Advanced Debates
Complex topics requiring nuanced arguments and counterarguments (C1 level)
Who it's for
Written for C1 (advanced) students whose English already works and who want it to work in demanding situations.
Speaking lessons built around one everyday or topical theme each. More Conversation Starters lesson plans
Skills it practises
- Speaking: discussion questionsevery lesson
- Vocabulary: a target word listevery lesson
- Reading: a text or news storyevery lesson
- Controlled practice: gap-fills, matching, sorting and moreevery lesson
- Role-play: a dialogue to act outevery lesson
Lessons
- AI and the Future of WorkGoal: hold your own in a debate about AI and the future of work — conceding strong points, pushing back on weak ones, and hedging where the evidence is thin.57 minFree
- The Four-Day Work WeekGoal: debate the four-day work week with real debate moves — conceding what the trials show, pushing back where the case overreaches, and hedging what nobody can prove.57 minOutline
- Privacy vs SecurityGoal: defend a position on privacy versus security — dismantling 'nothing to hide', conceding the security case its real force, and hedging where the trade-off is genuinely hard.57 minOutline
- The Limits of Free SpeechGoal: argue where free expression should end — conceding the reality of harm, pushing back on easy answers, and hedging the genuine grey areas.57 minOutline
- Freedom of Speech vs. Harmful ContentGoal: debate how to address harmful content online without undermining free expression — conceding, rebutting and hedging your way through the hardest grey areas.57 minOutline
- Economic Growth vs. Environmental ProtectionGoal: debate whether growth and the planet can coexist — conceding what growth has achieved, pushing back on comfortable answers, and hedging where the science and economics run out.57 minOutline
- The Role of Government in Personal ChoicesGoal: debate where state authority should end and personal freedom begin — conceding the costs of bad choices, pushing back on slippery slopes, and hedging the genuinely hard cases.57 minOutline
- Global Justice and ResponsibilityGoal: debate what wealthy nations owe the rest of the world — conceding the failures of aid, pushing back on borders as moral limits, and hedging where every answer is partial.57 minOutline
How to use it in a lesson
- Lessons run 57 minutes, with a timing on every stage, so you can see before you start what fits your slot.
- Start with "AI and the Future of Work": its whole plan is on this site, stage by stage, with the target vocabulary, free to read and to teach from on any video call.
- For a shorter slot, skip a practice stage or cut the discussion short: the stages are a guide, not a script.
Teach Advanced Debates with your student
Lesson 1 of this course is free. A free account opens it in the interactive player, and the rest of the course is included with Starter. Teaching it live with your student in the Tuton classroom starts with a 7-day free trial.
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