RULES AND GUIDELINES

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBATE COMPETITION

RULES AND GUIDELINES

1.0

Format
1.1

A team representing a cohort consists of 3 main debaters and 2

reserves.

1.2

The proposition team is known as the Affirmative or the Government

while the opposition team is known as the Negative or Opposition.

1.3

Allocation of time and speaking order:

TUR
N

AFFIRMATIVE

TUR
N

NEGATIVE

TIME

1st Speaker

1st Speaker

8 minutes

2nd Speaker

2nd Speaker

8 minutes

3rd Speaker

3rd Speaker

8 minutes

Reply Speech

Reply Speech

4 minutes

1st / 2nd Affirmative

1st / 2nd Negative

2.4

The third debater from both teams shall not introduce any new
arguments. Their role is mainly to rebut.

2.5

While the debater is speaking, the opposition team can offer Point(s)
of Information (formal interjections). The debater may accept or decline
it.

2.6

4.0

After all the debaters have spoken once, the 1 st or 2nd debater of each
side gives a reply speech with the Negatives Reply Speech being
delivered first followed by the Affirmative.

Adjudication
4.1

A panel of at least 3 or 5 adjudicators will be appointed for all the

rounds at all levels. The final debate at the national level will be
adjudicated by a panel of 5 adjudicators, appointed by the Division of
Co-curriculum and Arts, Ministry of Education.

4.2

Experienced adjudicators should be appointed and briefed on the

rules of adjudication at least an hour before the debate.

4.3

Adjudicators should not adjudicate the team from their own schools /
districts / states unless there are no adjudicators available.

4.4

Points will be allocated according to the scoresheet.

4.5

The debate will be won by the team which scores a majority of votes
from the adjudicators on the panel. Scores awarded by adjudicators
are not to be added together to decide the winner. Adjudicators
decide the winner of the debate independently.

4.6

Immediately after a debate, the Speaker will collect the result slip from
the Chief Adjudicator. There should be no discussions among the
adjudicators when deciding the winner of the debate.

4.7

Once the scoresheets have been handed in, the adjudicators shall
meet and confer to decide on the Best Debater. They shall refer to the
adjudicators comment sheets to decide on the winner.

4.8

Individual marks will not be disclosed.

4.9

Prizes

4.9.1 Plaques and certificates of achievement will be awarded to the

winning teams.
4.9.2 Certificates of participation will be awarded to all participating
teams.
5.0

Procedure of Debate
5.1

The Debate Process

5.1.1 The debate topics will be given to the competing teams 2 weeks
before the competition.
5.1.2 The teams will draw the stand ONE hour before a debate
commences.
5.1.3 The draw should take place as scheduled.
5.1.4 Any team that is late would have to inform the organisers within
5 minutes of the scheduled time, failure of which, the team
already present will be allowed to draw and quarantine time will
commence. A grace period of not more than 30 minutes will be
given to the team that is late after which quarantine time
commences.
5.1.5 A team which is late (more than 5 minutes without information
on their whereabouts) would automatically take on the other
position contrary to what the team already present has drawn.
The time for quarantine commences.
5.1.6 The team will then be quarantined in their quarantine rooms for
ONE hour to prepare for the debate. The quarantine officers
must be in the room with the team.
5.1.7 Only the team members competing (3 main debaters and 2
reserves) will be allowed in the quarantine room. The team
members should not be in contact with any unauthorized
personnel.
5.1.8 The team is allowed to use their own printed reference materials
in the quarantine room. No electronic gadgets are allowed.
5.1.9 Teams are required to be seated at the debate venue(s) 5
minutes before the debate commences.
5.1.10 If any one team fails to show up 5 minutes after the quarantine
time, the team will be disqualified. A walk over will be awarded to
the team that is present.
5.1.11 Marks will be deducted under strategy if there is prompting
from any individual other than the debaters during the
quarantine time and the debate competition.
5.2

The Role of the Chairperson / Speaker

5.2.1 Each team will be chaired by a Chairperson who will be
addressed as Mr. Speaker or Madam Speaker.

5.2.2 The Speaker is responsible for the smooth running of the

debate.
5.2.3 The Speaker will read out the rules of the debate and then
proceed to introduce the timekeeper, adjudicators and debaters.
5.2.4 The Speaker must refrain from making any comments
concerning the debate or debaters during the debate.
5.2.5 The Speaker must ensure that the adjudicators be given enough
time to fill in their marks and wait for the signal from the Chief
Adjudicator before the next debater is called.
5.3

