WSD Nexus Test Tournament Sandbox
2023 — Online, TX/US
World Schools Debate
Event Description:
According to the TFA World Schools Debate Rules:
World Schools Debate features a dynamic form of debate combining the concepts of “prepared”
topics with “impromptu” topics, encouraging debaters to focus on specified issues rather than
debate theory or procedural arguments. This highly interactive style of debate allows debaters
to engage each other, even during speeches. This challenging format requires good teamwork
and in-depth, quality argumentation.
1. Team: A team shall have at least three (3) and no more than five (5) members, all of
which must be from the same school. Only three students may speak in any given
debate. Each speaker gives only one 8-minute constructive (substantive) speech. The
Proposition team (P) speaks first and the Opposition team (O) speaks second.
Constructive speeches alternate as follows: P1, O1, P2, O2, P3, O3. After each speaker
has spoken, the first or second speaker for each team gives a 4-minute Reply speech
with the Opposition going first, and the Proposition reply concluding the debate.
2. Motions: Motions shall take the format befitting debate in a House of Parliament,
always beginning with the phrase, ‘This House,’ which will often – but not exclusively –
be followed by the verbs, “would,” “believes that,” “supports," or “regrets.” One team
proposes the motion (resolution) in each debate; the other team opposes it. Some
motions will be impromptu motions and others will be prepared motions. IQTs must
offer at least one impromptu motion in prelims and one impromptu motion in
elimination rounds in order for the event to receive state qualification points. The TFA
State Tournament will schedule impromptu motions for half of the preliminary rounds
(or 1/2 minus 1 if there are an odd number) and at least 1/2 minus one in elimination
rounds. For example - if the TFA State Tournament has five preliminary rounds, then at
least two must be impromptu motions. If the TFA State tournament breaks to
quarter-finals, at least one of the motions must be an impromptu motion. A list of
prepared motions for IQTs will be released on this schedule:
August: 1 - 20 motions for use from August-November
November: 1 - 20 motions for use from December-February
February: 1 - 6 motions for use at TFA State - one being designated for finals
Prepared motions will be chosen by tournament hosts from these lists. Hosts may create
their own impromptu motions using the prepared motion list as a guide. The motions for
debates will be written by officers of the Texas Forensic Association (or their designees)
taking into consideration subject, variety, and other qualities as appropriate.
3. Format: The format of the debate shall model the following:
Opening Government / Proposition 1 – 8 Minutes
Opening Opposition / Opposition 1 – 8 Minutes
Proposition 2 – 8 Minutes
Opposition 2 – 8 Minutes
Proposition 3 – 8 Minutes
Opposition 3 – 8 Minutes
Opposition Reply (Speaker 1 or 2) – 4 Minutes
Proposition Reply (Speaker 1 or 2 ) – 4 Minutes
Unlike other formats, there is no preparation time during the debate.
The judge may provide time signals for each speech. Speakers may also time themselves.
In addition to the time signals that may be provided by the judge(s), team members
(even those not speaking in that round) may give time signals to a speaker provided that
the signals are discreet and unobtrusive.
Any use of the internet or any verbal or written communication with anyone not among
the three team members speaking in the round (other than time signals given by one of
the other team members observing) may result in the loss of the round.
4. Materials: During the debate students are permitted to bring with them an English
language dictionary, a bilingual dictionary, and a single volume encyclopedia or almanac.
Other printed materials referred to during the course of prepared speeches, may also
accompany a team into the room. Students may not use electronic storage or retrieval
devices (except the use of mobile phone for timing. Use of electronic devices during
debates (or in preparation in the impromptu preparation period) will result in the loss of
a round.
5. Preparation Time and Procedure for Impromptu Motions: For both preliminary and
elimination rounds with impromptu motions, both the team supporting the motion, and
the team opposing the motion shall have one hour from the time the motion is released
until the beginning of the impromptu round. All members of the three to five-member
team – both those who will be speaking in the round and any other members who will
speak in other rounds – may participate in preparation. During the one-hour impromptu
motion prep period, team members must prepare without consulting coaches or anyone
outside their 3 to 5-person team. They may not access the internet or any
previously-prepared materials. The only materials allowed in the impromptu prep
process are a dictionary and a one-volume encyclopedia or almanac.
6. Winning a Debate: In preliminary rounds, a debate is won by the team who receives the
highest team score from the judge. There are no low point wins or ties in team points. In
elimination rounds or any rounds with a panel of judges, the debate is won by the team
who receives a winning ballot from a majority of judges in the round. The sum of team
scores determines a winning ballot.
