Updated Sep.

19, 2018

BEST OFFICIAL WORLD SCHOOLS DEBATE RULES

Adapted from official World Schools Debate Championship Rules
*Please read this entire document thoroughly.

CONTENTS
I. Basics
II. Acceptable Team Structure
III. Format Information
IV. Speakers/Order
● Speaking Order and Speaker Times
● Speaking Responsibilities
V. Points of Information
VI. Judges
VII. Adjudication
VIII. Marking Standards
IX. Motions
X. Language
XI. Abusive Behavior During a Debate Round
XII. Acceptable Observer Behavior During Round
XIII. Research/Internet Use/Outside Help
XIV. Other Resources

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I. Basics

1. Debate: ​In a debate, two teams of three ​speakers​ each, debate each other on a motion
where one team, the Proposition, is in favour of the ​motion​, and the other team, the
Opposition, is against the motion.
2. Speakers:​​ Each team member has a specific role in the debate, where they stand up
and deliver their speech (more on that in S ​ ection IV​ below).
3. Motion: ​The topic of the debate, phrased as a policy, resolution, or stance. ​E.g. “This
house believes that the UN has failed”.​ All motions need to be ​defined​.
4. Definition:​​ The Proposition team defines the motion and clarifies the scope of the
debate, ​e.g. “We interpret failure to do something as not having done it in the way it set
out to”.​ The Opposition has the right to challenge the definition. Each team’s ​case​ must
adhere to the definition of the motion.
5. Case: ​The specific stance a team takes in order to prove their side wins the debate. The
Proposition builds a case why the motion holds, while the Opposition builds a case why it
does not hold. A case should be constantly reaffirmed throughout the team’s speeches
through a ​caseline​, ​e.g. “We believe the UN has failed because it has not been as
effective as it could have been”​. The first speaker must list the ​burden of proof​ and ​case
division​ for their team.
6. Burden of proof: ​The metric (or metrics) that a team sets in their first speech that is
used to gauge whether they win the debate, ​e.g. “If we can prove that the UN did not
save as many lives as it could have, then the motion stands”​. Please note that the
burden of proof does not always need to be a literal, quantifiable metric. “​The world
would be better in X and Y way”​ is also a perfectly valid burden of proof.
7. Case division: ​The first speaker of every team lists the roles of each speaker in building
their case, e.g.​ “In my speech I will talk about X, and then I will talk about Y. Our second
speaker will talk about Z”​ . X, Y, and Z are the ​arguments​ that each team has in order to
prove their case. You are allowed to have more than three arguments.
8. Argument:​​ A supported claim which serves to help prove your case. An argument in
World Schools Debate is usually built up of four parts:
a. Claim: ​An assertion, what you set out to prove. ​E.g. “The UN has been
ineffective at making good decisions.”
b. Reasoning​​: Analysis of the claim, which aims to explain why exactly it is true,
and not just a claim.
c. Evidence:​​ In order to prove an argument, a speaker needs to provide credible
evidence which may include a mix of facts, statistics, studies; but it may also
have real-life examples, anecdotes, analogies, and personal experience.
d. Linkage: ​A short callback to the burden of proof or the caseline, explaining what
exactly this argument’s role is in the team’s case, ​e.g. “Due to this indecision or
these bad decisions, the UN has not saved as many lives as it could”.

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9. Engagement: ​Clearly addressing the other team’s case and arguments in your
speeches in order to establish ​clash points​. In order to win a debate, a team does not
only have to prove its own case, it also has to prove that the opposition case and
arguments are flawed or carry less weight. This can be done in one of three ways:
a. Rebuttal:​​ A basic method in which a speaker points out faulty logic or false
evidence in an opponent’s argument, proving that the argument does not hold.
b. Mitigation: ​If the above cannot be done, a speaker might still be able to attack
an opposing argument by proving that, yes, that is the case, but its ​impact​ (its
weight in the scope of the debate) isn’t sufficient enough for it to be considered,
and therefore does not help prove the opposing team’s case.
c. Comparison:​​ When an opposing argument cannot be attacked in the above
ways, a speaker might choose to instead compare the impact of that argument to
the impact of one or more of their own arguments and prove that even while it is
true, it is less important and still does not help the opposing team win the debate.
10. Clash point:​​ An area of contention in the debate, which the teams have disagreed about
the most. This can be identified by noting where most of the Engagement in the debate
has happened (i.e. what the teams have debated about the most). Teams get the
chance to identify and point out the clash points in reply speeches, as well as list why
they have won each clash point. Judges primarily decide the outcome of the debate
based on the clash points.
11. Point of Information: ​A mechanism which can be used between the 1st and 7th minute
of a speech. Members of the opposing team can stand up and offer a POI to the
speaker. If the speaker accepts the POI, the person who offered it can either ask a
question or make a statement. A team cannot offer POIs more often than every 15
seconds, otherwise that is considered barracking and is illegal. You should read more on
POIs in S
​ ection V​ below.

