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.

Team

Debate teams must have 3 to 5 members from the same school, but only three can speak. Each gives an 8-minute constructive speech in the order of P1, O1, P2, O2, P3, and O3. Afterward, each team delivers a 4-minute Reply speech, starting with the Opposition and concluding with the Proposition.

Motions

Motions in debate will follow the format “This House” and typically use verbs like “would,” “believes that,” “supports,” or “regrets.” One team proposes the motion while the other opposes it. Events must include at least one impromptu motion in preliminaries for state qualification points, and elimination rounds must have at least one impromptu round if multiple elimination rounds are held.

*For the TFA State Tournament, half of the preliminary rounds and at least one fewer than half in elimination rounds must be impromptu.

Materials

Students can bring an English dictionary, a bilingual dictionary, and a single-volume encyclopedia or almanac to the debate. Other printed materials are allowed, but electronic devices are prohibited (except for mobile phones used for timing). Using electronic devices will result in a round loss.

Preparation Time and Procedure for Impromptu Motions

Teams have one hour to prepare for impromptu motions after they are released. All members can participate, but they must work independently without outside help or internet access. Only a dictionary and a one-volume encyclopedia or almanac are allowed as resources.

Worlds Motions for the IQT Season

For those hosting tournaments, feel free to use the same motion round 1 and 2 to help reduce the prep burden on students (teams will just debate the opposite side of the same motion); this is a common practice at tournaments across the country!

Useful Resources

November December IQT Motions

This House would regulate artificial intelligence as a public utility.
This House, as the EU, would ban member nations from importing Russian natural gas.
This House would increase protection and preservation of public lands. Info Slide: Public lands are held and administered by the federal, state, or local government. They are maintained for the use and enjoyment of the public.
This House believes that hacktivism is a legitimate tool of resistance. Info Slide: Hacktivism refers to the use of cyberattacks and hacking techniques to advance political, social, or ideological causes.

January February IQT Motions

This House regrets the narrative of green capitalism as a response to climate change.
Info Slide: Green capitalism is the theory that a free market economy can solve the climate crisis.
This House believes that the African Union should prioritize strengthening regional alliances as opposed to continental unification.
Info Slide: Regional alliances refer to cooperative blocs among nearby African nations (such as ECOWAS, SADC, or the East African Community) that coordinate on security, trade, and political issues within a specific sub-region. Continental unification refers to broader, Africa-wide integration efforts (similar to the structure of the EU) that aim to centralize political decision-making, harmonize institutions, or move toward continent-wide economic or political union.
This House believes that charter schools have done more harm than good to the education system.
Info Slide: A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autonomy for accountability, that it is freed from the rules but accountable for results.
This House supports the use of de-extinction technology.
Info Slide: Last year American-based Colossal Biosciences announced that they had “de-extincted” the dire wolf. Created from a combination of preserved DNA and gene editing technology, the dire wolf puppies represent the first in a growing attempt to bring back lost species through modern technology.