About the Random Topic Generator
The eighty four prompts in this list were written to be answerable in five minutes by someone with no research time. Roughly half are phrased as questions with two defensible sides, such as "Should exams be replaced by coursework?" or "Is it better to rent or to buy a home?". The rest are open statements that invite a personal angle, such as "The most useful skill nobody teaches at school".
Subjects stay in everyday territory: school and study, work and money, towns and transport, food, hobbies, friendship and habits. Nothing depends on current news, so a prompt drawn today still works next year, and nothing sits in the political or religious territory that makes a classroom exercise awkward. That keeps the list usable for a debate club, an English lesson, a public speaking group or a podcast that needs a segment idea.
One draw is enough for a spontaneous speech. For a term of writing prompts, raise the count to twenty with repeats off and download the batch. If you would rather have a full scene or situation than a subject to discuss, the Random Scenario Generator is the better tool, and for a light conversation opener rather than an argument try the Random Caption Generator.
How to use
- Press Generate for one prompt, or raise How many topics to build a worksheet.
- Keep No repeats ticked when you are preparing a set for a whole class.
- Reroll until you find a prompt with two sides worth arguing, then copy or download it.
Common questions
- Are these debate topics or essay topics?
- Both. About half are yes or no questions suited to debate, and the rest are open prompts that work better as essay or journal starters.
- Do the topics go out of date?
- No. They avoid current events and named public figures, so the same prompt still makes sense years later.
- Are they safe for a school setting?
- Yes. Political, religious and adult subjects are left out on purpose so the list can be used in a classroom without vetting.
- Can I get a set for a full term?
- Set the count to forty or more with repeats off and download the result as a text file to paste into a lesson plan.