II. Acceptable Team Structure

1. Debate teams must consist of exactly three students.
2. Teams may not exchange team members or alternate students from a team during a
tournament. After a registered team has completed a debate round, no changes to that
team may be made.
3. Only students from the 8th and 9th grades may compete in the Novice Division. Students
in 10th, 11th, 12th grades MUST compete in the Varsity Division. Students from 8th and
9th grades may choose to “compete up” in Varsity if students and their coaches believe it
is appropriate to do so. In case there are not enough teams for a Novice Division, teams
will compete in a general Debate division where Novice and Varsity compete together.
4. If at least one student on a debate team is in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade, the entire team
must compete in the Varsity Division.
5. Students can be double entered when competing in Debate, in up to 3 events, but
neither of the other events can be Poetry because Poetry rounds take place at the same
time as Debate rounds.

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III. Format Information

1. Three speakers in each team (affirmative called Proposition and negative called
Opposition). Two teams face each other in each debate.
2. After all speakers have spoken once, the first or second speaker for each side gives a
reply speech, with the Opposition reply going first and the Proposition second. (See
Section IV​ below.)
3. Speaking time for speeches is 8 minutes, and 4 minutes for reply speeches.
4. The method of signalling timing for speakers is at the discretion of the Chief Adjudicator
and BEST. The DebateKeeper app can be used as the timekeeping method.
5. In addition to time signals referred to above, the team members may give time signals to
a speaker provided that the signals are discreet and unobtrusive.
6. Before a debate begins, each team must inform the chair and wing judges of the names
of their three speakers and the order in which they will be speaking.
7. The only people who may speak in a debate are the three speakers for each team
announced by the chair judge at the start of that debate.
8. During a debate, speakers may not communicate with their coach, other team members
who are not speaking in that debate, or any person in the audience, except to receive
time signals.
9. At the end of the preliminary rounds, teams shall be ranked according to the number of
wins. If teams are tied on the same number of wins, they shall be separated where
practicable by elimination debates and otherwise on the following priority:
a. number of adjudications in favour of the team; then
b. average judges' scores for each team
10. Preparation time: There will be NO PREP TIME for a standard debate. Teams should be
prepared with their evidence and cases to go into a round. The topic will be posted on
the schematic before the round begins to help students get ready. In the case of
IMPROMPTU debates, teams will have half an hour to prepare.

IV. Speakers/Order
There are three speakers for each side during a debate; three speakers for the Proposition and
three speakers for the Opposition. The first three speeches are called Substantive speeches,
and the final two are Reply speeches.

Speaking Order and Speaker Times

1. First speaker of the Proposition (P1) (8 minutes)
2. First speaker of the Opposition (O1) (8 minutes)
3. Second speaker of the Proposition (P2) (8 minutes)
4. Second speaker of the Opposition (O2) (8 minutes)
5. Third speaker of the Proposition (P3) (8 minutes)
6. Third speaker of the Opposition (O3) (8 minutes)
7. Reply speaker of the Opposition, given either by O1 or O2 (O4) (4 minutes)
8. Reply speaker of the Proposition, given either by P1 or P2 (P4) (4 minutes)

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Speaking Responsibilities
All Speakers:
● Should stand in the center-front of the room and face judges when speaking. They
should address everybody, not just the opposing team.
● During a speech, other team members should remain quiet or take notes. If it is
necessary to communicate with one another, teams should be as quiet and as respectful
as possible.
● If there is a need for a team member to communicate with the current speaker, they may
silently pass notes to the current speaker. However, they can neither verbally interrupt
nor help the current speaker during a speech.
● Judges have the right to punish disrespectful or interrupting teams by giving a verbal
warning, then by lowering speaker points.

