48 Simple Yet Powerful ESL Business Debate Topics for All Levels

Are you looking for business debate topics that are easy and fun for ESL students? This post will help you! We’ve made 48 simple debate topics about business for all CEFR levels. These topics are not for serious debates—they are for learning English in a fun and useful way.

Teachers can use these topics to start conversations in class. Each one comes with helpful questions to guide students. There’s also a short list of vocabulary to help them speak with confidence. These topics work well in both large classes and one-to-one lessons.

You can also use them to teach common expressions, simple idioms, and short role-plays. Students get a chance to practice thinking in English and sharing their ideas. They can agree or disagree while learning new words and sentence patterns.

If you want your students to enjoy speaking practice while learning about business, this post is perfect for you. These topics can make your lessons more exciting and help students feel more confident. Let’s explore these creative and level-friendly ideas together!

Why Business Debate Topics Are Important in ESL

Talking about business helps students use real-life English. Many ESL students want to work in jobs where they need to speak English. Business topics give them useful practice for these situations.

Business debate topics help students think, speak, and share ideas. They learn how to give opinions, agree politely, and ask questions. These are all important skills for speaking English well.

Even beginner students can talk about simple business ideas. They can compare things like products or prices. Advanced students can talk about deeper topics, like success or money problems.

Debating helps build speaking fluency. Students use more vocabulary, common expressions, and even short idioms while they talk. They also listen to others and learn new ways to say things.

Teachers can also use debates to create fun role-plays or group conversations. These activities make the class more active. Students enjoy learning when they are speaking and thinking at the same time.

A1-Level ESL Business Debate Topics

At the A1 level, students are just beginning to learn English. These topics help them practice simple vocabulary and sentences about business and money. The goal is not to argue, but to use basic English in fun and easy ways. The questions are made to help them speak more and share their ideas.

1. Shops are better than online stores.

Useful Vocabulary: shop, online, buy, better, easy

Question Prompts:

• Do you like going to shops?
• Is it easy to buy things online?
• Where do you buy clothes?

2. Saving money is more fun than spending.

Useful Vocabulary: save, money, spend, fun, buy

Question Prompts:

• Do you save your money?
• What do you buy with your money?
• Is saving money fun for you?

3. Working is better than studying.

Useful Vocabulary: work, study, better, job, school

Question Prompts:

• Do you want to work or study?
• Is school fun for you?
• What job do you want?

4. Buying toys is more fun than buying food.

Useful Vocabulary: toy, food, buy, fun, like

Question Prompts:

• Do you like toys?
• What food do you like to buy?
• What do you buy more: toys or food?

5. Everyone should have a job.

Useful Vocabulary: job, work, everyone, need, money

Question Prompts:

• Do you want a job?
• Why do people work?
• Who has a job in your family?

6. It’s better to have your own business.

Useful Vocabulary: business, own, better, job, boss

Question Prompts:

• Do you want to be your own boss?
• Do you know someone with a business?
• Is a business better than a job?

7. We should always buy cheap things.

Useful Vocabulary: buy, cheap, expensive, money, things

Question Prompts:

• Do you like cheap things?
• Are expensive things better?
• What do you buy that is cheap?

8. Ice cream shops should open in winter.

Useful Vocabulary: ice cream, shop, winter, open, cold

Question Prompts:

• Do you eat ice cream in winter?
• Should shops sell ice cream all year?
• Do you like cold or hot food?

A2-Level ESL Business Debate Topics

At the A2 level, students can use more words and talk about simple business ideas. They can share opinions and give short reasons. These topics help them learn how to agree or disagree in English and use new business words.

9. Working in a team is better than working alone.

Useful Vocabulary: team, alone, work, better, help

Question Prompts:

• Do you like working with others?
• Is it hard to work alone?
• What do you do in a team?

10. Children should learn about money.

Useful Vocabulary: children, learn, money, school, important

Question Prompts:

• Should schools teach about money?
• Do you know how to save money?
• Is money important for children?

11. People should work only 4 days a week.

Useful Vocabulary: work, week, day, rest, better

Question Prompts:

• Do you want to work less?
• Is 5 days too much?
• What will people do on the free day?

12. Buying new things is better than fixing old ones.

Useful Vocabulary: buy, new, fix, old, things

Question Prompts:

• Do you fix broken things?
• Do you like new things?
• Is fixing hard?

13. Fast food restaurants should be cheaper.

Useful Vocabulary: fast food, restaurant, cheap, price, eat

Question Prompts:

• Do you eat at fast food places?
• Are they too expensive?
• Should kids eat more fast food?

14. All workers should wear uniforms.

Useful Vocabulary: worker, uniform, clothes, same, job

Question Prompts:

• Do uniforms look nice?
• Is it good to wear the same?
• Do you want a uniform?