The Role of the Timekeeper

5.3.1 The Timekeeper must ensure that each debater is given 8
minutes to deliver his or her speech.
5.3.2 The Timekeeper will ring the bell once after the 1 st minute and at
the end of the 7th minute to signal the time allocated for Points of
Information. At the end of the 8th minute, the bell will be rung
twice. (Placards may be used by the timekeeper to indicate the
remaining time left, at intervals of one minute.)
5.3.3 A maximum time of 3 minutes will be given to both teams to
prepare for the Reply Speech.
5.3.4 During the Reply Speech, the Timekeeper will ring the bell once
at the 3rd minute to signal that the debater has 1 minute left. At
the end of the 4th minute, the bell will be rung twice to signal the
end of the debate.

6.0

Points of Information
6.1

A Point of Information is a formal interjection. It can be:

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.

a question
a remark
a clarification
a correction of word(s) or statement(s).

6.2

A Point of Information may be offered by a member of the opposing

team from the 2nd minute to the 7th minute of the time allocated to the
debater. Points of Information are not allowed during the 1 st and final
minutes of the speech. A bell will be rung to signal the beginning and
the end of the time allocated for Points of Information.

6.3

A time limit of 15 seconds is allowed for each Point of Information.

Therefore, the Points of Information put forth must be concise.

6.4

No heckling or harassment or barracking is allowed at any time during

the debate.

6.5

Giving and taking Points of Information should be done politely. A

debater is required to raise his or her hand and to stand when putting
forth a Point of Information. Rude, abusive or aggressive behaviour in
both instances will lead to a reduction of marks from the STYLE
section.

6.6

A debater may either accept the Point of Information or decline it. If

accepted, the opponent may make a short point or ask a question that
deals with some issues of the debate (preferably one just made by the
debater).

6.7

A debater MUST give or take at least 2 Points of Information during the

course of the debate.
6.7.1 A debater who does not offer the minimum number of Points of
Information will be marked down for SUBSTANCE and
STRATEGY.
6.7.1.1

Substance for
opportunities

failing

to

take

advantage

of

6.7.1.2

Strategy for failing to understand the role of the

debater under this style

6.7.2 A debater who fails to accept any Points of Information would be

marked down for SUBSTANCE AND STRATEGY.
5

6.7.2.1
6.7.2.2

Substance for failing to allow the other side to make

their point
Strategy for not understanding the role of the debater
under this style or cowardice in not accepting a
challenge

6.8

No Points of Information may be offered during the Reply Speeches.

6.9

The Etiquette of presenting Points of Information (POI)

6.9.1 A Point of Information is offered by standing and saying Point of
Information or something similar. The debater on the floor is not
obliged to accept every point. He or she may
6.9.1.1

Ask the interrupter to sit down

6.9.1.2

Finish the sentence and then accept the point

6.9.1.3

Accept the point there and then.

REFERENCE FOR THE SCORESHEET

1.0

Marks are awarded to each debater according to:

SUBSTANCE
STRATEGY
LANGUAGE
STYLE

1.1

SUBSTANCE
1.1.1 Substance covers the arguments that are used and are divorced from
the speaking style. It is as if you are seeing the arguments written
down rather than spoken. You must assess the weight of the
arguments without being influenced by the magnificence of the orator
who presented them.
1.1.2 Substance also includes an assessment of the weight of the rebuttal or
clash. This assessment must be done from the standpoint of the
average reasonable person.
1.1.3 The adjudicators job is to assess the strength of an argument
regardless of whether the other team is able to knock it down. If a team
introduces weak arguments, it will not score highly in substance, even
if the other team does not refute. Two consequences flow from these.
1.1.4 First, if a major argument is plainly weak, an opposing team which
does not refute may well have committed greater sin than the team
which introduced it. In effect, the team has led the other team to get
away with a weak argument. This is not an automatic rule but it is true
in many cases. Of course, it must be a major argument, not a minor
example which the opposing team correctly chooses to ignore in favour
of attacking more significant points.
1.1.5 Second, adjudicators have to be careful not to be influenced by their
own beliefs or their own specialized knowledge. For example, if you are
a lawyer and you know that a teams argument was debunked by the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) last week, you should probably not
take into account this special knowledge unless the ICJs decision was
a matter of extreme public notoriety.

