A1 Level – Elementary
1. What is the name of your country?
2. Do you live near mountains or the sea?
3. What is the biggest continent?
4. What is the capital city of your country?
5. Do you use a map to find places?
6. What makes a place cold or hot?
7. What is a common river in your region?
8. What is the difference between a country and a city?
9. What kind of animals live in the desert?
10. Do you like learning about different climates?
11. What makes a country unique?
12. What is the difference between a hill and a mountain?
13. What is an imaginary line on a map called?
14. Do you think geography is important?
15. What are common crops grown in your area?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What are the key differences between physical geography and human geography?
2. Describe how the landscape of your region affects the local climate and weather.
3. What are the pros and cons of living in a densely populated area versus a remote one?
4. How does the geography of a country affect its historical defense or trade?
5. Have you ever visited a famous geographical landmark like a canyon or volcano?
6. What are the challenges of drawing political borders in areas with complex geography?
7. What role does a river or coastline play in the economic life of a city?
8. What is the difference between latitude and longitude?
9. How does geography affect the availability and cost of different types of food?
10. What are the most common natural disasters in your geographical region?
11. What is the importance of having accurate maps and geographical data?
12. Do you think modern technology (e.g., GPS) has reduced the need for traditional geography skills?
13. What is the difference between a desert and a tundra?
14. How does the geography of a place influence the local architecture and building materials?
15. What is the largest natural feature you can see from where you live?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. Discuss how a nation’s geographical position can influence its political relationships with neighbors.
2. How has modern urbanization changed the natural geography of the areas around major cities?
3. What are the ethical issues surrounding the environmental impact of large infrastructure projects (e.g., dams, canals)?
4. Do you think geographical factors still determine a country’s wealth and economic success?
5. Describe a time when understanding the geography of a place was critical for a successful trip.
6. To what extent does the geography of a country shape its national identity and sense of community?
7. What role does geography play in determining where different cultural and linguistic groups settle?
8. How do climate change and rising sea levels pose a specific threat to coastal geography?
9. Discuss the psychological feeling of awe when witnessing a vast natural landscape.
10. What are the challenges of teaching geography to students who live in very flat or uniform landscapes?
11. How does the concept of a “resource curse” relate to the uneven geographical distribution of valuable minerals?
12. Should geography education focus more on political boundaries or on natural, ecological zones?
13. What is the difference between a climate zone and a biome?
14. Discuss the concept of “sense of place” and how it is tied to geographical features.
15. What are the pros and cons of using satellites and aerial photography for geographical studies?
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. How does the accessibility or isolation caused by geography affect a local community’s way of life and traditions?
2. What are the ethical arguments about wealthy nations exploiting natural resources found in the geographical territories of poorer nations?
3. Should governments invest heavily in infrastructure (e.g., tunnels, bridges) to overcome natural geographical barriers?
4. What are the psychological reasons why some people feel a deep connection to a specific landscape?
5. How has technology (e.g., advanced farming, irrigation) allowed humans to overcome geographical limitations?
6. Discuss the idea that geographical boundaries are becoming less relevant due to global communication and travel.
7. What is the role of geographical knowledge in military strategy and international security?
8. How do geographical factors influence the movement of human populations (migration and diaspora)?
9. What are the challenges of managing transboundary resources like rivers or shared aquifers?
10. Discuss the concept of “geographical determinism”—the idea that geography fully shapes culture.
11. What is the difference between a topographical map and a political map?
12. Should local citizens have a say in how major geographical features near them are protected or developed?
13. What is the impact of tourism on the preservation of unique geographical sites?
14. How does the spread of infectious diseases relate to geographical proximity and transportation networks?
15. Discuss the idea that a region’s geography is the most fundamental factor in its history.
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Analyze the geopolitical factors that create “chokepoints” (e.g., maritime canals) and their impact on global trade and conflict.
2. To what degree should international law regulate activities (e.g., pollution) that affect the shared global geography (oceans, atmosphere)?
3. Discuss the philosophical concept of “Heimat” (a deep, intimate connection to one’s physical place) in modern society.
4. Evaluate the ethical challenges of geoengineering—deliberately altering large-scale geographical processes to fight climate change.
5. How does the spatial distribution of populations influence the design of democratic voting systems?
6. Examine the historical process by which geographical names and boundaries have been contested and redefined by politics.
7. What ethical guidelines should govern the collection and use of detailed geographical surveillance data (e.g., satellite imagery)?
8. Discuss the concept of “environmental justice”—how geographical location affects exposure to pollution and climate risk.
9. How do different cultures use storytelling and myth to explain and connect with their local geography?
10. Analyze the interplay between geographical factors and the development of specific linguistic dialects or cultural traits.
11. What ethical challenges arise when new geographical discoveries are immediately claimed for commercial or military use?
12. Debate whether a standardized global map (e.g., Mercator vs. Gall-Peters) can ever truly represent the world neutrally.
13. How does the architecture of major cities reflect a historical battle against the limitations of the local geography?
14. Discuss the concept of “critical geography”—the study of how power structures are embedded in physical space.
15. To what extent does the pursuit of extreme adventure (e.g., deep-sea exploration) rely on advanced geographical understanding?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. How do you analyze the idea that physical geography is the ultimate constraint on human political and economic aspirations?
2. Formulate a critique of international efforts to create a unified geographical classification system for the world’s biomes.
3. Analyze the intersection of geographical information systems (GIS), urban planning, and socioeconomic inequality.
4. Discuss the philosophical distinction between “territory” (a political concept) and “space” (a neutral geographical concept).
5. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of global environmental agreements that attempt to manage geographical externalities (spillover effects).
6. Propose a system for managing the global distribution of essential resources that accounts for geographical vulnerability.
7. Examine the psychological function of cognitive mapping—how humans mentally navigate and represent complex geographical space.
8. How does the semiotics of cartography (map colors, symbols, projections) communicate power and historical narrative?
9. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of scientific expeditions concerning the cultural integrity of remote geographical regions.
10. Analyze the historical relationship between cycles of climate fluctuation and the collapse or relocation of major human civilizations.
11. Articulate the inherent tension between the desire for political stability (fixed borders) and the reality of dynamic geography (erosion, climate change).
12. Debate whether future satellite technology will remove all aspects of the “unknown” from the field of geography.
13. Assess the long-term societal effects of mandatory geography education on a population’s global empathy and environmental awareness.
14. Discuss the philosophical definition of ‘wilderness’ in an era where virtually all geographical space has been impacted by humans.
15. How might the principles of geographical modeling be used to predict the movement and impact of global political movements?