7. Interruptions: During a substantive speech (an 8-minute speech) a competitor from the
opposite team may rise to offer a Point of Information. A Point of Information may be a
question or a statement. The first full minute of a substantive speech and the last full
minute of a substantive speech are considered protected time. No Points of Information
may be given during this time. The speaker may choose to accept a Point of Information
or to reject or waive down a Point of Information. Rejection can take the form of an
obvious hand gesture or a verbal comment from the speaker. POIs should not exceed 15
seconds in length. Judges should consider the strength or weaknesses of POIs and the
answers given in awarding points to individual team members. Failure to ask or accept
POIs should also be considered by judges in awarding individual scores.
8. Communication: During a debate, speakers may not communicate with persons not
speaking in any given debate, with the exception of a non-speaking team member
offering time signals.
9. Judging Criteria: The judging criteria will follow that of the standards/rules of the
National Speech and Debate Association.
10. State Qualification: To qualify for the TFA State Tournament students must compete
together as a team of a three to five-member roster at an IQT, but students will earn
qualification points individually. In order to earn qualification points each member of the
roster submitted on an IQT entry form must participate in at least half (or 1/2 minus 1)
preliminary rounds. Coaches may use any combination of three-five students
accumulating the required qualification points to enter the state tournament. World
Schools Debate will be listed as a debate event for the TFA State tournament schedule.
11. Minimum IQT requirements and qualification numbers for World Schools Debate: The
minimum number of WS entries for an IQT to award qualification points is 6 teams.
12. Round Requirements: IQTs must offer a minimum of 3 preliminary rounds (one being an
impromptu motion) with the following required elimination rounds:
6-9 teams - minimum break - finals
10-15 teams - minimum break - semis
16-50 teams - minimum break - quarters
50 plus teams - minimum break - octos
Debate Events Overview
Through this contest the student gains skills of critical thinking, perfects principles of
argumentation, and learns effective research techniques in order to present the most effective
case for or against a given proposition on a question of national or international implication.
Because it is the belief of the Texas Forensic Association that the cross-examination format
more realistically advances important debate and communication skills, all TFA team debate
divisions shall follow a cross-examination format in order to provide the opportunity for Texas
high school debaters to successfully perfect those skills necessary to compete nationally.
Debate, by its very nature, is public. Therefore, all debates at TFA-sanctioned tournaments shall
be open to the public. The right to privacy of person and the taking of personal notes for
memory aid or otherwise shall not be abridged. Audience members may be excluded for
disorderly conduct that distracts contestants, lack of seating, or violations of TFA rules, as
pursuant to local school policy. Debate may be run in any pattern at the discretion of the
tournament director, and the tournament director my limit cross-entries.
Evidence Rules
Scope of Acceptable Material. Admissible evidence includes only material which has been
published in written form. Information in formats which do not satisfy this criterion, such as
personal correspondence or oral interviews, shall not be admissible as evidence.
Required Documentation
1. Citations: Where a quotation is ascribed to a particular individual(s), the name of
the author(s), a reference to the qualifications of the author(s) (e.g., professional title or
level or expertise in the subject area), and the date of the publication are required.
Where the quotation is ascribed to an institutional source, (e.g., studies by research
organizations, reference books, journalistic sources) the name of publication and date
are adequate. Should the same source of material be quoted more than once in a round
of competition, subsequent uses may be presented with abbreviated citation.
2. Written Requirements
a. Bibliographic Documentation: All participants submitting evidence in
competition shall possess and present upon demand such evidence in written
form. This written form must display full bibliographic source citation, even if the
full citation is not orally delivered. “Full citation” includes the following elements:
Author’s name, author’s qualifications, complete source information, complete
date, and page number. Evidence submitted from an internet source should
include the URL site.
b. Internal Ellipses: Either no internal ellipses may be used in the written evidence
form, or ellipses may be used in the written evidence form only if the original source or a copy of the original is present. The evidence may be read in the
ellipses form, but the entirety of the evidence must be available in one of the
two ways cited. (Note: Ellipses are deletions after the first word of the quotation
and before the final word.)
3. Abrogation of Documentation Requirements: Judges should be instructed that any
evidence falling short of meeting these requirements should be afforded no legitimacy
in supporting arguments.
