100 ESL Warm-Up Questions by CEFR Level (A1–C2)
Fast, quick-fire questions for the first five minutes of class — recall and quick reactions, not extended discussion. Pick a handful from your class's level and go round the room; each one is designed to be answered in a breath, not a monologue.
Get the printable PDF →A warm-up question is a different tool from a conversation question. It isn't meant to start a two-minute discussion — it's meant to switch the room into English mode fast, with a quick answer, before the real lesson asks anything harder. Every question below is written short on purpose, so a class can move through several in a few minutes rather than getting stuck on one.
The 100 questions are sorted into six CEFR bands, roughly 16-17 each, so a lower-level class gets instant-recall factual prompts while a higher-level class gets fast opinion or either-or prompts — quick, not deep, at every level.
This pairs with the ESL Warm-Up Activities post below, which covers four analogue and app-based warm-up games; this list is the plain-question version for days a game format isn't needed.
100 to Use in Class
A1 — 17 questions
- 1
What day is it today?
A1Quick factual recall
- 2
What is your favourite colour?
A1Quick factual recall
- 3
How many people are in your family?
A1Quick factual recall
- 4
What did you eat for breakfast?
A1Quick factual recall
- 5
What is the weather like today?
A1Quick factual recall
- 6
What is your favourite animal?
A1Quick factual recall
- 7
What time did you wake up today?
A1Quick factual recall
- 8
What is your favourite food?
A1Quick factual recall
- 9
Can you name three colours?
A1Quick recall list
- 10
What is your teacher's name?
A1Quick factual recall
- 11
How old are you?
A1Quick factual recall
- 12
What is your favourite number?
A1Quick factual recall
- 13
Name a fruit you like.
A1Quick factual recall
- 14
What season is it now?
A1Quick factual recall
- 15
Name three days of the week.
A1Quick recall list
- 16
What is your favourite sport?
A1Quick factual recall
- 17
Where do you live?
A1Quick factual recall
A2 — 17 questions
- 1
What did you do yesterday evening?
A2Quick past-tense recall
- 2
Where did you go last weekend?
A2Quick past-tense recall
- 3
What was the last film you watched?
A2Quick past-tense recall
- 4
What is your favourite way to travel?
A2Quick preference
- 5
Name a place you would like to visit.
A2Quick preference
- 6
What did you have for lunch yesterday?
A2Quick past-tense recall
- 7
What's your favourite subject at school?
A2Quick preference
- 8
Name something you did this morning.
A2Quick past-tense recall
- 9
What music do you listen to?
A2Quick preference
- 10
Who is your best friend?
A2Quick factual recall
- 11
What did you buy last time you went shopping?
A2Quick past-tense recall
- 12
Name a hobby you enjoy.
A2Quick preference
- 13
What time did you go to bed last night?
A2Quick past-tense recall
- 14
Name an animal you saw this week.
A2Quick past-tense recall
- 15
What's your favourite type of weather?
A2Quick preference
- 16
Where did you have breakfast today?
A2Quick past-tense recall
- 17
Name a country you would like to visit.
A2Quick preference
B1 — 17 questions
- 1
Is it better to read a book or watch the film? Why?
B1Quick opinion
- 2
Do you prefer coffee or tea? Why?
B1Quick opinion
- 3
Is your hometown a good place to live? Why?
B1Quick opinion
- 4
Would you rather have more time or more money?
B1Quick opinion
- 5
Do you think it's important to exercise every day?
B1Quick opinion
- 6
Is it better to work alone or in a team?
B1Quick opinion
- 7
Do you prefer mornings or evenings?
B1Quick opinion
- 8
Is social media good or bad for teenagers?
B1Quick opinion
- 9
Would you rather travel alone or with friends?
B1Quick opinion
- 10
Do you think homework helps students learn?
B1Quick opinion
- 11
Is it better to live in a city or the countryside?
B1Quick opinion
- 12
Do you prefer cooking or eating out?
B1Quick opinion
- 13
Would you rather be famous or rich?
B1Quick opinion
- 14
Is it important to learn a second language?
B1Quick opinion
- 15
Do you think it's easy to make new friends?
B1Quick opinion
- 16
Would you rather have a big family or a small one?
B1Quick opinion
- 17
Is it better to plan ahead or be spontaneous?
B1Quick opinion
B2 — 17 questions
- 1
"Money can't buy happiness." Agree or disagree?
B2Quick agree/disagree
- 2
"Technology makes life easier." True or false, and why?
B2Quick agree/disagree
- 3
"Everyone should learn to cook." Agree or disagree?
B2Quick agree/disagree
- 4
"Social media does more harm than good." Your view?
B2Quick reaction
- 5
"Success is mostly about luck." Agree or disagree?
