Vancouver Debate Academy had an incredible weekend at the UBC Debate Society’s High School Tournament (HST). With awards in every category and dominating performances all throughout the 2 day tournament, our students managed to win the coveted Senior BP Championship, and broke into the semifinals as the top two teams in the Junior CNDF Category with an undefeated preliminary record of 5-0. Amidst the province’s most competitive schools and academies, our students showed incredible discipline and courage by having attained several speaker breaks in both the categories.
CNDF: Known as Canadian National Debating Format, CNDF is a 2v2 debate format most commonly used in schools across Canada. Every debate sees two teams, one in Proposition and one in Opposition, each team comprising 2 students. WIth a mixture of prepared rounds (topics announced in advance) and impromptu rounds (topic announced only 30 minutes prior to debate start time), this format challenges young Canadian school debaters to combine their ability to write critically sound cases and deliver them persuasively. Each of the first 4 speeches are 6 minutes long with 4 minute summary speeches for each side. UBC HST is one the most prestigious CNDF tournaments in Canada, where only 5% of the teams break into knockout rounds. This format was restricted for students currently in Grade 10 or below. Judging for this format is done on a silent ballot basis (judges vote, and the team with more ballots win)
BP: Known as British Parliamentary format, this is a globally recognized debating format that replicates a 2-chamber parliamentary structure. Each side (Government and Opposition) has 2 teams, one in the lower chamber and one in the upper chamber. In total 4 teams of 2 debaters compete in a round. Teams are awarded points based on their rankings in the debate (first to fourth). This format is also used globally, not just in high school circuits, but also at the university level. This is predominantly why high school students gradually transition from CNDF to BP as they get closer to universities. Grade 10, 11 and 12 students are typically encouraged to participate in this format. At UBC HST, speeches in this category were 5 minutes long in prelims, but were increased to 7 minutes in the outrounds. Judging for this format is done on a consensus ballot basis, i.e. judges enter a discussion, and attempt to reach a consensus decision within the allocated time regarding the team rankings.