1.2 STRATEGY
1.2.1 Strategy requires some attention. It covers two concepts:
1.2.1.1

the structure and timing of the speech and

1.2.1.2

whether the debater understood the issues of the debate.

1.2.2 Structure
A good speech has a clear beginning, middle and end. Along the way,
there are signposts to help us see where the debater is going. The
sequence of arguments is logical and flows naturally from point to
point. This is true of the first debater outlining the Governments case
as it is of the third debater rebutting the Governments case. Good
speech structure, therefore, is one component of the strategy.
1.2.3 Timing is also important, but it must not be taken to extremes. There
are two aspects of timing:
1.2.3.1
1.2.3.2

speaking within the allowed time limit and

giving an appropriate amount of time to the issues in the
speech

1.2.4 A debater ought to give priority to important issues and leave

unimportant ones to later. It is generally a good idea to rebut or begin
with an attack on the other side by subsequent debaters before going
on to the debaters own case. This is because it is more logical to get
rid of the opposing arguments first before trying to put something in its
place.
1.2.5 So, the adjudicator must weigh not only the strength of the arguments
in the SUBSTANCE category, but also the proper time and priority
given in the STRATEGY category.
1.2.6 Understanding the Issues
Closely related to the last point is that the debater should understand
what the important issues were in the debate. It is a waste of time for a
rebuttal speaker to deal with points if crucial arguments are left
unanswered. Such a speaker would not understand the important
issues of the debate and should not score well in Strategy. By contrast,
a speaker who understood what the issues were and dealt with them
thoroughly should score well in Strategy.
1.2.7 It is very important that adjudicators understand the difference between
Strategy and Substance. Imagine a debate where a debater answers
critical issues with some weak rebuttal. This debater should get poor

marks for Substance because the rebuttal was weak but the debater
should get reasonable marks for Strategy because the right arguments
were being addressed.
8

1.3

LANGUAGE
1.3.1 Language refers to using appropriate expressions containing correct
sentence structures and grammar.
1.3.2

It also covers pronunciation, fluency, rhythm, intonation and clarity of

speech. Of course, English being a foreign language here, adjudicators
should not be looking for Queens English in our debaters, but any
expression which is mumbled or not clearly understood should not
merit high marks in the Language section.

1.3.3 On the other hand, any good language expression, including the use of
figures of speech, idioms, etc. appropriate and apt to the occasion,
may merit positive marks for Language.

1.4

STYLE
1.4.1 The term is rather misleading. Adjudicators are not looking for debaters
who are stylish.
1.4.2 Style covers the way the debaters speak. This can be noted in many
ways, in funny accents, body language (movement, poise, meaningful
gestures and eye contact) and with the use of specific terminology. Be
tolerant of different ways of presenting arguments.
1.4.3 Use of palm cards and notes are allowed and should not be penalised,
unless a debater is reading from them heavily.
1.4.4 Be tolerant of speaking styles and speed of delivery. Penalise only
when a debaters style has gone beyond what everyone would expect.

2.0

REBUTTAL

2.1

The use of general cases has consequences for rebuttal or clash. The
Opposition team cannot concentrate on attacking the examples used by the
Government. The examples might be weak but the central case might still be
sound. Instead, the team will have to concentrate on that case because that is
where the debate actually is.

2.2

There is another consequence for rebuttal. It may be that a team has used a
number of examples to illustrate the same point. If they can all be disposed off
by the same piece of rebuttal, the rebutting team does not have to attack each
of the examples individually as well.
9

3.0

THE REPLY SPEECH

3.1

The thematic approach to argument outlined above becomes critical in the

Reply Speeches. These have been described as an adjudication from our
side and really amount to an overview of the major issues in the debate.

3.2

A Reply speaker does not have time to deal with small arguments or individual
examples. The debater must deal with the two or three major issues in the
debate in global terms, showing how they favour the debaters team and work
against the opposing team. As a general rule, a Reply speaker who descends
to the level of dealing with individual examples probably does not understand
either the issues of the debate or the principles of good arguments.

4.0

POINTS OF INFORMATION

4.1

A Point of Information is offered in the course of speech by a member of the

opposing team. The debater may either accept or decline. If accepted, the
opponent may make a short point or ask a question that deals with some
issues in the debate (preferably one just made by the debater). It is a formal
interjection.

