ASL Topics 2027: 100+ Best Speaking Topics, Categories & Examples

ASL topics for students are short English speaking subjects that CBSE students choose, or are given, for the Assessment of Speaking and Listening, which current CBSE syllabus documents call ALS. A good ASL topic is one you have a real opinion on and can back with an example from your own school, town or family. As per the CBSE English Language and Literature syllabus for 2026-27, this assessment carries 5 marks of internal assessment in Class 10, and teachers mark it on interaction, fluency, pronunciation and language.

Below you will find 110 topics sorted into 10 categories, a two-minute sample speech, and the preparation method we would follow if we had to sit the assessment again next week.

What is ASL in CBSE and how many marks does it carry in 2026-27?

ASL, or the Assessment of Speaking and Listening, is a school-conducted English test in which a student speaks on a topic for a few minutes and then answers the teacher’s questions. Recent CBSE syllabus documents name it ALS (Assessment of Listening and Speaking Skills) and list it under Subject Enrichment Activity in internal assessment.

For Class 10, the CBSE English Language and Literature syllabus 2026-27 (subject code 184) gives ALS 5 marks out of the 20-mark internal assessment. For Classes 11 and 12 English Core, the 2026-27 syllabus gives it 10 marks. Schools run the assessment on their own schedule, so the date and exact format come from your English teacher.

CBSE asks teachers to assess four parameters: interactive competence (starting a conversation, taking turns, staying relevant), fluency (coherence and speed of delivery), pronunciation, and language (grammar and vocabulary). The listening half is usually a short audio clip or a passage read aloud, followed by questions. Verify current figures at cbseacademic.nic.in before acting, since CBSE revises the syllabus every April.

How to choose an ASL topic you can speak on confidently

Picture a Class 9 student in Kanpur who picks “Artificial intelligence and the future of jobs” because it sounds impressive. Two days before the assessment, they realise they cannot explain how AI works in simple English, and every example they have comes from one YouTube video. They switch to “Should mobile phones be allowed in school?” and the speech comes together in an evening, because that debate happens in their own classroom every week.

The lesson from that switch is simple: choose a topic you have lived, then follow these steps.

1. Write down five topics you have argued about with friends or family.
2. Cross out any topic you cannot explain to a Class 6 student.
3. Choose the one where you have a personal example or local incident.
4. Decide your opinion in one sentence before you start any research.
5. Find two supporting facts from a newspaper, textbook or official website.
6. Time yourself speaking from notes, then trim until you finish within your limit.

If two topics tie, pick the narrower one. “Plastic waste in my colony” beats “Pollution in India” because you can describe what you have seen with your own eyes. For step 5, our list of useful websites for students has reliable places to check facts quickly.

Which ASL topic category is best for your speaking level?

For Class 9 and 10 students still building confidence in English, personal and school-life topics are the safest pick. You already know the vocabulary, and the teacher’s follow-up questions will be about things you have lived through. Move to technology, social issues or current affairs only when you can explain the basics of the topic without looking at notes.

Topic category	Difficulty	Speech length that works	Best for
Personal and everyday life	Easy	2 minutes	Nervous speakers and Class 9 beginners
Education and school life	Easy to medium	2 to 3 minutes	Students with strong opinions about school
Indian culture	Easy	2 minutes	Students with family traditions to describe
Health and fitness	Easy to medium	2 to 3 minutes	Sports players and students with routines
Environment and pollution	Medium	3 minutes	Students who can give local examples
Technology and AI	Medium to hard	3 minutes	Students who use the technology themselves
Social issues and current affairs	Hard	3 minutes	Class 11-12 students who read the news daily

110 ASL topics for students, sorted by category

Each list below starts with easier topics and moves towards harder ones. If speaking in English makes you nervous, stay in the top half of any list.

Easy ASL topics for school students (personal and everyday life)

These work well for a first ASL because every example comes from your own life, and nobody can tell you that you got your own experience wrong.

1. My favourite teacher and what I learnt from them
2. A day I will never forget
3. My hobby and why I started it
4. The best gift I have ever received
5. A book or film that changed how I think
6. If I could change one rule at home
7. My role model and why
8. A place in my city I would show a visitor
9. What I have learnt from my grandparents
10. Early morning or late night: when do I study better?
11. The best advice anyone has given me

ASL topics on education and school life

Teachers enjoy these because they can ask sharp follow-up questions. Topic 6 is a strong choice if you have been through that decision recently, and our guide to career options after 10th can give you facts to quote.

1. Should homework be banned in middle school?
2. Mobile phones in school: allow or ban?
3. Are marks the best measure of intelligence?
4. Coaching classes: necessary or a burden?
5. Should Class 10 board exams be optional?
6. Choosing a stream after Class 10: whose decision should it be?
7. Learning in your mother tongue versus learning in English
8. Should students give feedback on their teachers?
9. School uniforms: discipline or loss of individuality?
10. Why sports periods should not be cut before exams
11. Skills school does not teach but should

ASL topics on technology and artificial intelligence

AI topics sound impressive, and that is exactly why they go wrong. Pick one narrow angle you have used yourself, such as using ChatGPT to check grammar, instead of “the future of AI”.

1. How I use technology for my studies
2. Should students use AI tools for homework?
3. Will AI reduce jobs in India?
4. Online games: fun or addiction?
5. Why your password matters: cyber safety for teenagers
6. Should coding be compulsory in school?
7. How UPI changed shopping in my town
8. Deepfakes and how to spot fake videos
9. Screen time: how much is too much?
10. Electric scooters and cars in Indian cities
11. Robots in hospitals: helpful or risky?

ASL topics on social media and digital life

Topic 10 is our favourite on this whole page. Try it for real for one week and you will have a speech full of details nobody else in your class can copy.

