Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dear Judges,
Please find below the Judges Briefing Notes, together with the Multiple Choice Briefing Guide, that form the
practical basis of all judging for WIDPSC 2015 HK. The document is quite long but this is because we have chosen to
adopt the written notes as the definitive statement for this Championships. Live briefings will be used to
supplement the notes, but the notes will take precedent.
Our overall aim has been to address weaknesses from previous tournaments as well as to try to achieve
consistency. We have chosen to invite and instruct a much wider pool of judges than has ever been used before for
a major tournament. This brings benefits but also requires a huge amount of effort to ensure that all judges follow
the same script. Those of you who are familiar with previous WIDPSC events will recognise differences; those of
you coming from the larger worlds of the WSDC and WU debating will recognise old friends. It has been our aim in
all things to try to incorporate known best practice.
Please read carefully. The Multiple Choice section in particular is not a test but a guide; it draws heavily on
experience and well-known problems from previous tournaments, local as well as international. It also
incorporates many items that some of the overseas coaches have discussed with me over the years I have been
associated with WIDPSC. I can point to specific items in these notes and say, for example, There you are, do you
remember the question you asked in the AGM in Lithuania, 2010?
I am confident that you will find the instructions and guidelines both fair and practical. Those of you with WSDC &
WU backgrounds will know that judges are tested and some are failed at the start of major tournaments regardless
of claimed experience. Judges are also tracked with regard to performance. We will not be going quite that far, the
multiple choice briefing guide is exactly what it says on the cover, a guide, not a test and you have access to this
before the tournament starts. We will though be asking you to declare that you have read the notes and the
judging guide, and also that you will abide by its letter and spirit. If you enter a room to judge, this will be taken as
a specific indication that you accept the judging protocols as laid down for WIDPSC 2015 HK. Those of you who feel
uncomfortable and do not wish to be part of this process will be free to watch the competition from inside the
rooms as an observer.
I would also state that we will not enter into late discussions about whether system A or system B is better, and
certainly not in briefing sessions. If you honestly believe that you have a better way of doing things, by all means
write it out and present it for consideration to the next host. Judge selection and training is not a last minute affair
and we have already been working on this process for a long time. It would be extremely detrimental to attempt
sudden and late changes. As host, we have had to make key decisions; as host, we have been asked in the build up
to this tournament to deal with perceived problems; as host, we have accepted this challenge. Almost all problems
raised have related in some way to the number and quality of judges available.
As such, for WIDPSC 2015 HK we will have a larger number of fully briefed judges than ever before. Practical
results of this larger number of judges include:
More judging rooms working in parallel
Smaller numbers of competitors in each room
Reserve judges
Shadowing by reserve judges to enhance training
Roy Allen
HKSD&PSC
Chief Adjudicators Panel
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
Preamble
We are seeking to establish the following as a priority:
a) sufficient judges
b) competent judging
c) consistent judging
We will achieve a) by mobilising a wide range of judges from multiple sectors in HK. To achieve b) and c), we need
to address the known problems and weaknesses of this and other competitions. The notes below will explain our
approach. There will be a multiple choice briefing guide at the end. This will have six sections. Judges should make
sure that they have read through and tried to answer the General Section, as well as the specific sections for the
events they will be judging. Coaches should read the whole document to enable them to be ready to judge any of
the five events.
The Rules
The following section gives the basic rules for each of the five events that will take place at WIDPSC 2015 HK. In
these rules, note that the term ballot sheet is equivalent to score sheet.
have stressed that any change to the application of the rules that goes against what is written in the notes must be
communicated in writing by CAP to all coaches. In practice, it is highly unlikely that such a situation will occur.
I will underline here that we are talking about changes to the application of the rules, not changes to the rules. That
is not the function of CAP.
And, the briefing sessions are not a forum for debate, they are a final check before proceedings begin. The guiding
principle for this tournament is to achieve consistency. No single briefing session will have all judges present. As
such, no decision can be taken that alters what has already been laid down in these notes, and no discussion of
such changes will be entertained at this point. Any suggestions should be made in writing and passed to CAP.
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
The possible changing of scores through the Panel has drawn the largest number of comments from the earlier
postings of these notes, and so I will expand on this for clarity and emphasis:
We are trying to make sure that all judges are following the same script. There is no such thing as a rogue score,
there are only mistakes and rogue judges. We are reducing the former as a matter of procedure, and removing the
latter wherever possible as a matter of principle. These aims can only be achieved through consistency and
transparency. Judging protocols that are not written, not applied consistently, and not applied with the knowledge
of those affected are unacceptable. Indeed, the notion that a score can be, in some way, corrected in the Tabbing
Room, without anyone present who was part of the actual judging process for that candidate is seriously flawed.