4.2

Points of Information bring about a major change in the role of the debaters in
a debate. In this style, each debater must take part from beginning to end, not
just during their own speech.

4.3

The debaters play this role by offering Points of Information. Even if the points
are not accepted, they must still demonstrate that they are involved in the
debate by at least offering. A debater who takes no part in the debate other
than by making a speech would be marked down for Substance and Strategy.

LIST OF EXPRESSIONS TO REQUEST, ACCEPT OR DECLINE

POINTS OF INFORMATION

TO REQUEST
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.

Point of Information, please.

Point of Information.
P.O.I. please.
P.O.I
Point.

TO ACCEPT
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
TO DECLINE
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.

Yes.
Yes, please.
Yes, Sir / Miss.
Please.
Please go ahead.
Yes, accepted.

No, thank you.

No, thanks.
Denied.
Sorry, Sir / Miss.
Sorry.

If the opponent (during his / her Point (s) of information) is taking too much of your
time, you can ask him / her to sit down if he / she has exceeded the 15 seconds time
limit.
You may use these expressions:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.

Please sit down, Sir / Miss. You are taking too much of my time.
You are taking too much of my time. Please sit down.
Kindly sit down. You have exceeded the time limit for POI.
Your time limit is up.

*** Please note that it is of utmost importance that debaters be polite at all times
during the course of the debate especially when accepting or declining Point(s) of
Information.

11

GLOSSARY

1.

adjudicator

a person called to judge a debate to determine the winner

2.

barracking

to criticize loudly, shout or jeer against a team or debater

3.

case line

please refer to Stand

4.

clarification

to seek further information or explanation on matters

5.

comment sheet-

a sheet where the adjudicators write his / her comments

during the proceedings of the debate

6.

confer

to discuss and come to a consensus decision

7.

electronic gadgets- electrical items such as computers, handphones, radios,

MP3, digital media players, etc.

8.

harassment -

to trouble, torment or confuse by continual persistent

attacks, questions, etc.

9.

heckling

to interrupt by taunts

10.

majority vote -

the winner is determined by the number of votes given to

the winning team

11.

marked down -

please refer to the reduction of marks

12.

point(s) of
information

a formal interjection where the opposing team can ask

questions, clarify, make a remark or correct a word or
statement

13.

rebuttal

to refute or disprove the opponents arguments by

offering contrary contentions or arguments

14.

reply speech -

15.

reduction of marks- in Parliamentary Style Debate marks are not deducted

from a teams or individuals marks but are reduced

16.

Speaker

a person who chairs a debate and ensures the smooth

running of the proceedings

17.

stand

from which angle the team is going to argue the case

18.

strategy

how each team member work together to argue the case

19.

substance

the arguments presented during the debate

an arena where a debater will sum up the teams

arguments and then rebut the opposing teams major
arguments brought up during the debate

12

ADJUDICATION
FORMS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBATE COMPETITION

TIMING
Role
1st Government
1st Opposition
2nd Government
2nd Opposition
3rd Government
3rd Opposition
Reply Speech
(Opposition)
Reply Speech
(Government)
Timekeepers Name
Signature
Date

Time

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBATE COMPETITION

GOVERNMENT

TEAM :
ADJUDICATORS SCORESHEET

CLASS:

ROLE
NAME

MOTION :

NAME
FIRST GOVERNMENT
MARKS

SECOND GOVERNMENT

THIRD GOVERNMENT

REPLY SPEECH

26-30

21-25

16-20

11-15

6-10

26-30

21-25

16-20

11-15

6-10

26-30

21-25

16-20

11-15

6-10

14-15

12-13

10-11

8-9

6-7

18-20

15-17

12-14

9-11

6-8

18-20

15-17

12-14

9-11

6-8

18-20

15-17

12-14

9-11

6-8

9-10

7-8

5-6

86100

70-85

5669

4055

2439

86100

7085

5669

4055

2439

86-100

70-85

5669

4055

2439

45-50

3644

3035

2429

18-23

SUBSTANCE
(30)
STRATEGY
(30)

MARKS
LANGUAGE
(20)
STYLE
(20)
TOTAL (100)

GRAND TOTAL :
GOVERNMENT/OPPOSITION

WINNING TEAM :

ADJUDICATORS NAME :
ADJUDICATORS SIGNATURE :

DATE :

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBATE COMPETITION

TEAM :
OPPOSITION

CLASS:

