Format & Rules
An international debating competition bringing together students to develop speaking skills, critical thinking, confidence, and global awareness.
Tournament Overview
Debates are held online via Zoom on Friday nights during Term 4 of the New South Wales school term. The tournament consists of four preliminary rounds, followed by an additional two to four elimination rounds, depending on the category size.
Divisions
Primary Division: Year 5–6 or Ages 9–11
Junior Division: Year 7–8 or Ages 12–14
Senior Division: Year 9–10 or Ages 15–16
Team Requirements
Each debating team should have a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 4 members. Under special circumstances and with the IDC office’s approval, teams may have more than 4 members.
Timings
Timings (Australian Eastern Daylight Time, AEDT, UTC+11)
Preliminary Round
Division Prep Time Debate Time Primary 5:00 PM 6:00 PM Junior 6:15 PM 7:00 PM Senior 7:15 PM 8:00 PM Elimination Rounds
Division Debate 1 Debate 2 Primary Prep: 5:00 PM
Debate: 6:00 PM Prep: 7:00 PM
Debate: 8:00 PM Junior Prep: 5:15 PM
Debate: 6:00 PM Prep: 7:15 PM
Debate: 8:00 PM Senior Prep: 5:15 PM
Debate: 6:00 PM Prep: 7:15 PM
Debate: 8:00 PM
Debate Format
The IDC follows a traditional 3v3 debate format, with three speakers per team and an optional silent fourth speaker acting as a team advisor.
The debate begins with the First Affirmative speaker, followed by the First Negative speaker. This alternating pattern continues for the second and third speakers of each team.
Points of information (POIs) and reply speeches are not used in this debate format.
At the conclusion of the debate, the adjudicator delivers an oral adjudication to announce the result and provide feedback to both teams.
Speech Time Limits
| Division | Speaking Time |
|---|---|
| Primary | 2–4 minutes |
| Junior | 3–5 minutes |
| Senior | 4–6 minutes |
A continuous bell will ring if the speaker exceeds the maximum speaking time by more than 30 seconds.
Topics
Each round of the competition has a distinct "topic area," and the topic areas for preliminary rounds will be announced before the season begins to help teams prepare thoroughly, enabling them to engage with greater confidence and bring depth and complexity to their arguments when the debate takes place.
Topics for each round will be released via the online draw tabulation system, 'Tabbycat,' immediately before the preparation time specified in the 'Timings' section. Depending on their division, teams will have 45 to 60 minutes of preparation time to develop their case and speeches without assistance from the internet or their coaches.
At IDC, we take pride in offering teams unique and innovative topics year after year. Topic selection is undertaken with careful consideration, and we do not involve anyone outside the Adjudication Core in generating or approving these topics.
Draws
At IDC, we use “TabbyCat”—an online tournament software to create the draw. The tabulation link for each division will be sent by email from the IDC Tournament Coordinator no later than one week before the start date.
The draw with finalized team match-ups will be available on the Wednesday of each round week (AEDT). Matchups will be randomly decided based on each team’s win rate, with consideration given to whether teams have previously debated each other.
Tournament Essentials
The tournament will be held entirely online via Zoom. Ensure Zoom is installed and set up in advance.
A working webcam for clear video participation and high-quality audio devices for clear communications.
A strong and stable internet connection is crucial.
Choose a quiet, well-lit space for optimal performance.
Allocation
The Zoom Lobby Room Code will be sent to coordinators by email when the draw for Round 1 is released
There will be a Zoom Lobby Room for each division, similar to a supper room at an in-person tournament where students and coordinators from different teams are present and where topics are announced. Speakers will join the lobby room and then move into a breakout room with their opposing team to prepare and debate.
*The Zoom Lobby Room Code for each division will be used for the entire tournament.
Tournament Rules
This section outlines the official rules governing the International Debating Championships (IDC). Adhering to these rules is mandatory for all participants and is crucial for maintaining the integrity and smooth running of each debate round. Please review the rules carefully to ensure you understand the expectations and requirements for a successful IDC experience.
Important Rules
Online research and googling of any kind is prohibited including aid from generative AI software, including but not limited to ChatGPT;
Access to pre-prepared notes of any kind is prohibited;
Communication with anyone outside the four allocated speakers during the preparation time and the debate itself is prohibited – this includes friends, parents, coaches, and any other members of that team who are not allocated and formally registered to debate in that round.
Before the Round
Confirm your team name and the display of the speakers’ full name within the team on TabbyCat.
*Please let us know if there are any concerns regarding the display of students’ surnames.
Check your breakout room number and the team you are debating against via TabbyCat
Format your Zoom name as instructed and leave your camera on and microphone off when entering the Zoom lobby room unless instructed otherwise by a tournament facilitator.
*Zoom and TabbyCat walkthroughs will be emailed to coordinators before the tournament starts
Preparation
The affirmative and negative teams in one debate will be placed in the same breakout room where the debate takes place. Teams may only have their three speakers, an optional silent fourth speaker acting as team advisor present during preparation time in their breakout room unless approved by the IDC Committee. No students will be able to prepare in the main meeting room.
Teams that fail to arrive 5 minutes after the start of preparation time will be subject to immediate forfeiture unless the Convenor has received notification from schools on their lateness. Opposition teams in attendance will continue preparing and preparation time will not be extended.
Participants will remain on mute with their cameras on for the preparation time. Do not leave Zoom during preparation time. If you do, try to re-join by clicking “Breakout Rooms” on the bottom bar.
*If members are not located in the same classroom, teams are encouraged to use an alternate means of communication such as a group video call on a device outside of Zoom during this time.
Teams are permitted and encouraged to use online collaborative documents such as Google Docs to help construct their case and to share ideas with their teammates. However, students must exclusively write and read their speeches off paper notes i.e. no digital speeches e.g. on a personal or collaborative Word document will be accepted.
During the preparation time, communication is only allowed between team members of the same team, and the use of online resources is prohibited.
Adjudicators will be allocated to debate rooms during preparation and expected to call the debate to order on Zoom when preparation ends.
During the Debate
Teams may only have their three speakers, an optional silent fourth speaker acting as team advisor present. Coaches and observers are not permitted to be in view of the camera or seen communicating with their teams before the conclusion of the debate. *This will be investigated as cheating.
Speakers must exclusively write and read their speeches off paper notes i.e. no digital speeches e.g. on a personal or collaborative Word documents will be accepted, including any documents from preparation time.
NB: Speakers in teams who are not in the same physical room may type using the Zoom messaging function to share rebuttals with their teammates. Only in this case may students type and are still required to handwrite typed content onto their paper i.e. speakers are not permitted to read rebuttals shared by online teammates directly off their computer screens.
*Debaters will be asked to hold up their papers to their adjudicators before their speaking time commences for checking.
*Paper speeches must be entirely handwritten. Students are not permitted to use paper with pre-printed elements e.g. scaffolding, or structural aids.
*Failure to present their handwritten speeches upon request will be reported to the CA team and may affect the outcome of the debate.
All participants must have their cameras on, and microphone muted for the duration of the debate. Speakers and the adjudicator will unmute themselves when it is their turn to speak.
Speakers must inform their adjudicators as soon as technology or audio issues begin happening. If a speaker is unable to hear, students should speak up straightaway and NOT wait until after the speech has concluded.