P1: First speaker of the Proposition: 8 minutes

● Must define the topic. The Proposition may define the topic in any way provided that the
definition:
○ is reasonably close to the plain meaning of the topic
○ allows the opposition team reasonable room to debate
○ is not tautological or truistic
○ is otherwise a reasonable definition
● Outline the Proposition case and its burden or proof
● Announce the case division between the speakers (typically 3-5 arguments for a team)
● Present their part of the Proposition case

First speaker of the Opposition: 8 minutes

● Must challenge the definition if necessary
○ The first Opposition may challenge the definition only if it does not conform to
standards mentioned above. If they challenge the definition, the first opposition
speaker must propose a new definition that conforms to the standards.
○ If the first opposition does not challenge the definition, the opposition is taken to
have accepted the definition and the opposition may not challenge the definition
in any other speech unless the Proposition significantly alters the definition in
their subsequent speeches.
● Present an alternative definition if the definition is challenged
● Respond to the Proposition case
● Outline the Opposition case and its burden of proof
○ The Opposition may elect to only attack the Proposition case without setting
forward its own substantive arguments. In this scenario, the Opposition case and
burden of proof are directly opposite the Proposition ones.
○ Conversely, the Opposition may elect to put forward its own substantive case and
arguments, in which scenario it needs to compare those to the Proposition and
prove how they are better, as well as attacking the Proposition ones.
● Announce the case division, and present their part of the opposition case.

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Second speaker of the Proposition: 8 minutes

● Must deal with the definition if it has been challenged (speakers are ​highly discouraged
from arguing about the definition at Second speaker and onwards, since it might lead to
a debate on the definition)
● Respond to the opposition case
● Continue with the Proposition case as outlined by the first speaker

Second speaker of the Opposition: 8 minutes

● Must deal with the definition if it is still an issue (speakers are ​highly discouraged​​ from
arguing about the definition at Second speaker and onwards, since it might lead to a
debate on the definition)
● Respond to the Proposition case
● Continue with the opposition case as outlined by the first speaker

Third speakers of both the Proposition and Opposition: 8 minutes each

● Cannot bring forward any new arguments, since it renders the other team unable to
engage with them sufficiently
● Provide new examples and build on the arguments from the first and second speaker
● Engage with the opposing team’s case.

Reply Speeches: 4 minutes each

● This is a biased retelling of the debate where the speaker lists the few major clash points
in the debate and why their team won them
● Must include a response to the other team's overall case and a summary of the
speaker's own team‘s case
● The reply speaker may be either the first or second speaker of the team, but not the third
● The reply speakers are in reverse order, with the opposition reply first and the
Proposition reply last
● Neither reply speaker may introduce any new material

Other notes:
● The Proposition team does not have to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, but
merely that its case is true in the majority of cases or as a general Proposition.
● The opposition team must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the Proposition case
fails to prove the resolution.
● Where the topic is expressed as an absolute, the Proposition must prove the topic true in
the vast majority of cases, but not in every single conceivable instance.
● Where the topic is expressed as an absolute, the opposition must do more than present
a single instance where the topic is not true, and prove that it is not true for at least a
significant minority of cases.

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● When an argument started by one side is not expanded upon fully throughout the entire
debate, or not responded to by the other side, it is referred to as a dropped argument.
Judges consider dropped arguments in deciding which side has made a stronger case in
the debate.
■ If Speaker 1 introduces an argument, which is not mentioned and/or extended at all
by speaker 2 of the same team, regardless of whether it was mentioned by speaker
3 or not, it is considered “dropped.”
■ If Speakers 1 and 2 introduce and extend an argument, which is not mentioned by
the third speaker, it is also “dropped.” In that case, the argument was dropped by
their team as it was not carried out throughout the whole team line.
■ If Speaker 1 of the Proposition introduces an argument which is not responded to by
Speaker 1 of the Opposition, the argument is “dropped.” This means the other team
wins that argument. The same can be said if Speaker 2 from the Proposition fails to
respond to all of the arguments from Speaker 1 of the Opposition.

V. Points of Information
1. Between the first and seventh minutes of a speaker's substantive speech, members of
the other team may offer points of information. This is done by standing up and
respectfully interrupting once (e.g. “Sir/Ma’am?”, “On that point”, “On that”, “Point of
Information”).
2. Once the interruption is made, the speaker can choose to accept or reject the POI.
Rejecting the POI can be done verbally, or the speaker can wave their hand so they
don’t lose speaking time. The speaker can also choose to accept it later in their speech.
As a general rule a speaker should accept at least 2 POIs in their speech. But a speaker
who accepts a significantly greater number of POIs risks losing control of their speech.
3. The purpose of a POI is to make a short point or ask a short question of the speaker.
4. POIs need not be addressed through the person chairing the debate, and may be in the
form of a question directed at the opposition.
5. A POI should be no longer than 10 seconds. A team should not offer POIs more often
than every 15 seconds to the point of barracking. As a general rule, each team member
should offer between 2 and 4 points of information per speech, and should not offer
them within a short time of a previous point of information having been offered.
6. POIs are an important part of the engagement between teams, and enable speakers to
remain a part of the debate even when they are not making a speech.
7. A speaker can and should offer POIs both before and after they have given their
substantive speech.
8. The response by the speaker to a POIs should be included in the mark for that speaker's
speech.
9. The offering of POIs should be included in the mark for the speaker offering points.