We are going as far as we can to retain the input of the individual judges themselves.
So, please take note:
the panel system as described employs a guiding range (10 points inclusive),
this prevents candidates being recorded as incompetent, average and/or expert by the same judging panel,
deals with extreme scores,
does so systematically for all candidates including the previously ignored possibility of incorrect or unfair high
scores,
recognizes the possibility that of three judges, two can have made errors of addition or weighting,
and most significantly, operates in the presence of the relevant judges: no score at WIDPSC 2015 HK will be
adjusted without the affected judge being part of that process, no score will be adjusted without the affected
judge being able to call on CAP to adjudicate, and
a very wide range of judges will be invited to take turns at chairing the panels we will not have an us and them
situation.
Choice of Chairpersons
The selection of Chairpersons is critical: these will be those with significant and relevant judging experience and
whom have shown that they fully understand the role. Indeed, we will be asking as many judges as possible
(subject to the above) to take the role of Chairperson in a room as the sessions, days and events pass.
Chairpersons will be chosen from other delegations, not only HK, so as to keep the process open, and any judge
who feels that a Chairperson is being unfair, can report this to CAP. This is an extremely important check on the
Panel system.
Room Managers & Time Keepers
The Room Managers and Time Keepers will be well-briefed on their roles and will have control of the room with
regard to starting and ending each session. They will do so by asking judges if they are ready and will have the
discretion to start a session without waiting for late candidates. They will also ask judges at certain points to check
their paper-work. They will remain in the rooms during the judges panel discussion, and they will remain in the
room until all ballots (score sheets) have been completed and cross-checked. The Room Manager is responsible for
taking the ballots to the Tabbing Room. No-one else will be allowed to look at them or handle them unless CAP are
called in.
The Room Manager will have ready access to reserve judges as well as CAP in the case of any problem arising from
missing judges or inappropriate requests. This includes calling CAP if a judge attempts to change the agreed
protocols for this tournament (it has happened before). The Room Managers represent our hosts and should be
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
treated with all due respect. Essentially, the aim of consistency will take precedence and all rooms will operate to
the same protocols and standards.
Room Managers will also be instructed to prevent spectators from entering or leaving a room between
performances. Spectators are encouraged and most welcome, but in the interest of fairness to the competitors,
they should arrive before the first performance and stay for the whole group.
Timekeeping
Timekeeping will be entirely in the hands of the Room Manager and his/her Team. Judges will not be asked to
write down times on the ballots, this will be done by the timekeeper when the ballots are collected and before
they leave the room. They will be cross-checked at this point for consistency.
Any relevant time penalties will be applied by the Tabbing Team. Our Tab Team are experienced and highly
efficient. We will run a minimum of four independent tabs for cross-checking.
The reasons for not asking judges to write these times on the ballots include: times are sometimes misheard and
written down wrongly.
Room Managers and Time Keepers will be instructed to give the relevant signals during a performance, and to
repeatedly ring their bell after the grace period has ended. The competitor will not be allowed to continue
speaking, and judges are instructed to ignore anything said from this point on.
Judges are free to consider whether the candidate has been less than well-organised or whether it is a simple
miscalculation. Judges are therefore free to exercise their discretion with regard to the mark for organisation. It
also means that for WIDPSC 2015 HK, while candidates will not be allowed to keep speaking freely after their grace
period, for those who cross that line there will be a clear time penalty applied in all such cases. We will not employ
a scale of penalties.
Judging Clashes
We have firm guidelines for judging clashes. We are lucky enough to have the resources in HK to apply this, but we
also recognise that not all hosts would be able to do so. The following is a mixture of what we can do and what
should be an acceptable minimum for the future:
No parents or chaperones will judge
No coach or manager will judge a competitor from their own country (see below)
Local judges designated independent can judge local competitors
Regarding coaches judging competitors from their own country. This has always been an awkward situation. I have
had numerous discussions with colleagues on this issue, and it has become clear that even though a competitor
and coach might come from different schools, an external coach could have seen or heard the competitor perform
a prepared piece before arriving at a WIDPSC tournament. In one case, a coach admitted to having already judged
a competitor in a qualifying tournament (Interpretive Reading). This is clearly undesirable and, because we have
sufficient judges, we are making it a hard clash rule that this will not be allowed in HK. A number of delegations
have asked us to put this in place.
