ADJUDICATION POLICY

Over the last ten years, Worlds has grown remarkably in size and diversity. What the Global Debating Community expects from adjudication teams has similarly risen. The Chennai Worlds 2014 Adjudication team will do its best to live up to and exceed those expectations. The following sections provide some of the principles that well be guided by at the competition. Motions A good set of motions is vital to the quality of the competition. To this end, the Adjudication team will adhere to the following guiding principles: We will set motions on different topics and diverse principles. Debaters will be challenged to debate from different perspectives (for instance, not all debates will be about policy in Western Liberal Democracies). Some motions will be set in specific contexts, but all motions will be accessible to a well-informed global citizen (one who regularly reads the front page of a major international newspaper). Motions will be carefully tested for accessibility, balance, depth and breadth by the Adjudication team. Relevant analysis on how teams in different positions performed will be accessible to all after the tournament. ESL and EFL The ESL and the EFL competitions are an integral part of Worlds. The Adjudication team will make sure that: All motions are carefully tested for language accessibility . We do not want any participant disadvantaged by their inability to fully understand a poorly-worded motion. Teams in a position to break in the EFL and ESL categories will receive highquality adjudication throughout the competition and will be guaranteed top-tier panels in bubble rounds.

 ESL and EFL out-round motions will be of the same high caliber as the out-round motions for the Open Break. Panels for ESL and EFL out-rounds will be as strong as those for Open Break out-rounds.

Judging We aim to provide the highest quality of judging throughout all levels of the competition. To that end, we will: Provide at least sixty free judging slots and have substantial funds (at least 30,000 Euros) directed towards funding judge travel. Run an extensive feedback system to calibrate the ranking of judges throughout the competition. We will look for opportunities to promote judges who receive consistently excellent feedback and will not hesitate to adjust our ranking of judges who do not. Break judges primarily on the basis of merit. Our out-rounds panels will reflect the diversity of the competition including regional, language, and gender diversity but we believe that the judges who demonstrably perform best during the competition ought adjudicate the Break. Conduct extensive BP judging workshops in India in the run-up to the event (primarily done through the National Law School). India has a strong judge pool experienced in judging Asians style tournaments. Workshops will, primarily, aim at strengthening BP judging skills. Workshops will be conducted by members of the adjudication team (and other top coaches) where possible. We believe judges and debaters alike are best served by exposure to a variety of perspectives and styles. We want judges to enjoy adjudicating at the competition and believe all should see memorable debates. Judges will not be assigned to high or low rooms for the entire competition. To facilitate rotation we will design a separate program (run independently of the tab) to allow us to track it. Careful panel construction will allow all to contribute to high-quality adjudications. Ensure that teams of all experience levels are adjudicated by topquality adjudicators in the preliminary rounds. Our best judges (including the Adjudication team) will be rotated. They can, and should, provide the excellent adjudication and feedback that every team deserves. Adjudication Core We will appoint a world-class and committed Adjudication team. We will appoint candidates that have experience, perspectives and abilities that complement

the current team. We are looking for candidates who have (in no particular order): Organizational ability - DCAs should have the ability to help with the running of the competition and the ability to work well as part of a team. Motion-setting ability - DCAs should be able to set interesting and fair motions and should have the ability to critique motions (including their own). Strong adjudication credentials - DCAs should be outstanding adjudicators, able to make well-reasoned decisions and provide insightful and useful feedback to participants. Knowledge of their regional and international debating circuit - DCAs should be approachable and have a broad, deep, and current knowledge of their regions debating circuit and judges therein. We will open applications and select DCAs in the next few months. As with previous Worlds, DCA selection will take into account feedback received from the Debating Community. We plan to appoint four or five DCAs: We have a strong preference for a regionally diverse Adjudication team. A regionally representative team is best placed to appropriately decide motions, test motions, rank judges, evaluate independent judge applications and be accessible to all members of the International Debating Community. We have a strong preference for at least one ESL or EFL DCA . Language diversity will be a very important factor in the selection process. A team without an ESL or EFL member is less well-placed to raise language accessibility issues. We reserve the option to appoint one other DCA irrespective of the region they are from. If the adjudication team would be strengthened by appointing two DCAs from one region, it is useful to have the option of doing so.