LSE World Schools Competition
LSE's first ever World Schools Competition will be held on Saturday 17th June 2017. The competition will be held in World Schools Format. The aim of this competition is to expose more students to this format in preparation for the country trials and improving wider debating skills. The ESU has put together an introductory guide to the World Schools debating Championship here. There are a couple of FAQs on this page - all this information is subject to change:
What is the "World Schools" format? This format has two teams, one assigned to proposition and one to opposition, each made up of between 3-5 people. There is one hour of preparation time. There are three people which speak in each debate. There are four speeches given by each team: three speeches of full length followed by a 'reply speech' which is half the length of main speeches. The main speeches follow a similar pattern to other debate formats, with each team putting forward arguments for or against their side of the motion and rebutting the other side. The reply speeches are given by either the first or second speaker from each team, and the order is switched, moreover points of information are not allowed. No additional material is permitted in reply speeches, they are often described as biased adjudications of the debate.The judging process is broken down into three categories: style (40%), content (40%) and strategy (20%). There will be a detailed presentation on the day. A more comprehensive guide is here.Speeches will be shorter than in the full format: 6 minuets for main speeches and 3 minuets for replies.
What if students have never done this format before? This format is accessible for students for several reasons. Firstly, there is additional preparation time for teams compared to British Parliamentary. Secondly, not all students are required to speak in all debates and can contribute to preparation without speaking. Thirdly, there is credit given for style, which allows for a variety of students talents to be formally respected. Furthermore, our highly qualified CA team will deliver a brief workshops and explanation of how the format works on the day of the competition. We will also be publishing in-depth resources on World Schools format in advance to reassure any students who may be worried about feeling unprepared.
What will the competition format look like? There will be three rounds of debating in world schools format. Two of these motions will be unseen and participants will have one hour prep, the third will be preprepared. Participants will not know the order of the motion. There will be two consecutive finals - novice and open. The Novice final will be for participants who are in their first year of competitive debating. The open final will have an additional motion for the final and will have full length speeches.
Will there be a pre-prepared motion? Yes, there will be a pre-prepared motion for one of the in-rounds, which will also be the topic for the 'novice' final - for those who have not competed in the format before. There will be an additional pre-prepared motion for the open final. These will be released to the participants in advance of the competition.
Would I be able to judge? Yes. Even if you have not judged this style before there will be a comprehensive briefing on the different format. Please contact us to express interest, and fill out judge registration when it opens nearer the competition.
Where will it be held? On the London School of Economics Campus is central London.
Who should I contact if I have more questions? Please contact Hannah Tyndall, and email h.tyndall@lse.a.uk or lsedebate@gmail.com.
To register for your school to compete at LSESU World Schools 2017 please complete this form. . Teams can be between 3 and 5 students, depending on schools requirements. There will only be three speakers per debate, although the whole team can participate in prep time. The registration fee will be £65 per team, although for this tournament we are able to generously offer discounts, fee waivers and travel bursaries to state schools, schools who are new to debating, and schools which will struggle to finance registration. You can indicate that you would like to apply for financial assistance in the allocate space in the registration form. Please free to email us for any further information on this. This can be paid either in cash on the day or by mailing a cheque to us before the tournament to LSE Students' Union. Invoices are available at request.
