolved mystery in science right now? Why does it matter?
- If you could spend a year working with any type of scientist, such as a marine biologist, an astronomer, a geneticist, or a psychologist, which would you choose and what would you most want to learn?
- Do you trust scientists and researchers to tell the truth about their findings? What makes you trust them more or less?
- What do you think makes a good scientist? Give me some examples of the qualities you think are most important.
- How do you feel about genetic testing, for example, sending your DNA to a company to learn about your ancestry or health risks? Is this something people in your country commonly do?
- If you could go back in time and witness one scientific discovery being made, which one would you choose? Why?
- How does knowing that a food, medicine, or product has been tested in scientific studies change how much you trust it? Are there cases where you still feel skeptical?
- Do you think science will be able to solve problems like climate change and disease in the next 50 years? Why do you think so?
Upper-Intermediate (B2)
- Some people believe that science and religion cannot coexist, while others think they can. What do you think? Is this a common view in your culture?
- Should scientific research results always be made available to the public for free, or is it reasonable for companies to charge for access? Why or why not?
- How has the internet and social media changed the way scientific information spreads? What are the good and bad sides of that?
- Some scientists spend their whole careers studying one very narrow topic, like a single species of insect or one type of cloud. What are the good and bad sides of that kind of deep specialization?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of countries competing against each other in science, rather than cooperating? Give me some examples of both.
- How has technology from space research, like satellite communication, GPS, or water purification, ended up changing everyday life in unexpected ways?
- Many scientific breakthroughs were made by accident, like penicillin, X-rays, or microwave ovens. What does this tell us about how science actually works? What can be done to create better conditions for those kinds of accidental discoveries?
- Compare how people reacted to vaccines 50 years ago with how they react today. What has changed, and why?
- What happens when a scientific study says one thing and then another study says the opposite? How should ordinary people decide what to believe?
- In many countries, fewer young people are choosing to study science. What do you think is causing that, and does it matter?
- Science has made our lives longer and more comfortable, but it has also created nuclear weapons and environmental pollution. How do you weigh the good against the bad?
- Why do some people reject scientific evidence even when the science is very strong? Think about examples like vaccines, evolution, or climate change.
Advanced (C1)
- Science is often described as objective and value-free, but research funding, publication pressure, and institutional politics all shape what gets studied. How do these forces influence which questions science asks, and which ones it doesn’t?
- The same scientific data, on climate change, vaccines, nutrition, or COVID, can lead people to very different conclusions depending on their politics, culture, or trust in institutions. What does this tell us about the relationship between science and belief?
- As AI tools increasingly assist in designing experiments, analyzing data, and even writing research papers, what does it mean to be a scientist? Is the human element in research becoming more or less important?
- Pharmaceutical companies fund a large share of medical research. How does commercial interest shape which diseases get studied, which treatments get developed, and ultimately who benefits from medical science?
- Reproducibility (being able to repeat an experiment and get the same result) is a cornerstone of science. But a large portion of published studies cannot be reproduced. What does this ‘replication crisis’ reveal about how scientific knowledge is actually produced and validated?
- Science communicators like Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, or Neil deGrasse Tyson have made complex ideas accessible to millions, but critics say popular science often oversimplifies or sensationalizes. How does the tension between accessibility and accuracy shape how the public understands science?
- Most major scientific research is published in English. How does this affect scientists in non-English-speaking countries, and what does it mean for the kind of knowledge that gets created?
- Many developing countries lose their best scientists to wealthier nations that offer better labs, salaries, and opportunities. How does this ‘brain drain’ shape what kind of research gets done around the world, and whose problems get solved?
- Scientists who share findings on controversial topics, like climate change, vaccine safety, or nutrition, sometimes face personal attacks, online harassment, or political pressure. How does this hostile environment change what scientists are willing to study and say publicly, and what does that mean for the quality of information the rest of us receive?