Being an Adjudicator For A International Debating Event

The World Scholar's Cup is an international academic decathlon, in which students compete in four events, one of them being team debate, and qualify from a local round to one of three Global Rounds.

The Global Round for the Asian continent was in Hanoi for this year.

For the local qualifying rounds in debating and In order to ensure an objective qualifying process as well as a high standard of debate, I was invited to join the judging panel as an adjudicator for the event.

Engaging with and judging champion debaters’ from various schools has been indeed a refreshing change. Undoubtedly many have a strong mettle to succeed.

And then the obvious questions arises……..”So how do the Judges do the judging’’

Well judges will look at what arguments are still standing for each side. And the judge will need to weigh those different arguments, because some will be more important than others.

The judge will then have to decide the winner on the basis of which team has more, and better, arguments left standing.

For me the key to effectively making an argument is explanation.

If you can explain how and why something works, then you have had me convinced. Obviously it’s here that you score those much needed points to win.