Top Tools for Creating ESL Speaking Questions for Any Level

An A1 student can answer "Where are you from?" A C1 student can debate whether immigration policies affect cultural identity. Same skill -- speaking -- but the questions that get them talking are worlds apart. Finding or writing level-appropriate ESL speaking questions for every class, every week, used to eat a chunk of my planning time. These tools changed that.

ChalkLab -- Best for Level-Calibrated Sets

ChalkLab generates speaking question sets that are genuinely calibrated to CEFR levels. The A2 questions use structures A2 students actually know. The B2 questions require complex grammar and abstract thinking. This matters because a question your students can't understand isn't a speaking prompt -- it's a comprehension test.

ChatGPT -- Best for Unusual Topics

ChatGPT shines when you need speaking questions about specific, niche topics -- "ethical dilemmas in technology" for a C1 tech industry class, or "describing medical symptoms" for A2 healthcare workers. No premade resource covers these. ChatGPT does, but you'll need to review and adjust the output level.

Twee -- Best for Text-Based Discussion

Twee generates discussion questions from any text. Paste an article, video transcript, or short story, and get 8-10 discussion questions that reference specific content. This is ideal for classes where speaking practice follows a reading or listening activity.

Padlet -- Best for Asynchronous Speaking

Padlet isn't a question generator, but it's the best platform for collecting spoken responses. Post a discussion question on a Padlet board and students record audio or video responses. Perfect for homework speaking practice or shy students who won't speak in front of the whole class.

Quizizz -- Best for Quick Speaking Warm-Ups

Quizizz has a "Poll" feature where you display a question and students discuss in pairs before voting. It's not a traditional speaking tool, but I use it for 5-minute warm-ups: display an opinion question, give pairs 2 minutes to discuss, then vote. The visual results spark whole-class discussion.

Matching Tools to Teaching Contexts

Weekly conversation class: ChalkLab for a fresh set each week
Content-based discussion: Twee for text-linked questions
Online/hybrid classes: Padlet for recorded responses
Specialized ESL (business, medical): ChatGPT for niche topics
Mixed-level warm-ups: Quizizz polls with tiered questions

Pick the tool that matches how you teach, not the one with the most features. For more on running speaking activities, check my speaking activity apps guide.