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VI. Judges
1. Judges shall not judge a team from their own school.
2. A judge may judge the same competitor(s) more than once, provided that this occurs by
chance and not by design.
3. A judge will be ranked from A-C, or put down as ‘shadow’, ‘A’ being the highest rank and
‘shadow’ - the lowest. Higher ranked judges will be appointed chair judges in a room with
more than one judge and will have the power to break ties.
4. A debate is won by the team which has a majority of the votes of the judges.
5. Any complaint about a judge in a particular round shall be reported to the Chief
Adjudicator at the Tab Room as soon as possible after the alleged incident giving rise to
the complaint.
a. We ask students to always be accompanied by their Chaperone or Coach when
submitting a report.
b. The Chief Adjudicator or Tab Room Staff may ask the report to be submitted in
writing before further action is taken.
6. Reports shall include but are not necessarily restricted to one or more of the following:
a. The judge has misdirected him/herself as to one or more of the rules of debate to
a significant extent
b. The judge has made remarks prior to, during or after a debate in a way that
raises significant doubt as to their impartiality for that debate
7. Upon receipt of a report, the Chief Adjudicator shall determine:
a. Whether the report can be resolved without further investigation
b. How to resolve the report fully if it requires further investigation

VII. Adjudication
1. Every debate round will typically be judged by a chair judge and a wing judge
2. A debate round can either be open (competitors find out if they won immediately after
the debate), or closed (competitors do not find out if they have won that particular debate
until after the tournament).
3. For open rounds, after the debate has concluded debaters and audience are asked to
exit the room for at least 10 minutes while the judges deliberate their decision together
and fill out their ballots independently. No longer than 10 minutes after that, the debaters
and audience should come back to the room to receive the 5-minute Reason for
Decision (RFD) - the call of who won the debate and the reasoning behind it. After that
everyone vacates the room. Coaches and competitors can and should ask the judge for
feedback once they have left the room, aiming to improve.
4. For closed rounds, after the debate has concluded debaters and audience leave the
room. Judges deliberate their decision together and fill out their ballots independently for
10 minutes. No longer than 10 minutes after that, judges also vacate the room. In closed
rounds there is no RFD, but debaters and coaches can and should ask for feedback on
the debate, in which the judge ​cannot reveal who won the debate, or leave sufficient
hints for debaters to figure it out​.

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VIII. Marking Standards

1. Each speaker's substantive speech is marked on a scale of 60 to 80 points, with
evaluation points based on the categories of style, content, and strategy
2. Reply speeches are marked on a scale of 30 to 40 points, evaluating content, style and
strategy
3. Judges may not use any other marking standard or categories of marks
4. Style ​covers the way the speakers speak and is marked on a scale of 24 to 32
a. This does NOT mean that a judge should take points away for a difficult accent or
a lack of English proficiency
b. The choice of palm-cards, lecterns, folders, notepads or other forms of speakers
notes DO NOT affect the mark a speaker is given
c. Style includes inflection, intonation, speed and volume, whether the speaker is
reading their speech, eye contact with judges and audience, and choice of
vocabulary.
5. Content ​covers the arguments that are used in a speech, divorced from speaking style
and is marked on a scale of 24 to 32
a. If an argument is weak it should be marked accordingly, even if the other team
does not expose its weakness
b. In deciding the strength or weakness of an argument, judges should not be
influenced by their own personal beliefs or specialised knowledge
6. Strategy ​covers two concepts and is marked on a scale of 12 to 16
a. Whether the speaker understands what the issues of the debate are
b. The structure and timing of the speaker's speech
i. A speaker who answers the critical issues with weak responses should
get poor marks for content but good marks for strategy
7. At the end of the debate, the team with more cumulative points across all their speeches
wins. A judge cannot award the victory to one team, but give more points to the other
team.
8. If a team does not show up to a round, or is disqualified for any reason, all their speakers
receive the lowest possible scores for their speeches.
9. If a team wins a round due to their opponents being disqualified, not showing, or by
being drawn in a *Bye* round, their speeches from that round are scored equal to the
averages of their points from all other preliminary rounds they have debated.

