A1 Level – Elementary
1. Do you like making cakes?
2. What is your favorite dessert?
3. Do you have an oven at home?
4. What are the main ingredients in bread?
5. Do you prefer sweet or savory food?
6. What kitchen tool do you use most often?
7. Do you like the smell of fresh bread?
8. Do you follow recipes exactly?
9. What is the difference between an egg and milk?
10. Do you buy bread or bake it?
11. What is a common holiday cookie in your country?
12. Is baking a difficult activity?
13. What do you put on top of a cupcake?
14. What temperature is 180 degrees Celsius?
15. Who taught you how to bake?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What are the essential ingredients and steps for baking a simple cake?
2. Describe the difference between yeast-based and non-yeast baking.
3. Do you think baking requires more precision than regular cooking?
4. What types of baked goods are unique to your country’s culinary traditions?
5. Have you ever tried to bake bread from scratch?
6. What are the common reasons why a cake or bread might fail?
7. What are the pros and cons of using pre-made mixes versus baking from scratch?
8. How does the oven temperature affect the texture of what you are baking?
9. What role does baking play in celebrating birthdays or holidays in your culture?
10. What kind of tools and equipment are necessary for advanced baking?
11. What is the difference between following a recipe and improvising in the kitchen?
12. Do you think baking is a good way to relax and reduce stress?
13. What are the challenges of baking for people with food allergies or restrictions?
14. What are the ethical reasons for using organic or local ingredients when baking?
15. Do you prefer baking for yourself or for sharing with others?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. Discuss the scientific importance of measuring ingredients accurately in baking compared to cooking.
2. How can baking be adapted to be more accessible for people with physical disabilities?
3. What is the difference between a regional baked good and one that is popular globally?
4. What are the emotional benefits of creating something delicious and beautiful in the kitchen?
5. Describe a time you experimented with a recipe and created something new or unusual.
6. To what extent do family recipes and handed-down baking traditions define a person’s culture?
7. How has the popularity of baking shows and social media affected amateur bakers?
8. What is the concept of “food styling” and how does it make baked goods look attractive?
9. Discuss the psychological challenge of waiting for dough to rise or a cake to cool.
10. What are the pros and cons of using artificial sweeteners or substitutes in baking?
11. How does the type of flour (e.g., whole wheat, almond) change the final result?
12. Should baking instruction be a mandatory part of home economics classes in school?
13. What is the role of frosting, glaze, or other decorations on a finished baked item?
14. Discuss the challenges of maintaining a vegan or gluten-free baking practice.
15. What is the difference between a professional baker and a home baker?
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. Why do you think people feel such a strong emotional connection to the baked goods they ate as children?
2. What is the specific science behind how yeast works to make bread rise, and why is that process so delicate?
3. What are the ethical issues when companies use misleading labels or ingredients in their mass-produced baked goods?
4. Should professional bakers and chefs be expected to share their complex or secret recipes?
5. What are the financial challenges of running a successful small bakery or pastry shop?
6. Describe how the cultural history of a region (e.g., availability of certain grains) influenced its unique baked goods.
7. What are the pros and cons of teaching people to bake through online videos versus in-person classes?
8. Discuss the use of baking as a form of non-verbal communication, such as making a comfort food for someone sad.
9. What kind of health issues or allergies has the modern baking industry successfully adapted to?
10. How does the precision of baking contrast with the more flexible, improvisational nature of general cooking?
11. What is the difference between using fresh, local butter and using cheaper, processed fats in baking?
12. Should there be stricter rules about the health and nutritional information provided on baked goods in stores?
13. What is the concept of “artisanal” baking, and is it a sustainable business model?
14. How does the presentation of a baked item (e.g., slicing, plating) affect how much someone enjoys it?
15. Discuss the psychological reward of sharing something you baked yourself with family and friends.
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Analyze the socioeconomic factors that determine who has the time, space, and resources to bake from scratch regularly.
2. To what degree should the government subsidize independent local bakeries to preserve artisanal traditions?
3. Discuss the philosophical idea of food as a form of temporary art—something beautiful designed only to be consumed.
4. Evaluate the environmental impact of large-scale industrial bakeries versus small, local operations.
5. How does the specific climate of a region (altitude, humidity) require adjustments to standard baking recipes?
6. Examine the role of baking in historical narratives, such as during times of food rationing or war.
7. What are the ethical challenges when bakers must decide between using low-cost ingredients and maintaining high quality?
8. Discuss the concept of “terroir” (local flavor) and whether it applies to something made from processed flour.
9. How do international food safety standards regulate the use of additives and preservatives in baked goods?
10. Analyze the interplay between traditional baking skills and modern food science in creating new recipes.
11. What ethical guidelines should govern the disposal of leftover or unsold baked goods by commercial establishments?
12. Debate whether a machine-baked item can ever truly replicate the quality and character of a human-baked one.
13. How does the architecture of a professional kitchen (layout, equipment) influence the flow and efficiency of the baking process?
14. Discuss the concept of “gastronomic identity” and how it is expressed through a nation’s characteristic baked foods.
15. To what extent does the act of baking satisfy a human need for tangible creation and immediate reward?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. How do you analyze the idea that the kitchen, particularly for baking, is a space of both scientific rigor and artistic expression?
2. Formulate a critique of global agricultural policies that prioritize monoculture (single-crop farming) which affects flour diversity.
3. Analyze the intersection of cultural heritage preservation and the economic sustainability of rare or complex baking traditions.
4. Discuss the philosophical concept of “alchemy” and how the transformation of simple ingredients into baked goods mirrors it.
5. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of nutritional labeling laws in helping consumers make healthy choices about baked goods.
6. Propose a new, globally applicable standard for ingredient sourcing in baking that promotes both quality and sustainability.
7. Examine the psychological function of the sensory experience (smell, taste, texture) of fresh baking in memory recall.
8. How does the semiotics of food presentation (e.g., the way a cake is sliced) communicate social status or formality?
9. Discuss the ethical challenges of using proprietary GMO ingredients in the mass production of staple baked goods.
10. Analyze the historical relationship between the industrialization of baking and the shift in societal diets.
11. Articulate the inherent tension between the baker’s desire for creative freedom and the customer’s expectation of consistent quality.
12. Debate whether modern food printing technology will eventually eliminate the need for traditional baking methods.
13. Assess the long-term impact of high-sugar, high-fat baked goods on global public health outcomes.
14. Discuss the philosophical definition of ‘craft’ and whether baking retains this status despite industrialization.
15. How might future personalized nutritional science eliminate the common allergens found in staple baked goods?