15. Everyone should have a small business.

Useful Vocabulary: everyone, business, small, job, own

Question Prompts:

• Do you want to have a small business?
• What business do you like?
• Is it hard to have a business?

16. Supermarkets are better than small shops.

Useful Vocabulary: supermarket, shop, big, small, better

Question Prompts:

• Where do you shop?
• Are supermarkets better?
• Do you like small shops?

B1-Level ESL Business Debate Topics

At the B1 level, students can express opinions and give reasons clearly. They can handle common business topics like money, shopping, and jobs. These topics help students build confidence in sharing ideas in a longer way.

17. People should be paid more for hard jobs.

Useful Vocabulary: pay, hard, job, money, fair

Question Prompts:

• What is a hard job?
• Should hard jobs get more money?
• Do you know someone with a hard job?

18. Advertising makes people buy things they don’t need.

Useful Vocabulary: advertising, buy, need, want, sell

Question Prompts:

• Do ads make you buy things?
• What did you buy after seeing an ad?
• Are ads good or bad?

19. It is better to work from home.

Useful Vocabulary: work, home, office, travel, save

Question Prompts:

• Would you like to work from home?
• What are the good sides of working from home?
• Is the office better?

20. Rich people should help poor people more.

Useful Vocabulary: rich, poor, help, money, people

Question Prompts:

• Should rich people help others?
• What help can they give?
• Do you think they help enough?

21. We should only buy from local businesses.

Useful Vocabulary: buy, local, business, support, shop

Question Prompts:

• Do you shop at local stores?
• Why are local businesses important?
• Are big stores bad?

22. Starting a business is better than working for someone.

Useful Vocabulary: start, business, job, boss, own

Question Prompts:

• Would you like to start a business?
• Is it easier to work for someone else?
• What is hard about running a business?

23. Everyone should learn how to sell something.

Useful Vocabulary: sell, learn, business, product, skill

Question Prompts:

• Have you sold anything before?
• Why is it good to learn selling?
• What can you sell well?

24. Robots will take many jobs.

Useful Vocabulary: robot, job, future, work, machine

Question Prompts:

• Will robots do your job in the future?
• Is it good or bad?
• What jobs can robots not do?

B2-Level ESL Business Debate Topics

At B2 level, students can explain their opinions in detail and consider different sides of a topic. These business debates help learners think critically, give examples, and express more complex ideas about work, money, and business ethics.

25. Business people should care about the environment.

Useful Vocabulary: business, environment, care, green, waste

Question Prompts:

• Should companies think about nature?
• What can they do to help?
• Do many businesses pollute?

26. Social media is good for business.

Useful Vocabulary: social media, business, advertise, connect, promote

Question Prompts:

• Do businesses need social media?
• How does it help them?
• What are the problems?

27. Online jobs are the future of work.

Useful Vocabulary: online, job, future, internet, remote

Question Prompts:

• Would you like an online job?
• Is it better than a regular job?
• What jobs can be done online?

28. Companies should pay the same to men and women.

Useful Vocabulary: company, pay, equal, man, woman

Question Prompts:

• Do men and women get the same pay?
• Is that fair?
• Why is equal pay important?

29. Big companies are more harmful than helpful.

Useful Vocabulary: big, company, harm, help, power

Question Prompts:

• What big companies do you know?
• Are they good or bad?
• How do they affect small businesses?

30. Everyone should learn business at school.

Useful Vocabulary: learn, business, school, money, job

Question Prompts:

• Is business useful for students?
• What can they learn?
• Should it be in every school?

31. Money is the most important thing in a job.

Useful Vocabulary: money, job, important, work, salary

Question Prompts:

• Why do people work?
• Is money the main reason?
• What other things are important?

32. Businesses should stop using plastic.

Useful Vocabulary: plastic, stop, use, business, environment

Question Prompts:

• Why is plastic bad?
• Can businesses stop using it?
• What can they use instead?

C1-Level ESL Business Debate Topics

At C1 level, students can discuss ideas in depth, use complex grammar and vocabulary, and understand abstract business concepts. These topics challenge them to develop opinions, debate with logic, and speak with fluency.

33. Businesses should be taxed more to support public services.

Useful Vocabulary: tax, business, public services, government, support

Question Prompts:

• Should large companies pay more tax?
• What can that money be used for?
• Will it hurt the economy?

34. Success in business depends more on luck than skill.

Useful Vocabulary: success, luck, skill, business, chance

Question Prompts:

• Is skill or luck more important in business?
• Can you succeed without skill?
• Do you know someone lucky in business?

35. Young entrepreneurs should get more government support.

Useful Vocabulary: entrepreneur, young, support, start-up, fund

Question Prompts:

• Should the government help young business people?
• What kind of help is needed?
• Is this common in your country?

36. Ethical companies will succeed more in the future.

Useful Vocabulary: ethical, future, succeed, honest, trust

Question Prompts:

• Do people care about company values?
• Is honesty important in business?
• Will ethical companies grow faster?

