A1 Level – Elementary
1. What do you do in your free time?
2. What is your favorite hobby?
3. Do you like collecting things?
4. Do you like reading or drawing?
5. What new skill do you want to learn?
6. Who shares your interests?
7. Do you spend money on your hobbies?
8. Do you prefer quiet or active interests?
9. What makes a hobby fun?
10. What did you like to do as a child?
11. Do you use the internet for your interests?
12. What is the difference between a job and an interest?
13. Do you teach your interests to others?
14. What are common interests for older people?
15. What are the best places to do your hobby?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What are the key differences between a casual interest and a deep passion?
2. Describe one of your interests that other people find unusual or strange.
3. What are the pros and cons of having a hobby that costs a lot of money?
4. How does having outside interests help your work or study life?
5. Have you ever joined a club or group based on a shared interest?
6. What kind of interests require a lot of physical effort versus mental focus?
7. What role does social media play in finding and sharing new interests?
8. What is the difference between an interest and an obsession?
9. How do you find the time to commit to your interests when your schedule is busy?
10. What are the common challenges when you try to learn a complicated new skill?
11. What is the importance of having interests that are completely unrelated to your job?
12. Do you think people’s interests change significantly as they get older?
13. What are the benefits of having a variety of different interests?
14. What are the best ways to introduce a friend to one of your favorite hobbies?
15. What is the difference between a solo interest and a social interest?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. Discuss how an interest can transition from a hobby to a potential career path.
2. How can schools and educational systems better support students in developing lifelong interests?
3. What are the ethical issues surrounding the commercial exploitation of niche or amateur interests?
4. Do you agree that having a passion or deep interest makes a person more interesting overall?
5. Describe a time when a personal interest helped you connect with a stranger unexpectedly.
6. To what extent does the pursuit of interests serve as a form of stress relief or therapy?
7. What role do online communities and forums play in supporting highly specialized interests?
8. How do our interests reflect or shape our personal identity and self-perception?
9. Discuss the psychological phenomenon of “flow state” achieved during deep engagement in an interest.
10. What are the challenges of maintaining an interest that requires specialized or rare equipment?
11. How do different cultures prioritize the allocation of time and resources toward personal leisure?
12. Should employers recognize and support employees’ non-work interests through company programs?
13. What is the difference between an interest that is purely recreational and one that promotes self-improvement?
14. Discuss the concept of “monetization”—turning a hobby into a source of income—and its pros and cons.
15. What is the long-term impact of consistent practice on achieving mastery in a specific area of interest?
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. How does the pressure to be constantly “productive” conflict with the time needed to pursue non-commercial interests?
2. What are the ethical arguments about sharing detailed instructional information for dangerous or highly specialized interests?
3. Should governments invest in public facilities (e.g., workshops, studios) to support diverse citizen interests?
4. What are the psychological reasons why people stop pursuing an interest after achieving a certain level of skill?
5. How has the ability to easily record and share artistic or technical interests online changed the creative process?
6. Discuss the idea that some interests are primarily driven by the desire for social recognition and validation.
7. What is the role of mentors and apprenticeships in transmitting complex, traditional interests?
8. How do our personal interests often serve as a social filter, determining who we become friends with?
9. What are the challenges of maintaining an interest that requires significant physical effort as one ages?
10. Discuss the concept of “cultural capital”—how certain interests (e.g., classical music) are associated with high social status.
11. What is the difference between following a trend and developing a genuine, personal interest?
12. Should there be stricter rules about intellectual property rights for amateur creators who share their work online?
13. What is the impact of mass commercialism on the availability and authenticity of niche hobby equipment?
14. How does the concept of “deliberate practice” apply to achieving excellence in a non-professional interest?
15. Discuss the idea that the pursuit of interests is a necessary form of resistance against the monotony of modern work.
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Analyze the socioeconomic factors that determine who has the necessary leisure time and disposable income to cultivate deep interests.
2. To what degree should the legal system protect the privacy of highly personal or potentially controversial online interests?
3. Discuss the philosophical concept of “autotelic experience”—activities done for their own sake—and its relation to interests.
4. Evaluate the impact of generative AI on creative interests, where technology can instantly produce high-quality art or music.
5. How does the strategic use of personal interests function as a tool for career networking and professional advancement?
6. Examine the historical process by which certain pastimes (e.g., gardening, calligraphy) evolved into respected academic disciplines.
7. What ethical guidelines should govern the use of personal interest data by recommendation algorithms and advertisers?
8. Discuss the concept of “deep work” and how cultivating focused interests improves one’s general concentration ability.
9. How do different national policies on intellectual property affect the global sharing and adaptation of creative interests?
10. Analyze the interplay between the massive volume of information available online and the challenge of choosing a focused interest.
11. What ethical challenges arise when people with significant influence use their interests (e.g., collecting rare items) to manipulate markets?
12. Debate whether a technologically mediated interest (e.g., VR art) can offer the same level of fulfillment as a physical one (e.g., woodworking).
13. How does the architecture of public parks, libraries, and community centers facilitate the sharing of collective interests?
14. Discuss the concept of “conspicuous leisure”—the use of expensive interests to signal wealth and status.
15. To what extent does the freedom to choose one’s interests define a truly democratic or liberal society?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. How do you analyze the idea that personal interests are fundamentally a societal construct driven by economic specialization and disposable income?
2. Formulate a critique of educational models that view creative interests as secondary to core STEM or business subjects.
3. Analyze the intersection of psychological need, economic necessity, and the monetization of every human activity, including hobbies.
4. Discuss the philosophical distinction between “purpose” (a life goal) and “passion” (a deep interest) and their role in a meaningful life.
5. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of “skill-sharing” economies in democratizing access to specialized knowledge and interests.
6. Propose a new societal framework that actively promotes the development of non-commercial, community-focused interests.
7. Examine the psychological function of specialized, highly detailed interests in providing a sense of competence and mastery.
8. How does the semiotics of an interest’s associated tools or clothing communicate immediate information about the participant’s status?
9. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of creators of educational content to ensure their instruction is safe, accurate, and accessible.
10. Analyze the historical relationship between the rise of the weekend and the emergence of organized, structured personal interests.
11. Articulate the inherent tension between the desire for authentic, creative expression and the economic pressure to produce marketable output.
12. Debate whether the global expansion of certain powerful interests (e.g., specific sports) represents a form of cultural hegemony.
13. Assess the long-term societal effects of widespread creative expression enabled by low-cost digital tools.
14. Discuss the philosophical definition of ‘leisure’ and whether it is truly possible in a hyper-connected, productivity-focused world.
15. How might the structure of an intellectual pursuit be used to model processes of complex scientific inquiry and peer review?