4. Reading of Evidence by the Judge: Judges shall be strongly discouraged from
examining evidence after round in the interest of expediting tournament operations and
in the interest of maintaining the status of debate as an oral activity. Judges shall be
instructed that evidence should not be reviewed if deficiency in the participants’
delivery (e.g., excessive speed or unclear enunciation) caused the lack of comprehension
involved. Examples of proper instances of post-competition review of evidence include
question of legitimacy or authenticity of the evidence and instances in which lack of
comprehension lies beyond the fault of the student (e.g., external noises or mental
lapses on the fault of the judge). Judges shall be instructed that should they decide that
a given situation justifies overcoming the strong presumption against reviewing evidence
they should be certain both that only evidence actually read in the round is reviewed
and that additional elements of the sources reviewed that were no orally presented
(e.g., qualifications not delivered in the speech) should be disregarded.
5. Required Documentation: If paraphrasing is used in a public forum debate, the
debater will be held to the same standard of citation and accuracy as if the entire text of
the evidence were read. Paraphrasing may be used to shorten or clarify one specific
portion of an original source. It should not be confused with general summary of an
entire book, chapter, study, etc., which may only be used for information that is widely
considered to be common knowledge. Paraphrasing focuses on a single idea, while
summary focuses on a general concept. For example, if a public forum debater
references a specific theory by a specific author, the debater must also be able to
provide an original source as well as the specific text from the original source which is
being paraphrased. If a debater were to reference social contract theory in general, that
would not be an authoritative source that would require citation. However, if the
debater references ‘John Locke’s Social Contract,’ evidence would need to be available.
Evidence Misrepresentation
1. Availability of Evidence: In all debate rounds, if a team or individual debater asks to
view evidence read by an opponent, the opposing team or individual is required to
comply with that request at that time.
2. Responsibility for Validity: Each participant is responsible for the validity of all
evidence s/he presents in rounds of competition.
3. Reasonability of Debaters Challenging Evidence Validity: Indictments or protests
against the validity of evidence must be made only on substantive grounds.
a. A challenger must have either the original source or a copy of the source cited, or
b. A challenger must demonstrate that reasonable search has not been able to
locate the source.
4. Definition of Misrepresentation: Evidence is misrepresented if its origin is falsely
portrayed or if it is altered so that the original intention of the author toward the issue in
question is changed.
5. Penalties for Misrepresentation: Judges should be instructed that teams violating
these standards shall automatically forfeit the round of competition in which the
violation occurs.
6. Congressional Debate: In Congressional Debate rounds, students bringing an
evidence protest relating to these standards should bring the protest to the
parliamentarian in writing. The parliamentarian can either decide to uphold the protest,
rule against the protest, or decide the protest is inconclusive. If the protest is upheld, the
student found to be in violation will be disqualified from the round in which the protest
took place. If the parliamentarian rules against the protest (i.e., the speaker definitively
did not commit the violation of which they are being accused), then the student bringing
the protest will be disqualified from the round. If the parliamentarian rules that the
protest is inconclusive, the round will continue as planned. Speakers are encouraged to
resolve evidence disputes in rounds as much as possible to minimize disruptions to the
flow of debate.
Use of Computers During a Round
The Use of laptop or portable computers by the competitors in debate rounds shall be allowed
with the following provisions:
1. Availability: Electronic evidence must be as available to the opposition team/judge as
paper evidence would have been. Teams will adapt to this new trend in a variety of ways
but must keep in mind that the choice to read off of a computer cannot be an excuse to
withhold evidence. If a team refuses to show evidence to an opposing team/judge in a
timely manner (as determined by the judge), that evidence should not be considered in
the judge’s decision.
2. Wireless Use: The use of wireless internet is permitted in Policy, Lincoln-Douglas,
Congress, and Public Forum debate with the following conditions.
a. Competitors should not communicate with individuals not participating in the
debate round through Wi-Fi or other means.
b. Coaches and staff should not assist a debater or team during a round through the
internet.
c. Host schools are not required to support the use of the internet through the host
school’s network.
d. Debaters, coaches, and staff found in violation of these conditions will forfeit the
round where the violation occurred.
e. By choosing to use electronic devices in the round, debaters and other relevant
parties are consenting to give tournament officials the right to search their
devices in the event of a protest. The device may only be searched by
tournament officials and must be restricted to files and/or electronic exchanges
relevant to the protest. Failure to comply would result in the upholding of the
protest. Debaters and coaches should be present as their device is searched.
Debaters who do not wish to consent should not use electronic devices in the
round.