How Debating is Scored

The scoring system used by DAV adjudicators is designed to help you understand the adjudication and the reasons for the decision. As well as a team score and individual speaker scores, it also reflects the Three M’s to make it easier to identify where your strengths and weaknesses are as a team and as individual speakers.

Debaters are marked by the average or expected standard for their grade. This means we would expect a higher standard of matter, method and manner from an A Grade speaker than a D Grade speaker.

The scoring system is shown below:

Some common misconceptions you may like to know about debate scoring:

• There is no such thing as “automatic points”. You don’t automatically gain or lose points for any specific element of a speech (like presenting a definition). However, if you forget to present an element, your score may be lower if, in the case of a missing definition, your team’s approach is unclear as a result.
• Scores are not a percentage out of 100. They are variations from the average of 75.
• There are no automatic penalties for speaking over time. The adjudicator will stop listening at the time limit, and mark you as if anything you said over the time limit (for example: your summary) was not presented. However, the longer you speak beyond your allocated time, the more likely it is that the adjudicator will penalise you for breaching the rules.

The scoring range for individual speakers is 70-80 and you will not receive a score outside this range. This means that a score of 80 is similar to receiving a 100 on a test. The majority of scores you receive will be within the range of 72-78. The reason for this narrow range is to help standardise scores across the debating world, making it easier for speakers to compare their performance from one debate to the next.

When you get your score sheet, look at the areas that you scored well in, and the areas that you need to improve. Ask your adjudicator how you could improve in those categories where you would like to improve your score. The scoring system is a little hard to get used to – Matter and Manner scores can only be within the 27-33 range and Method scores only range between 13 and 17. Keep this in mind when you are reading your score sheet. If you score below average, try not to take it to heart and see it as a chance to improve your speaking.

The average total score for a whole team is 225 points. Margins between teams can range from 1 point to 15 points. Consider the following guide when interpreting the margin in your debates.

• 1 point: reserved for very close debates where it was very difficult to pick a winner
• 2-4 points: “close”
• 5-9 points: “clear”
• 10-15 points: “extremely clear”