Rules and Regulations

The rules for the debate on 'Love, Sexuality, and Marriage' are as follows:

At the beginning of the debate, the Chairman will call the House to order and remind everyone present of the rules of the debates. The 3 speakers on each team will then make their substantive speeches in the following order:

1. 1st Proposition Speaker
2. 1st Opposition Speaker
3. 2nd Proposition Speaker
4. 2nd Opposition Speaker
5. 3rd Proposition Speaker
6. 3rd Opposition Speaker

After the 6 substantive speeches, there will be a 2-minute period for teams to confer amongst themselves, after which the debate will continue with the reply speeches. The Opposition will deliver their reply speech first.

Secondary School level

For Secondary School teams, each speaker will have 5 minutes to deliver his substantive speech. The timekeeper for the debate will give a single audible signal (a bell or knock) at the end of the fourth minute to signal that the speaker should begin to wrap his speech up. A double bell or knock will sound at the end of the fifth minute, after which the speaker should conclude his speech within 15 seconds.

Reply speeches are 2 minutes long and may be delivered by either the 1st or 2nd speaker. After 1 minute, the timekeeper will give a single signal to let the reply speaker know that he has 1 minute left. A double signal will then sound after 2 minutes.

The Chairperson may stop speeches that extend more than 15 seconds beyond their time. No points of information are allowed throughout the whole debate.

Tertiary/University level

For Tertiary and University teams, each speaker will have 8 minutes to deliver his substantive speech. The timekeeper for the debate will give a single audible signal (a bell or knock) at the end of the seventh minute to signal that the speaker should begin to wrap his speech up. A double bell or knock will sound at the end of the eighth minute, after which the speaker should conclude his speech within 15 seconds.

Reply speeches are 4 minutes long and may be delivered by either the 1st or 2nd speaker. After 3 minutes, the timekeeper will give a single signal to let the speaker know that he has 1 minute left. A double signal will then sound after 4 minutes.

The Chairperson may stop speeches that extend more than 15 seconds beyond their time. No points of information are allowed throughout the whole debate.

After every debate, the adjudicator will fill in a score sheet and then present a brief verbal summation explaining the issues that led to the decision. The adjudicator will however not disclose the actual result, which will be released by the tournament convener at a later time. Teams are welcome to approach adjudicators independently after their debates in order to get further feedback. The adjudicator's decision shall be final at all rounds. All queries, concerns or disputes should be taken up with the Organising Committee instead.

The motions selected for the Policy Debate Series will be based on the theme “Love, Sexuality and Marriage”. It is not strictly necessary for teams to propose policies. Rather, they should focus on examining and evaluating the policy implications of their arguments in the Singapore context.