The independent judges for HK will be cross-checked for relationships, school affiliations and prior
coaching/judging experience. We will hold ourselves to the highest possible standards.
The country rule will not apply in the case of, say, a Japanese student studying in HK. Japanese judges would be
allowed to judge him/her.
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
All judges will be encouraged and expected to give some feedback. The larger judging pool is enabling us to reduce
the number of competitors in each room. This in turn gives us more time for feedback. This must still be limited
but we would ask that each competitor be able to get feedback from at least one member of the judging panel. If,
say, there are six competitors with three judges the maths is easy; if there are seven competitors one judge can
surely take an extra.
The competition has many features that make it stand out. These moments where the competitors can be given
nuggets of wisdom are a particularly important part. Not everyone goes on to win, but all can take valuable
guidance away with them.
It is though important that a candidate not be crushed by a withering display of negatives, or treated to a virtuoso
display of what the judge would have done/said. The emphasis should be on constructive criticism give the
competitor something that they can take away and build on, do not only point out a glaring weakness. In effect,
imagine what sort of feedback you would be most likely to appreciate yourself.
Cultural Differences
There are a number of other issues that have arisen over the years that relate to cultural differences. For example,
some societies in this part of the world have tended to view the Common Law jurisdictions (UK, US, Australia,
Canada etc.) as places where the attorneys and barristers are no more than hired guns in other words, with
suspicion. And, some legal systems do not allow for such a role. The concept of who you would want arguing for
you in court is in these cases unnatural and inapplicable, but the ideal of a wise and fair judge has a long
tradition. It is therefore important that we try to ensure that judges from non-Common Law societies are also
given a clear way of determining whether a persuasive speaker should be deemed good, very good or excellent.
Inappropriate Content, Clothing or Behaviour
This is a rather sensitive area, but again one which needs to be addressed.
Content
We would ask coaches to exercise their discretion in guiding competitors on their choices and content. Some
topics are, by their nature, likely to cause offense. We cannot simply take the no-holds barred approach and let
everything run. We are always guests wherever we go, and guests have responsibilities. As a community, we are
prepared to say that making jokes about people at the tournament is wrong (a previous Executive ruling) so we
clearly accept some limits on speech. I would hope that a little thought could be given to being sensitive with
regard to the feelings of others where, say, a tragedy has occurred, is recent, and affected countries represented
at the tournament.
Clothing
We have also had to consider the problem of clothing with regard to possible exhibitionism. Again, we should be
able to deal with this at the coaching level.
We will be working and performing in three different schools, each of which has very clear guidelines that match
their founders principles. Two are aligned with the Anglican church, the other is Catholic. I would ask that we
respect their institutions and dress appropriately. There is obviously a grey area here, but we are asking coaches to
help in the first instance.
The Grand Finals in particular will be held in front of more than 1,500 people, all of whom will have been graciously
admitted to the splendid auditorium of the Diocesan Girls School. We would like this to be a memorable occasion
for all the right reasons.
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
I have seen flip flops and shorts at one major tournament (Cornell U.). The response of the organising committee
was to invoke a the Management reserves the right to refuse admission clause. It attracted an impromptu
performance on freedom of speech, well away from the audience, but the competitor was not allowed to
continue. Problem solved.
Behaviour
Much the same as the above. I hesitate to use the term Common Sense, as it defies definition, but there are things
which are obviously disrespectful, and we will be asking for cooperation.
Overall, and again in the interests of fairness, if something arises during a performance and a judge is unhappy, this
should be referred to CAP. The judge should continue to adjudicate as normal and not try to deal with the problem
by imposing unilateral penalties. There are questions in the MC guide that touch on these issues.
The Rules
The competition will comprise four categories, with competitors competing in all four. For one category, there is a
choice between speech formats;
competitors will perform twice for each category, and in front of different judging panels;
no competitor will be seen by a coach from their own country;
the prepared speeches (Persuasive Speaking and After Dinner Speaking) must be substantially original works
produced by the competitors themselves, and
these should not have been performed in open competition more than three months prior to WIDPSC 2015 HK. For
th
this purpose we will be using April 5 as the date for the start of the tournament;
no props are allowed, and
the performance will be judged with regard to verbal communication and not acting skills;
for all categories, judges must award marks according to the criteria listed on the ballot sheets judges are not
free to award bonus marks where they feel a candidate has done exceptionally well in a particular category, nor
can they ignore a category and shift the marks to something else;
time penalties will be given for speeches/readings that extend beyond the 15 seconds grace period;
a bell will be wrung repeatedly when the 15 seconds grace period is over and judges are instructed to ignore
anything said after this time; but
grace periods for the two speeches (6 minutes & 3 minutes) given by the First Speaker of each side in the debates
will NOT be added to determine time penalties;
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
the Room Manager and Time Keeper will ensure that correct times are written on each ballot, and
any such penalties that are awarded will be done so by the Tabbing team based on the recorded times. Judges do
not need to write down times or calculate penalties.
