ESL Questions Brexit
Brexit
Unpack one of the most debated political events in recent history with 75 ESL questions about Brexit, covering the vote, its effects, and what it tells us about democracy and identity.
Beginner
Do you know what Brexit means? Can you explain it simply?
Which countries are in the European Union?
Do you know when the UK voted to leave the EU?
What is a referendum? Have you ever voted in one?
Did the UK leave the EU or stay? What was the result?
Do you think it is a big deal for a country to leave a group like the EU?
Do you know what the EU passport looks like? Have you seen one?
Do you know any British people? Have you ever talked to them about Brexit?
What do you think life is like in the UK right now?
Have you ever traveled to a country in the EU? Was it easy?
Do you know what 'remain' and 'leave' meant during the Brexit vote?
What do you think the main reason people voted to leave the EU was?
Do you think countries should be able to leave international organizations?
Have you ever heard of the English Channel? Why is it important?
Do you know what trade between countries means?
Do you think Brexit made the news in your country? Why or why not?
Would you want your country to join or leave an organization like the EU?
What do you know about the relationship between the UK and Ireland?
Do you think Brexit was a complicated decision? Why?
What would you have voted if you were British: leave or stay? Why?
What does it mean to be a citizen of the EU?
Do you know any politicians who were involved in Brexit?
Have you ever had to get a visa to travel somewhere? How was that experience?
What do you think changed for British people after Brexit?
Do you have any questions about Brexit that you would like to know the answer to?
Intermediate
What do you think were the main arguments for leaving the EU?
What were the strongest arguments for staying in the EU?
Why do you think 52% of people voted to leave and 48% voted to remain?
How do you think Brexit affected trade between the UK and Europe?
What do you think happened to EU citizens living in the UK after Brexit?
How do you think Brexit affected the Irish border situation?
Do you think the Brexit referendum was a good way to make such an important decision?
What do you think Boris Johnson's role was in making Brexit happen?
How do you think Brexit affected Scotland's desire for independence?
What do you think 'taking back control' meant to people who voted to leave?
How has Brexit affected British people's freedom to work and travel in Europe?
Do you think younger or older people were more likely to vote leave or remain? Why?
What impact do you think Brexit had on the British economy?
How do you think Brexit changed the UK's relationship with the USA?
Do you think there will ever be a second Brexit referendum?
What do you think British people regret most about Brexit, if anything?
How did Brexit change the way Europeans think about the UK?
Do you think Brexit made the UK stronger or weaker on the world stage?
What do you think 'Global Britain' means and has it worked out?
How do you think Brexit affected immigration to the UK?
What role did social media play in the Brexit campaign?
Do you think the UK government handled the Brexit negotiations well?
How do you think Brexit affected the NHS and healthcare workers?
What lessons do you think other EU countries took from Brexit?
Do you think Brexit has been good, bad, or mixed for the UK so far?
Advanced
Was Brexit fundamentally about sovereignty, immigration, or economics? Can you really separate those things?
The leave campaign made promises that turned out to be false. What does that say about how democracies make big decisions?
Some argue Brexit was a symptom of globalization's losers seeking a way out. Is that a fair reading?
Should a 52-48 vote be enough to make a permanent constitutional change? Where should the bar be?
How much of the Brexit vote was about the EU, and how much was about domestic discontent with the political establishment?
The Irish border became the hardest Brexit problem. What does that tell us about the complexity of undoing 50 years of integration?
Scotland voted to remain. What moral weight should that carry when thinking about Scottish independence?
How much responsibility do UK media outlets bear for how Brexit was framed and decided?
Was the Brexit process an example of democracy working or democracy being abused?
How do you think Britain's post-imperial identity shaped the desire to 'go it alone'?
Five years on, has Brexit delivered what its supporters promised? Be specific.
Is there a version of Brexit that could have been handled better, or was the chaos inherent in the project?
How should the EU respond to a member state wanting to leave in the future?
What does Brexit reveal about the limits of technocratic decision-making versus popular will?
The 'Brexiteers' framed the EU as undemocratic. Is that a fair characterization?
How do you think Brexit affected the way young British people see their future?
Did Brexit expose a fundamental divide in British society that was already there, or did it create one?
What does Brexit tell us about how economic anxiety translates into political choices?
Is rejoining the EU a realistic or desirable possibility for the UK? What would it take?
How should other countries interpret the Brexit experience when thinking about their own relationship with supranational bodies?
Was Brexit a failure of political leadership, a failure of journalism, or a genuine expression of democratic will?
What does the Brexit saga tell us about the role of experts in public debate?
How has Brexit affected the way the UK is perceived in terms of reliability and diplomatic credibility?
Is the concept of national sovereignty still meaningful in an interconnected global economy?
If you had to explain Brexit to someone from a country with no EU equivalent, how would you frame what happened?