37. Artificial intelligence will replace most business decisions.

Useful Vocabulary: artificial intelligence, replace, decision, data, future

Question Prompts:

• Can AI make better decisions than people?
• What are the risks?
• What decisions can AI handle well?

38. Globalization helps small businesses grow.

Useful Vocabulary: globalization, small business, grow, world, connect

Question Prompts:

• How does globalization affect small businesses?
• Is it easy to grow in a global market?
• What are the challenges?

39. Business schools are not necessary for success.

Useful Vocabulary: business school, success, education, learn, degree

Question Prompts:

• Is experience more valuable than a degree?
• Can you learn business outside school?
• Are business schools too expensive?

40. Work-life balance should be a company’s top priority.

Useful Vocabulary: work-life balance, priority, company, health, stress

Question Prompts:

• Should companies care about your free time?
• How can they help with balance?
• Is this common where you live?

C2-Level ESL Business Debate Topics

C2 students are ready to engage in complex and philosophical debates about business. They can critically evaluate arguments, challenge ideas, and justify their points with real-life or hypothetical examples using advanced language.

41. Profit should never be more important than ethics.

Useful Vocabulary: profit, ethics, priority, decision, business values

Question Prompts:

• Can companies survive without putting profit first?
• What happens when ethics are ignored?
• Can both ethics and profit coexist?

42. The gig economy exploits workers.

Useful Vocabulary: gig economy, exploit, freelance, rights, stability

Question Prompts:

• What is the gig economy?
• Does it give freedom or cause problems?
• Should governments regulate it?

43. Companies should be fully transparent about their finances.

Useful Vocabulary: transparent, finances, truth, report, public trust

Question Prompts:

• Why is financial transparency important?
• Should all companies do it?
• Can this hurt a company?

44. Business competition brings more harm than good.

Useful Vocabulary: competition, harm, benefit, market, rival

Question Prompts:

• Is competition healthy?
• Can it damage small businesses?
• What is the right balance?

45. Automation is a threat to human creativity in business.

Useful Vocabulary: automation, creativity, threat, replace, innovation

Question Prompts:

• Can machines be creative?
• Does automation kill creative jobs?
• Where do we still need humans?

46. Corporate social responsibility should be legally enforced.

Useful Vocabulary: corporate, responsibility, legal, enforce, community

Question Prompts:

• What is corporate social responsibility?
• Should it be law or choice?
• Can this improve business?

47. Stakeholder happiness matters more than shareholder profit.

Useful Vocabulary: stakeholder, shareholder, profit, happiness, balance

Question Prompts:

• Who are stakeholders?
• Should their needs come first?
• What happens when profit is the only goal?

48. The best leaders are those who listen, not command.

Useful Vocabulary: leader, listen, command, management, success

Question Prompts:

• What makes a good business leader?
• Is listening more effective than giving orders?
• Can you give an example?

Conclusion

Using business debate topics in your ESL classroom is a great way to help students improve their speaking. These topics are fun, practical, and suitable for all levels. They help students use real English in a safe and simple way.

Debates also help build confidence. Students learn to express their ideas, listen to others, and use important vocabulary and expressions. It’s a smart and creative way to bring business English into your lessons.

If you want to make your classroom more active, try using these debate topics. Your students will enjoy them, and you’ll see great progress in their speaking skills.

FAQs About Using Business Debate Topics in ESL Class

What are business debate topics?
They are simple questions or ideas about business that students can talk about. They help ESL learners practice speaking and sharing opinions in English.

Can beginner students do business debates?
Yes! The topics for A1 and A2 levels are very easy and use simple words. Even new learners can join and enjoy the activity.

Do I need to teach business before using these topics?
No, you don’t. The debate topics help students learn business words while talking. It’s okay if they are learning the ideas for the first time.

What skills do students practice during debates?
They practice speaking, listening, using new vocabulary, giving opinions, and reacting to others. Debates also improve fluency and confidence.

Can I use these topics in pair work or group work?
Yes! These topics are great for pairs, small groups, or the whole class. They also work well in online classes.

Are these debates only for speaking practice?
Mostly, yes. But you can also use them to practice writing, reading, or creating short role-plays and dialogues.

How long should a business debate last in class?
It depends on the level. For beginners, 5–10 minutes is good. For higher levels, you can go up to 15–20 minutes or more.

Can I add my own questions to the topics?
Of course! You can always add more questions, examples, or even simple idioms and common expressions to fit your students’ needs.

What’s the best way to start a debate for low-level learners?
Use pictures, short videos, or real objects. Explain the topic in easy words and model the sentence patterns before students start.

Why are business topics useful for ESL students?
Because many students want to use English for work or study. Talking about business prepares them for real-life conversations and job situations.