B2Quick agree/disagree
- 6
"Cities are better than small towns." True or false?
B2Quick agree/disagree
- 7
"Working from home is better than an office." Your view?
B2Quick reaction
- 8
"Old traditions should always be kept." Agree or disagree?
B2Quick agree/disagree
- 9
"Everyone should try living abroad once." Your view?
B2Quick reaction
- 10
"Competition brings out the best in people." Agree or disagree?
B2Quick agree/disagree
- 11
"Advertising is mostly manipulation." Your view?
B2Quick reaction
- 12
"Children today have it easier than in the past." Agree or disagree?
B2Quick agree/disagree
- 13
"The internet has made people less patient." Your view?
B2Quick reaction
- 14
"It's better to specialize than to be a generalist." Agree or disagree?
B2Quick agree/disagree
- 15
"Public transport should be free." Your view?
B2Quick reaction
- 16
"First impressions are usually accurate." Agree or disagree?
B2Quick agree/disagree
- 17
"Failure is more useful than success." Your view?
B2Quick reaction
C1 — 16 questions
- 1
One word for "freedom" — what comes to mind first?
C1Rapid word association
- 2
Is ambition always a positive trait? Quick take.
C1Rapid opinion
- 3
Does true objectivity exist in the news? Quick take.
C1Rapid opinion
- 4
One sentence: is nostalgia helpful or harmful?
C1Rapid opinion
- 5
Quick take: is competition or collaboration more valuable?
C1Rapid opinion
- 6
Is privacy a right or a privilege today? Quick take.
C1Rapid opinion
- 7
One word for "progress" — first thing that comes to mind?
C1Rapid word association
- 8
Quick take: does wealth change a person's character?
C1Rapid opinion
- 9
Is it possible to be completely unbiased? Quick take.
C1Rapid opinion
- 10
One sentence: is tradition an asset or an obstacle?
C1Rapid opinion
- 11
Quick take: is silence ever more powerful than words?
C1Rapid opinion
- 12
Does language shape how we think? Quick take.
C1Rapid opinion
- 13
One word for "justice" — first thing that comes to mind?
C1Rapid word association
- 14
Quick take: is compromise a strength or a weakness?
C1Rapid opinion
- 15
Is curiosity more valuable than discipline? Quick take.
C1Rapid opinion
- 16
One sentence: does art need to have a message?
C1Rapid opinion
C2 — 16 questions
- 1
Can you be free and equal at the same time? Quick take.
C2Rapid paradox
- 2
Is certainty ever fully justified? One sentence.
C2Rapid paradox
- 3
Does more choice mean more freedom, or less? Quick take.
C2Rapid paradox
- 4
Can a lie ever be more honest than the truth? One sentence.
C2Rapid paradox
- 5
Is objectivity a myth? Quick take.
C2Rapid opinion
- 6
Does absolute power corrupt absolutely — always? One sentence.
C2Rapid opinion
- 7
Can silence be a form of violence? Quick take.
C2Rapid paradox
- 8
Is neutrality itself a kind of position? One sentence.
C2Rapid paradox
- 9
Does knowing more make decisions harder? Quick take.
C2Rapid paradox
- 10
Can a paradox ever be resolved, or only accepted? One sentence.
C2Rapid paradox
- 11
Is it possible to think without language? Quick take.
C2Rapid opinion
- 12
Does the observer change what is observed? One sentence.
C2Rapid paradox
- 13
Can something be both true and false at once? Quick take.
C2Rapid paradox
- 14
Is doubt more productive than certainty? One sentence.
C2Rapid opinion
- 15
Does absolute freedom lead to chaos? Quick take.
C2Rapid opinion
- 16
Can identity exist without memory? One sentence.
C2Rapid paradox
Step-by-Step in Class
Pick by minutes, not by favourite
Roughly 5 questions fills a 5-minute warm-up, 10 fills a 10-minute one, 15 the full 15 minutes — treat the count as a rough dial rather than a fixed rule, since some classes answer faster than others.
Round-robin, don't wait for volunteers
Go student to student rather than opening the floor — a warm-up's job is to get everyone speaking quickly, not to let the same two confident students answer every question.
Don't allow long answers
If a warm-up question turns into a two-minute story, gently move on — that's a sign to save the topic for a real speaking activity later in the lesson, not to let the warm-up run long.
Match the pace to the level
Lower levels answer fastest with concrete factual questions; higher levels warm up faster with a quick opinion or word-association prompt rather than a factual one, which can feel too simple and slow the pace down.
Want a fresh batch every time?
100 ESL Warm-Up Questions by CEFR Level (A1–C2) is a fixed set. Reaction Reactor generates new ones on demand, calibrated to your class's exact CEFR level — free to start, no printing required.