A1 Level – Elementary
1. Do you like shopping at markets?
2. What is a common food you buy at a market?
3. What is the difference between a market and a large shop?
4. What do people sell at a flea market?
5. Do you like bargaining for a good price?
6. What makes a local market crowded?
7. What is the stock market?
8. What makes a product expensive?
9. Do you think markets are important for a city?
10. What is a common smell at a food market?
11. Do you prefer buying new or used things?
12. What makes a market feel traditional?
13. What is the difference between a vegetable and a fruit?
14. What makes people happy when they buy things?
15. Do you buy food that is grown nearby?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What are the key differences between a local farmers market and a global financial market?
2. Describe the atmosphere and energy of a busy traditional outdoor market.
3. What are the pros and cons of investing money in the stock market?
4. What role does competition play in setting prices at a local market?
5. Have you ever tried to sell something at a market or online marketplace?
6. What kind of etiquette rules should customers follow when shopping at a traditional market?
7. What is the difference between supply and demand?
8. What are common challenges faced by small vendors who sell goods at local markets?
9. How has the internet (e.g., eBay, Etsy) created new types of virtual markets?
10. What are the biggest risks of relying entirely on global markets for essential goods?
11. What is the importance of having transparent price information in all types of markets?
12. Do you think local markets are a more sustainable way to shop than large supermarkets?
13. What are the challenges of legally regulating volatile financial markets?
14. What are the best ways to determine if a vendor is selling authentic local products?
15. What is the difference between a free market economy and a centrally planned economy?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. Discuss the conflict between the convenience of supermarkets and the community value of local markets.
2. How can small investors safely learn to navigate the complexity and risks of the stock market?
3. What are the ethical issues surrounding manipulative trading practices in financial markets?
4. Do you agree that the concentration of market power in the hands of a few large corporations is harmful?
5. Describe a time when a change in market prices (e.g., fuel) significantly affected your daily life.
6. To what extent should governments intervene in financial markets to prevent massive economic crises?
7. What role do online reviews and customer ratings play in influencing consumer markets?
8. How do cultural norms around haggling and price negotiation differ across global markets?
9. Discuss the psychological challenge of making rational decisions when financial markets are experiencing panic.
10. What are the challenges of ensuring food safety and quality in unformalized local street markets?
11. How does the concept of “futures market” (buying goods to be delivered later) help stabilize prices?
12. Should public funding prioritize the support of local farmers markets over large commercial distributors?
13. What is the difference between a bull market (prices rising) and a bear market (prices falling)?
14. Discuss the concept of “market failure”—when an unregulated market does not achieve the best outcome.
15. What is the long-term impact of highly volatile global financial markets on the average person’s retirement savings?
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. How does the globalization of financial markets affect the economic sovereignty of individual nation-states?
2. What are the ethical arguments about the immense wealth generated by speculation in financial markets?
3. Should governments regulate the advertising of high-risk investment products to protect vulnerable consumers?
4. What are the psychological reasons why market bubbles (e.g., housing, tech) form and eventually burst?
5. How has technology enabled high-frequency trading and contributed to the overall instability of stock markets?
6. Discuss the idea that local markets are important for preserving social connection and community identity.
7. What is the role of regulatory bodies (e.g., central banks) in maintaining trust and stability in financial markets?
8. How do cultural norms about debt and saving influence a country’s participation in global capital markets?
9. What are the challenges of creating truly transparent and fair markets for non-traditional goods (e.g., digital assets, carbon credits)?
10. Discuss the concept of “externality”—a cost (e.g., pollution) not reflected in the market price of a product.
11. What is the difference between an efficient market and a fair market?
12. Should citizens be required to demonstrate a minimum level of financial literacy before participating in stock markets?
13. What is the impact of political instability or conflict on the immediate functioning of commodity markets?
14. How does the history of trade and commerce reflect the evolution of modern market institutions?
15. Discuss the idea that a truly free market, without any government intervention, is practically impossible to sustain.
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Analyze the socioeconomic factors that link low wages, lack of healthcare, and the instability inherent in the labor market.
2. To what degree should the legal system restrict the use of highly complex financial instruments (derivatives) that pose systemic risks?
3. Discuss the philosophical concept of “value” and how it is determined and negotiated in different types of markets.
4. Evaluate the impact of new decentralized technologies (e.g., blockchain) on the traditional role of centralized financial exchanges.
5. How does the strategic use of financial narratives and media coverage influence market expectations and investor behavior?
6. Examine the legal challenges of regulating global, interconnected financial markets that operate across multiple jurisdictions.
7. What ethical guidelines should govern the use of AI algorithms to execute trades and potentially create market instability?
8. Discuss the concept of “information asymmetry”—where one party in a market knows more than the other—and its exploitation.
9. How do different national tax policies affect the flow of international capital and the health of local financial markets?
10. Analyze the interplay between the increasing financialization of everyday life and the resulting market complexity.
11. What ethical challenges arise when powerful entities use market mechanisms (e.g., speculation) to manipulate the price of essential goods (e.g., food)?
12. Debate whether a centrally planned, highly regulated market or a loosely regulated free market is ultimately more equitable.
13. How does the architecture of major stock exchange trading floors reflect the pressure and speed of financial decisions?
14. Discuss the concept of “shadow banking”—unregulated financial activity—and its impact on global market stability.
15. To what extent does the pursuit of absolute efficiency in markets diminish their social function and increase risk?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. How do you analyze the idea that financial markets are fundamentally psychological systems driven by collective emotion rather than pure rationality?
2. Formulate a critique of global financial institutions (like the IMF) in their response to sovereign debt crises and market collapse.
3. Analyze the intersection of digital security, systemic risk, and the extreme vulnerability of interconnected global financial networks.
4. Discuss the philosophical distinction between “price” (market rate) and “worth” (intrinsic value) in economic markets.
5. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of anti-monopoly laws in preventing the excessive concentration of market power in the technology sector.
6. Propose a system for global financial market regulation that incorporates real-time social and environmental metrics alongside traditional economic data.
7. Examine the psychological function of ritual and performance (e.g., ringing the bell) in maintaining the sense of order in financial markets.
8. How does the semiotics of financial reporting (e.g., annual reports, stock tickers) communicate complexity and perceived authority?
9. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of financial advisors in recommending high-risk investments to clients with limited financial literacy.
10. Analyze the historical relationship between the development of standardized financial instruments and the possibility of massive, globalized crises.
11. Articulate the inherent tension between the market’s need for continuous growth and the finite limits of global natural resources.
12. Debate whether decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) will eventually replace traditional, centrally governed market exchanges.
13. Assess the long-term societal effects of mandatory financial literacy education on individual economic decision-making and market stability.
14. Discuss the philosophical definition of ‘capitalism’ and whether a market economy can exist without its core tenets.
15. How might the principles of market competition be used to model processes of political debate and democratic resource allocation?