Judging will follow the guidelines as laid down in the WIDPSC 2015 HK Judges Briefing Guide and all active judges
will be expected to follow these guidelines. There will be no exceptions.
2) Interpretive Reading
The competitor will read a passage or some poetry of their own choosing, lasting between 7 and 11 minutes;
the material should have some literary merit, and not be their own writing; but
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
the choice of passage/poetry should not be judged only the quality of the reading performance;
the competitor must give an introduction to their chosen piece of up to one minute in length;
this can be given anywhere during the performance, and
the competitor is free to decide what information would best help the judges and audience to connect with the
reading he/she does not have to state why the passage was chosen;
the passage/poetry should be read from print, and not be a fully memorized recital;
editing to prepare the passage for the requirements of reading and time constraints is allowed;
judges are asked to leave personal preferences for authors, genres and voices to one side and concentrate on how
well the competitor communicates their understanding of the authors intentions.
3. Impromptu Speaking
Competitors will be asked to draw, at random, selections of three unseen topics, they will then be given two
minutes preparation time before speaking for between 3 and 5 minutes on the topic of their choice from the three;
the topics will comprise a word or noun phrase, a short statement, proverb or aphorism, and a quotation;
the competitor may make notes during the two minutes preparation but must leave all writing on their desk when
they come to perform; but
they may keep hold of the original topic list;
the speech must be impromptu, and not memorized;
it must not be plagiarized from other candidates or from their own Persuasive/After Dinner speech;
it can be delivered in any style or format, and can range from serious to humorous;
the topic can be identified at any point in the speech, either explicitly or implicitly, and judges can ask to see the
original slip of paper at the end of the performance.
4. Debating
Competitors will be paired off at random with someone from a different country and asked to form a team to take
part in an impromptu debate;
at the start of the preparation phase, one team will be asked to call heads or tails in a coin toss, and the winning
side will choose the motion from a list of two, unseen motions;
the losing side will then choose whether they want to Propose or Oppose;
the teams should then spend a short time agreeing on key definitions;
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
the definitions should be written down and signed by both teams, this will then be given to the Room Manager in
case of any later definitional challenges;
the whole of the preparation time, starting from the coin toss, is 45 minutes, and teams are advised to use this time
wisely;
no reference materials will be allowed in the preparation rooms, and no electronic devices may be used to access
notes or the internet etc.;
teams must decide among themselves as to who will speak first or second;
the speaking times and order of speaking are:
1. First Speaker Proposition 6 minutes
2. First Speaker Opposition 6 minutes
3. Second Speaker Proposition 9 minutes
4. Second Speaker Opposition 9 minutes
5. First Speaker Opposition 3 minutes
6. First Speaker Proposition 3 minutes
Points of Information (POIs) should be offered by all speakers at relevant times in the debate, and speakers are
expected to accept at least one;
there will be protected time for the first and last minute of the 6 and 9 minute speeches, no POIs can be offered
during this time;
no POIs can be offered in the 3 minute speeches;
barracking (repeated and aggressive attempts to ask POIs) is strongly discouraged and judges are asked to take
note of this, both the effect on the speaker and the disruption caused by those making the challenges;
if a team wishes to make a definitional challenge, they must appeal to the judges who will then be given access to
any written definition by the Room Manager, who will stop clock at this point. If there is no written definition, there
can be no appeal;
if an appeal is upheld, the judges will take this into consideration, but
whatever the result, the debate will then be restarted and completed;
competitors may use any style of debating that they choose and judges must not reward or penalize on the basis of
preferred styles; and
as a result of this, teams may use any recognized form of address to refer to their partners, the opposition or the
judges, as long as this is polite, but
competitors should not refer to each other by name;
above all else: competitors should be judged on the basis of their overall contribution to the debate including POIs
offered after their own speeches have ended. For this reason, scoring should not be confirmed until after the whole
debate has ended; and
which side is deemed to have won the debate is completely irrelevant for judging purposes, and
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
Some questions in the guide focus more on knowledge than others, and some draw attention to principles and
emphasis, but none will be pure tests of knowledge. So, the questions are of the form:
When the First speaker for the Proposition side does not present the case you had in mind for a particular motion,
you should
a)
b)
c)
d)
ignore your own thoughts and concentrate on how well the case is presented and engaged with
consider how well the case is presented but downgrade for content
wait for the feedback and then demonstrate your preferred case
give extra credit to Opposition if they pull the debate back to what was expected
The main point being that by having something in writing to work from the persons presenting at the live briefings
can be much more focused on the issues that remain. The full set of Multiple Choice questions follows these notes.
