25 QCE English IA2 persuasive practice prompts for 2026 (spoken response, Unit 3)

How to use these practice prompts

QCE English IA2 is the persuasive spoken response in Unit 3. A 5 to 8 minute delivered speech (live or pre-recorded) arguing a position on an issue drawn from your studied texts or the broader world, calibrated for a specified audience and purpose. The IA is open-access with 4 weeks of notification, so you have time to draft a script and rehearse delivery.

Each prompt below pairs an issue with a suggested audience and rhetorical situation. Adapt as needed for your school's actual task.

Three rules for practice:

1. Calibrate for the audience. Diction, register, examples, pacing, and any multimodal support should all flow from who you are speaking to. "General listeners" does not exist.
2. Sustain 2-3 rhetorical strategies. Not 6 scattered techniques. Strategies used across spoken sections in coordinated ways.
3. Engage with counter-arguments. Briefly. Strengthens your position; ignoring opposition weakens it.

Time every rehearsal. 5 to 8 minutes means somewhere between roughly 700 and 1100 spoken words for most students.

Prompts about education and youth (1-7)

1. For an audience of school principals at a state conference. Argue for or against a specific change to assessment in Queensland Year 12.
2. For an audience of Year 11 parents at a school information evening. Argue for the value of a gap year between Year 12 and university.
3. For QCE student listeners at a school assembly. Argue for or against the use of AI study tools in school assessment.
4. For state parliamentarians at a committee briefing. Argue for a specific change to QCE policy.
5. For an audience of teachers at a professional development day. Argue for or against streaming students by ability in senior schooling.
6. For a Brisbane Times opinion podcast audience. Argue for or against a recent education funding decision.
7. For an audience of school counsellors at a regional forum. Argue for a specific approach to student mental health support.

Prompts about community and identity (8-13)

8. For an ABC News podcast audience. Argue for or against a specific government policy affecting Queensland communities.
9. For an audience of local council voters at a public meeting. Argue for or against a specific urban or regional planning decision.
10. For a Conversation Australia podcast audience. Argue for or against a recent legal or constitutional change.
11. For a sympathetic regional audience at a town hall. Argue for the value of regional voices in national policy debates.
12. For an audience of urban listeners at a city panel. Argue for or against a regional vs metropolitan funding split.
13. For an Indigenous-led publication's podcast audience. Argue for a specific shift in Australian public discourse.

Prompts about technology and society (14-19)

14. For a Guardian Australia opinion podcast audience. Argue for or against a specific regulation of social media in Australia.
15. For an audience of QCE students at a school assembly. Argue for or against limiting smartphone use in senior schooling.
16. For an Australian Financial Review podcast audience. Argue for or against a specific AI policy in workplace settings.
17. For an ABC Online podcast audience. Argue for or against mandatory data privacy reforms.
18. For a youth-focused podcast audience. Argue for or against a specific use of AI in higher education.
19. For an audience of small business owners at a chamber of commerce meeting. Argue for or against a specific technology adoption policy.

Prompts about culture and values (20-25)

20. For an SMH opinion podcast audience. Argue for or against a specific position in a current cultural debate.
21. For a Saturday Paper podcast audience. Argue for the value of slow journalism in a fast-news environment.
22. For an audience of arts patrons at a fundraising event. Argue for or against a specific shift in Australian arts funding.
23. For a sports-focused podcast audience. Argue for or against a recent sports administration decision.
24. For an Age podcast audience. Argue for or against a specific approach to housing affordability.
25. For a religious publication's podcast audience. Argue for or against a specific change to social policy, treating the listeners' values respectfully while taking a clear position.

A drafting and rehearsal protocol

For each prompt:

• Week 1. Research the issue. Identify your angle. Listen to 3 to 5 contemporary speeches or opinion podcasts on adjacent issues to understand the rhetorical terrain.
• Week 2. First full script draft. Aim for 700 to 1100 words (the typical 5 to 8 minute speaking range). Build in your structure: hook, contention, 3 to 4 arguments with brief counter-acknowledgement, closing.
• Week 3. Redraft and start rehearsing aloud. Sharpen the rhetorical strategies. Cut filler. Verify factual claims. Record a first delivery and listen back.
• Week 4. Polish and rehearse end-to-end at least five times. Mark up the script for pace, pause, and emphasis. Have a teacher mark a draft. Time every rehearsal.

For the structural walkthrough, read our IA2 persuasive spoken response guide. For general essay architecture, read how to structure a QCE English extended response.

These prompts are written by ExamExplained for practice purposes only. For the official QCAA syllabus and current-year guidance, refer to qcaa.qld.edu.au.