C1 Debate Motions for Advanced Adults
Watch a tutorial on how to run this activity with your class
Explore More Questions
C1 Debate Motions for Advanced Adults
C1 debate motions should challenge assumptions and resist easy answers. These 75 motions present genuine dilemmas where reasonable people disagree: the tension between privacy and public safety, the ethics of genetic modification, whether meritocracy is a myth, and the limits of free expression. At C1, students have the language to engage with nuance, qualification, and concession, which are the hallmarks of sophisticated argumentation.
The real value of C1 debate is not winning arguments but developing the ability to construct and dismantle reasoning in real time. When a C1 student responds to an opponent's point with 'While that argument has merit in certain contexts, it fails to account for...' they are demonstrating the register flexibility and analytical precision that defines advanced English proficiency.
Debate as intellectual practice
At C1, extend speech times to 3-4 minutes and add rebuttal rounds. Require speakers to address at least one specific point from the opposition rather than simply restating their own position. This forces active listening and spontaneous response, which are the hardest skills for even advanced speakers to develop.
Beyond opinion: evidence and reasoning
C1 debate prepares students for professional and academic contexts where they must argue positions under pressure: job interviews, academic seminars, boardroom discussions, and public consultations. The classroom debate is a safe rehearsal space for these high-stakes situations.