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
The Questions
The following guide comes in five sections with 65 items in total, the first section is general and should be reviewed
by all judges. The remaining four sections should be read according to which events you will judge. If you are
chosen to judge in the Finals and/or Grand Finals, you should read any remaining sections.
The questions are given below. A separate document contains highlighted answers together with explanatory
notes. These answers and notes will be sent in due course, and will be up-loaded to our website as well.
a)
b)
c)
d)
yes
not if the total score is given clearly
only if the total is not written
only if there is a problem with a performance
2.
a)
b)
c)
d)
3.
Should judges go back and consider adjusting their scores after all candidates have been heard?
a)
b)
c)
d)
4.
a)
b)
c)
d)
5.
Should judges consider what they themselves would have done with a particular topic, passage or motion
when scoring?
a)
b)
c)
d)
yes, this is where the individuality of each judge becomes part of the whole process
if they feel that the candidate has missed an opportunity
no
if they had expected a particular approach
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version will be accepted as correct.
6.
I & II
I & III
II & III
I, II & III
7.
The range for scores is fixed at 60-100. Should judges be prepared to use the whole range?
a)
b)
c)
d)
8.
yes
no
not in the same room
not in the same event
Can judges tell Room Managers what to do?
a)
b)
c)
d)
no
yes, it is part of their role
if the Room Manager has made a clear mistake
only before the session begins
9.
a)
b)
c)
d)
10. If a prospective judge takes the attitude, I dont care, Im a Martian. Ive never done it that way before.
a)
b)
c)
d)
I & II
I & III
II & III
I, II & III
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
12. Following Question 11., the proportion of speaking time given to the problem and the solution should be
approximately
a)
b)
c)
d)
50:50
70:30
40:60
no restriction
I & II
I & III
II & III
I, II & III
If a judge does not appreciate the choice of problem, he/she should
a)
b)
c)
d)
15. Bigger problems and/or more comprehensive solutions deserve higher scores
a)
b)
c)
d)
16. Problems that contain a link to the candidate and her/his culture should be given special merit
a)
b)
c)
d)
yes
no
in small amounts
only if the speech is about an amusing topic
18. Speeches with more solutions to a problem are better than those with just one or two
a)
b)
c)
d)
in general, yes
in general, no
yes if the solutions are linked
no
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
yes
no
part of it must be
not all of it, there must be a balance
yes, freely
yes, but only if these do not turn the performance into acting
no
only if what is used is in keeping with the chosen character
no
yes, but they must all relate to one theme
only if the jokes are relevant to the audience
yes, as long as they are sensitive with regard to beliefs and cultures
22. Can the candidate make jokes about the people at the tournament?
a)
b)
c)
d)
yes
yes, but not for the whole speech
yes, if the character has a recognised personality
no
yes
yes, but only with general comments, such as, Thank you, thank you
yes, as long as this does not turn into an imagined dialogue
no
25. The speaker must announce who she/he is, and also, who and what the dinner is for
a)
b)
c)
d)
yes
this is necessary but can be explicit or implied
no, because the imaginary audience would already know all of this
not unless the content of the speech required such identification
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
26. If a judge thinks another person in the room could be offended by the nature of a joke, they should
a)
b)
c)
d)
a)
b)
c)
d)
yes
no
only for the content mark
only as a tie-breaker if two or more readers achieve the same total score
29. The judge should not compare the readers performance with known films/recordings
a) yes
b) no
30. I do not like dialogue, so I marked you down. This represents a judge who is
I) biased
II) honest
III) judging the passage, not the interpretation
a)
b)
c)
d)
I & II
I & III
II & III
I, II & III
not necessarily
often
usually
yes
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
32. A reading from complex literature should, on average, be given higher marks than a simpler reading
a)
b)
c)
d)
yes
if two speakers have done equally well in all other respects
no
if the choice is well-justified
yes, because the reader is given more freedom with pacing and stress patterns
no, it all depends on how well the reader interprets the materials
yes because passages are easier to edit and fit into the time constraints
yes, because poetry often needs multiple readings before it opens out
34. I can never really listen to Mr Darcy being spoken by a woman. This is a reference to a reading from
Pride & Prejudice. What is the issue for a judge here?