ROLE
NAME

ADJUDICATORS SCORESHEET

MOTION:

NAME
FIRST OPPOSITION
MARKS

SECOND OPPOSITION

THIRD OPPOSITION

REPLY SPEECH

26-30

21-25

16-20

11-15

6-10

26-30

21-25

16-20

11-15

6-10

26-30

21-25

16-20

11-15

6-10

14-15

12-13

10-11

8-9

6-7

18-20

15-17

12-14

9-11

6-8

18-20

15-17

12-14

9-11

6-8

18-20

15-17

12-14

9-11

6-8

9-10

7-8

5-6

86100

70-85

5669

4055

2439

86100

7085

5669

4055

2439

86-100

70-85

5669

4055

2439

45-50

3644

3035

2429

18-23

SUBSTANCE
(30)
STRATEGY
(30)

MARKS
LANGUAGE
(20)
STYLE
(20)
TOTAL (100)

GRAND TOTAL :
GOVERNMENT/OPPOSITION

WINNING TEAM :

ADJUDICATORS NAME :
ADJUDICATORS SIGNATURE :

DATE :

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBATE COMPETITION

YEAR : 2014
REPLY SPEECH
OPPOSITION

GOVERNMENT

REBUTTAL

REBUTTAL

SUMMARY

SUMMARY

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBATE COMPETITION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

ADJUDICATORS NOTES
1ST GOVERNMENT

1ST OPPOSITION

2ND GOVERNMENT

2ND OPPOSITION

3RD GOVERNMENT

3RD OPPOSITION

NAME :

NAME :

NAME :

NAME :

NAME :

NAME :

POI (INTERJECTED)

POI (INTERJECTED)

POI (INTERJECTED)

POI (INTERJECTED)

POI (INTERJECTED)

POI(INTERJECTED)

POI (ANSWERED)

POI (ANSWERED)

POI (ANSWERED)

POI (ANSWERED)

POI (ANSWERED)

POI(ANSWERED)

Definition:

Defn Agree/Refute
New Definition :

Defn Agree/Refute
Redefine :

Rebut 2nd
Government :

Rebut 2nd
Opposition :

Rebut 3rd
Government :

Rebut 1st Opposition :

Rebut 2nd Government

:

Rebut 1st
Government
Specify Stand :

Specify Stand :

Rebut 1st Opposition :

Rebut 1st
Government :

Specify Role :

Specify Role :

Argument 2 :

Argument 2 :

Argument 1 :

Argument 1 :

Argument 3 :

Argument 3 :

Reaffirm case :

Reaffirm case :

Reaffirm case :

Reaffirm case :

POI

POI

POI

POI

Rebut 1st Government

:

Reaffirm Case :

Reaffirm Case :

POI

IP

ELABORATIONS ON ASPECTS OF ADJUDICATION

1.

SUBSTANCE

2.

STRATEGY

3.

Covers structure and time

Good speech has beginning, middle and ending
Speaking within the time limit
Appropriate amount of time given to issues in the speech
Focus of rebuttal mainly on main issues presented in the debate
Critical issues with weak rebuttal would mean lower score for SUBSTANCE but reasonable marks may be
awarded for STRATEGY because the right arguments were addressed

LANGUAGE

4.

Arguments divorced from speaking style

Assess weight of rebuttal
Assess points of argument
Assess weight of argument without influence of oratory

Appropriate expression
Correct sentence structure and grammar
Pronunciation, fluency, rhythm, intonation and clarity
Good language and expression appropriately used e.g. idioms and figures of speech

STYLE

Presentation on the way the debaters speak include body language, eye contact and voice modulation. (Be tolerant of
speaking style and speed of delivery)

RESULTS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBATE COMPETITION

RESULT (Adjudicators vote)

WINNING TEAM

TEAM

: GOVERNMENT / OPPOSITION

Chief Adjudicators Signature

_____________________________
(

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBATE COMPETITION

VOTING

BEST DEBATER

DEBATER

Adjudicator
1

Adjudicator 2

Name

Adjudicator 3

Signature

Chief Adjudicator : ..

..

Adjudicator 1

: ..

..

Adjudicator 2

: ..

..

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBATE COMPETITION

RESULT

BEST DEBATER
TEAM

GOVERNMENT / OPPOSITION

NAME

_________________________

CLASS

_________________________

CHIEF ADJUDICATOR
SIGNATURE : ________________________
(