1. Social media: boon or bane for teenagers?
2. Should there be a minimum age for social media?
3. Influencers as role models
4. Short reels and our shrinking attention span
5. Cyberbullying and how schools can stop it
6. Fake news in family WhatsApp groups
7. What we share online without thinking
8. Can social media help during a disaster?
9. Likes, followers and self-esteem
10. A week without my phone: what I noticed
11. Should parents check their teenager’s phone?

ASL topics on environmental issues and pollution

Ground these in your own city. A student in Lucknow talking about smog in November, or one in Chennai talking about water tankers in May, will sound more convincing than anyone reading national figures.

1. Plastic waste in my neighbourhood
2. Winter smog in north Indian cities
3. Water shortage in Indian cities
4. Should firecrackers be banned during festivals?
5. Is the single-use plastic ban working?
6. Climate change and Indian farmers
7. Noise pollution from traffic and loudspeakers
8. Saving electricity at home and in school
9. Planting new trees versus protecting old forests
10. Cleaning our rivers: what has changed?
11. Heatwaves and how they affect students

ASL topics on health and fitness

1. Junk food in school canteens
2. Why teenagers need enough sleep
3. Yoga in daily life
4. Exam stress and how I handle it
5. Should physical education be graded like other subjects?
6. Talking openly about mental health
7. Home food versus packaged food
8. Do fitness apps and smartwatches help?
9. Sports as a career in India
10. Long screen hours and eye health
11. Should energy drinks be banned for teenagers?

ASL topics on social issues and women’s rights

These need care. Teachers will push back on one-sided views, so prepare one point from the other side before you walk in.

1. Respecting citizens
2. Gender stereotypes in household chores
3. Women’s safety on public transport
4. Equal pay for women
5. Girls’ education in small towns
6. Child labour at roadside shops and dhabas
7. Why dowry still exists
8. Road safety and underage driving
9. Including students with disabilities in regular schools
10. The gap between rural and urban schools
11. Helping street children: whose job is it?

ASL topics on current affairs and Digital India

1. Digital India: has it reached villages?
2. Online education after the pandemic: what stayed?
3. What Chandrayaan-3 means for Indian students
4. Startups in small Indian cities
5. A cashless economy: ready or not?
6. Make in India and buying local products
7. Tourism in my state
8. Indian sports beyond cricket
9. Smart cities: what has changed in my city?
10. India as the world’s most populous country
11. Should voting be compulsory?

ASL topics on Indian culture

1. Unity in diversity: my experience
2. A festival from another state I would like to see
3. Are regional languages disappearing?
4. Classical music and dance among teenagers
5. Joint family or nuclear family?
6. The street food of my city
7. Handloom and local crafts
8. Western influence on Indian youth
9. Folk tales my grandparents tell
10. Big weddings or simple weddings?
11. Mythology in modern films and series

ASL presentation topics for Class 11 and 12 (debate style)

Classes are marked on the same four parameters, but teachers expect a clear argument and an answer to the counterpoint.

1. Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
2. Is a college degree still necessary?
3. Should students take a gap year after Class 12?
4. Brain drain: should India worry?
5. Space missions or fighting poverty: where should money go?
6. Freedom of speech online
7. Is handwriting still worth practising?
8. Should AI-written assignments count as cheating?
9. Coaching hubs like Kota: help or harm?
10. Fast fashion and its hidden cost
11. A four-day school week

ASL speech example in English: a two-minute sample on online education

This sample shows the introduction, body and conclusion structure that teachers expect. It runs close to two minutes at a normal speaking pace. Use it to study the shape, then write your own version with your own examples.

Sample speech: “Can online education replace classroom teaching?” Introduction: Good morning, ma’am. My topic is whether online education can replace classroom teaching. During the 2020 lockdown, my school moved every class online for most of the year, so I have seen both sides. Body: Online classes helped me in two ways. I could replay a recorded maths lecture as many times as I needed, which is impossible in a normal classroom. I also learnt to search for answers on my own instead of waiting for the teacher. There were real problems too. My cousin, who lives in a village near Gorakhpur, shared one smartphone with two siblings, so she missed classes almost every week. Even for me, staying focused was hard when my camera was off and nobody could see me. I also missed small things, like asking a doubt after class or solving a question with my bench partner. Conclusion: So I believe online education works best as a support for classroom teaching. Recorded lectures and online tests help with revision, but most of my real learning still happened when a teacher could see my face and catch my confusion. Thank you.

The speech works because every point has a small, specific example, and the opinion is clear from the first lines. Before you deliver a speech like this, prepare answers to the questions a teacher is likely to ask next: “What would you change about online classes?”, “Should schools keep one online day a week?” and “How can village students get better access?” If you want examples of good online learning tools to mention, see our list of online learning platforms.

How long should an ASL speech be: two minutes or three minutes?

Schools usually ask for a two to three minute speech, followed by a short question round. Your English teacher sets the exact limit, so confirm it before you start writing.

For a two-minute ASL speech, spend about 20 seconds on your introduction and opinion, around 80 seconds on two points with one example each, and 20 seconds on the conclusion. A three-minute speech gives you room for a third point and a slightly longer introduction. Stick to two points if you are nervous. Two well-explained points score better than three rushed ones.

Time yourself on your phone. If you finish early, add another example from your own life. A fresh example fills time better than an extra statistic.

The Bottom Line

Tonight, shortlist two topics from the lists above: one from the easy section and one you actually care about. Tomorrow, speak on each for two minutes into your phone without a script. Play both recordings back and keep the topic where you sounded more like yourself. Then write three questions your teacher might ask about it and answer them out loud. That single recording session will teach you more about your speaking than a week of reading sample speeches.

When you have your topic sorted, the Career Favor blogs on exam preparation and skills worth building after school are good places to continue.

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