a)
b)
c)
d)
yes
any format, yes, but memorised speeches are permissible if relevant
no, the format has to follow agreed guidelines
no, there must be a formal introduction, followed by signposting, a development phase, examples and a
closing reflection
yes
this is only relevant to speakers and speeches delivered in the same room
this is not a problem, the Impromptu format allows the speaker to use anything they feel is relevant
plagiarism, yes, but self-plagiarism is acceptable
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
yes, and these nearly always get a better reaction from the judges
there should be some humour to show that the speaker can connect with his/her audience
this is only true where the topic is whimsical to start with
no, these speeches can be amusing, serious or anything in between
no
yes
yes, but it can be given implicitly
it is unnecessary
a)
b)
c)
d)
yes
no, the speaker can adopt a character
as long as the speech is primarily from the speakers perspective, some use of character is acceptable
only if the character is the topic, such as Batman
not possible because the topics for each round are different
of course, this is impromptu
if a speech was successful, the speaker is free to re-use the content but must present it in a fresh way
if the speaker has very similar topics in both rounds, he/she should inform the Room Manager as soon as
the topics are drawn
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
Debating (44-65)
This section is longer because of the complexity of having four speakers interacting.
44. Which is the best style to use for the debate?
a)
b)
c)
d)
British Parliamentary
World Schools
Policy Debating
no style is necessarily the best
46. Should judges focus on the progress of the debate or the individual performances within the debate?
a)
b)
c)
d)
47. What should be done if a First Speaker uses all of his/her Second Speakers material in the opening
speech?
a)
b)
c)
d)
48. Can the First Speaker of the Proposition rebut in his/her closing speech?
a)
b)
c)
d)
49. Can the First Speaker use different styles for his/her opening and closing speeches?
a)
b)
c)
d)
yes, no restrictions
yes, but the difference should not be large
no, it is always wrong
not if the Opposing team have challenged the case
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
50. If a Second Speaker follows the structure and signposting as laid down by his/her own First Speaker, who
should get the credit?
a)
b)
c)
d)
51. If a Second Speaker fails to follow the structure and signposting as laid down by his/her own First Speaker,
who should get the blame?
a)
b)
c)
d)
no-one, but take note and wait to see how the Opposing team deal with this
penalise the Second Speaker for poor teamwork
penalise the First Speaker for giving the wrong directions
take no special action unless it is clear why this happened
yes
no
only if the definition has been written down
only if there is a major deviation from the definition
54. Are both members of the listening team expected to offer POIs while the other team is speaking?
a)
b)
c)
d)
yes
no, but at least one must offer them
if only one offers, he/she must offer at least two POIs
POIs are encouraged but should not be asked just for the sake of maintaining numbers
yes
no
yes if the debate is a policy debate
only if the debate is based on principles
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
57. How should judges deal with barracking (over-zealous offering of POIs)?
a)
b)
c)
d)
58. How should a speaker be judged if they fail to give any rebuttal at all?
a)
b)
c)
d)
59. How much credit should be given to a Second Speaker who sets up his/her own First Speaker for a clear
final speech?
a)
b)
c)
d)
a lot of credit
it is the Final Speaker who finishes the debate and, as such, should get all the credit for what they say
this credit should be shared
nothing that another speaker says should impact the marks of any given speaker in the debate
of course
if there are many of them and they interrupt the logic
yes, especially if the speaker has deliberately altered facts
not at all
62. Should judges measure cases against their own idea of how the debate should have gone?
a)
b)
c)
d)
63. Should debates be judged by listing points on both sides and seeing which side has the most items still
unchallenged?
a)
b)
c)
d)
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.
no particular factor
content
look at the marks awarded for each category on the ballot sheet (score sheet)
style
65. Does the First Speaker have their times from both grace periods added to see whether a penalty should
be added?
a)
b)
c)
d)
The official version of this document is displayed on the HKSD&PSC Ltd website (www.hksdpsc.com). No other
version will be accepted as correct.