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IX. Motions
1. A committee chaired by the Chief Adjudicator will select motions for each tournament
2. BEST will release tournament motions no later than 3 weeks prior to a tournament.
3. Teams may find the selected motions for a tournament on the dedicated Tournament
Portal on the BEST website ​www.bestfoundation.bg​.
4. Each tournament shall consist of both prepared and impromptu motions. The prepared
motions will be specified at Tournament Registration. Students should have a
well-rounded knowledge of international politics, social policy, governance, and ethics to
prepare for impromptu rounds. Areas of the impromptu motions will be provided no later
than 3 weeks prior to a tournament.

X. Language
● All BEST debates shall be conducted in English only

XI. Behavior During a Debate Round

Participants in a debate round (team speakers, judges, audience) must abide by the general
guidelines of respect and inclusiveness that BEST strives to embody. Students should be
assertive and challenge opponents’ arguments, but avoid doing so in a disrespectful or overly
arrogant manner. Remember, the end goal is to promote a lively debate! If a judge believes that
a debater is being abusive, the judge has the right to lower speaker points or give the debater’s
team a losing ballot. The following constitute abusive and unacceptable behavior:
● Laughing at, mocking, or taunting opponents for ANY reason
● Use of excessive profanity or coarse language
● A​d hominem​ attacks (i.e. labeling opponents as racist, sexist, etc.)

XII. Acceptable Observer Behavior During Rounds

1. Observers include coaches, students, chaperones, and other non-competing audience
members.
2. Other students and coaches may come and watch the round, but they are not allowed to
help with research or participate in the debate in any form (other than timekeeping, if no
others can be found for the job).
3. Observers should not make hand motions, facial expressions, rude noises, or any other
distracting gestures that may affect a debater’s performance. These behaviors will not be
tolerated, and judges have the right to ask an observer to leave, if it is felt the observer is
hindering the debate.
4. Students and coaches from one of the schools of the teams competing in a round MAY
serve as timekeepers, but only as a last resort. Any distracting or disconcerting
behaviors should be addressed promptly and firmly by judges.
5. Observers are expected to have their cell phones on “silent mode” and should not use
them during the round.

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XIII. Research/Internet Use/Outside Help

1. Students may NEVER use phones for anything other than keeping time during a debate
2. Students may not consult non-team members for guidance, including other students,
coaches, judges, chaperones, or debate observers at any point during the debate
3. In the case of impromptu rounds, students MUST leave all their phones with their team’s
chaperone or coach before the start of the preparation time. If a student is found to be in
possession of their phone during impromptu round preparation, or immediately after
preparation has concluded, their team will be disqualified and the victory will be awarded
to their opposing team.
4. Students may not access the Internet during the round. All laptops, phones, or tablets
should have their internet capability turned off (Airplane Mode).
5. Teams accused of breaking the Internet-use rule are subject to disqualification or
automatic loss in a round. While judges may present the issue, the tab room staff
reserves the right to make the final call regarding accusations of rule-breaking
6. Teams may bring notebooks, books, or other pre-printed material as part of their
research.
7. As students' phones must be in Airplane Mode during a debate round, an audible
incoming phone call (including vibration) will be viewed unfavorably by the judge, and
may result in contributing to a team's loss in the round.
8. Any complaint about Internet rule-breaking in a particular round shall be reported to Tab
Room Staff as soon as possible after the alleged incident giving rise to the complaint.
a. We ask students always be accompanied by their Chaperone or Coach when
reporting a complaint.
b. The Chief Adjudicator/Tab Room Staff may ask the report to be submitted in
writing before further action is taken.
9. Upon receipt of a report, the Chief Adjudicator shall determine:
a. Whether the report can be resolved without further investigation
b. How to resolve the report fully if it requires further investigation
10. Pre-written speech outlines are acceptable. However, pre-written full speeches will be
docked points.

XIV. Other Resources

If you want to learn more about World Schools Debate and advanced concepts and techniques,
as well as prepare better, please visit the ​WSDC official Resources page​ and check out the
Debating rules and guides! Please bear in mind that BEST might have certain differences since
BEST rules are adapted and not copied directly from WSDC. In case of such differences, the
rules outlined in this document take precedence.

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