CEFR A1 Speaking Topics: 20 Simple Prompts with Model Answers [2026]

A1 speaking is about talking clearly and simply about yourself and your immediate world. You are not expected to give opinions or reasons; you are expected to give clear, correct information in short present-tense sentences. That sounds easy, but doing it fluently, without long pauses, takes practice, because speaking pulls words out faster than writing does.

These 20 prompts cover the topics an A1 speaker meets most, grouped by area. Each comes with a short model answer showing the kind of simple structure expected. Say each one aloud before you read the model.

About you and your family

1. What is your name and where are you from? My name is Ana and I am from Peru. I live in Lima.
2. Tell me about your family. I have a small family. I have one brother and two sisters.
3. How old are you? I am twenty-five years old.
4. What do you do? I am a student. I study medicine.
5. Describe a person in your family. My mother is kind. She is a teacher and she likes cooking.

Your home and daily life

6. Where do you live? I live in a flat in the city. It has two bedrooms.
7. Describe your home. My home is small but comfortable. I like my kitchen.
8. What is your daily routine? I get up at seven. I go to work and I come home at six.
9. What time do you get up? I usually get up at seven o'clock.
10. How do you go to work or school? I go by bus. It takes thirty minutes.

Food and free time

11. What food do you like? I like rice and chicken. I do not like fish.
12. What do you eat for breakfast? I eat bread and drink coffee.
13. What are your hobbies? I like football and music.
14. What do you do at the weekend? I see my friends and I watch films.
15. Do you like sport? Yes, I like football. I play on Sundays.

Simple favourites

16. What is your favourite colour? My favourite colour is blue.
17. What is your favourite day? My favourite day is Saturday because I do not work.
18. What is the weather like today? Today it is sunny and warm.
19. What is your favourite season? I like summer because it is hot.
20. Describe your best friend. My best friend is Marco. He is funny and he likes games.

How to use these

Answer each prompt aloud until the sentences come without pausing, then try to add one extra detail to each. To see what this same practice looks like several levels up, our CEFR B2 speaking topics guide is a useful comparison. The step up to A2 is exactly that: turning two sentences into three or four, and beginning to say why.

If you want to see how A1 speaking fits among the wider CEFR levels, our guide to all the English levels lays out what each stage sounds like, so you can tell where the gaps are rather than guess at them.