AILEC Debating Championship
Future-Proof Education: Preparing Students for a Changing World
A. Competition Description
The AILEC Debating Championship (ADC) is an online English debate competition involving 16 university teams and conducted through a structured elimination system consisting of Preliminary, Semi-Final, and Final Rounds. Addressing the theme “Future-Proof Education: Preparing Students for a Changing World,” the competition challenges participants to debate contemporary educational issues related to AI literacy, soft skills development, climate awareness, and lifelong learning, while being adjudicated by appointed Chair and Trainee Adjudicators. Teams advance based on performance rankings, with the top four teams competing in the final round to determine the Champion, 1st Runner-Up, 2nd Runner-Up, and 3rd Runner-Up, and all adjudicators’ decisions are final and binding.
B. General Rules
- The debate system used is the British Parliamentary Debating System.
- The competition quota is limited to 16 debate teams.
- Each team consists of two members.
- Debate materials and delivery must not contain elements of ethnicity, religion, race, or intergroup discrimination (SARA), religious blasphemy, gender harassment, or radicalism.
- The competition consists of preliminary rounds, semi-finals, and finals.
C. General Participant Rules
- Participants must be active university students registered at a higher education institution and possess a valid student identification number, as evidenced by an official student identification card issued by their respective university.
- Participants are required to follow all schedules and competition rules in accordance with the competition guidelines
- Participants must complete the registration form via the link https://ailecfkip.com/regist/
- Participants must pay the registration fee to the designated bank account.
D. Preliminary Round
- The preliminary stage consists of three rounds.
- The 16 teams will be divided into four breakout rooms, each consisting of four teams.
- Each room will be assessed by one Chair Adjudicator and four Trainee Adjudicators.
- After Rounds 1 and 2, the Chair Adjudicator will provide verbal feedback, while after Round 3 only silent adjudication will be conducted.
- From each room, the two best teams will advance to the semi-final round.
E. Semi Final Round
- The eight teams advancing to the semi-finals will be divided into two breakout rooms, each consisting of four teams.
- Each room will be assessed by two Chair Adjudicators and four Trainee Adjudicators.
- After the round concludes, Chair Adjudicators will not provide verbal feedback (silent adjudication only).
- From each room, the two best teams will advance to the final round
F. Final Round
- The four finalist teams will debate in the main room.
- The final round will be assessed by four Chair Adjudicators.
- From the four finalist teams, winners will be determined as follows: Champion, 1st Runner- Up, 2nd Runner-Up, and 3rd Runner-Up.
- The judges’ decisions are final and binding.
G. Assessment Criteria
The assessment criteria and weightings for the preliminary, semi-final, and final rounds of ADC are the same, as follows:
Table 1. Assessment Criteria AILEC Debating Championship
| No | Evaluation Criteria | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matter (content): arguments, claims, analysis, logic, evidence, examples, rebuttals, comparative weighing | 40% |
| 2 | Manner (style): speaking style (tone, fluency, clarity, confidence), body language, eye contact, posture, voice (pace, volume, emphasis), use of humour, rhetorical devices, storytelling, and engagement with the audience/judges | 20% |
| 3 | Method (structure): speech structure (introduction, body, conclusion), signposting and clear flow between ideas, timing (finishing well within time limits), team strategy: prioritizing the most relevant issues | 20% |
| 100 |