Ghana Universities Debate Championship 2025
Adjudication Lecture Series
By: Kelvin Kwabena Asamoah Damptey-Chief Adjudicator, GUDC 2025
Lecture 1: The Fundamentals of WUDC-Style Debating and Judging
📍 OBJECTIVES
By the end of this session, participants should be able to:
● Describe the WUDC British Parliamentary (BP) format and its basic rules
● Identify the roles of all four teams in a debate
● Understand how Points of Information (POIs) work and are judged
● Explain the idea of persuasiveness in WUDC judging
🔑 SECTION 1: What is BP and How Does It Work?
British Parliamentary (BP) debating is the format used at the World Universities Debating
Championship (WUDC). Each round has four teams competing against each other, two teams
on the Government side and two on the Opposition side. Each team has two speakers, and each
speaker speaks once for seven minutes.
Unlike sports where only one team wins and the rest lose, BP debates have four rankings: first,
second, third, and fourth. The team that presents the most persuasive case in the debate, based
on logic and analysis, is ranked first, and so on.
Think of a BP debate like a courtroom with four legal teams arguing the same case from
different angles. The best argument — not the loudest or fastest — wins.
The Teams:
● Opening Government (OG): Prime Minister (PM), Deputy Prime Minister (DPM)
● Opening Opposition (OO): Leader of Opposition (LO), Deputy Leader of Opposition
(DLO)
● Closing Government (CG): Government Member (GM), Government Whip (GW)
● Closing Opposition (CO): Opposition Member (OM), Opposition Whip (OW)
The Benches:
● Government Bench: OG and CG
● Opposition Bench: OO and CO
Speaking Order (each speech is 7 minutes):
1. PM (OG)
2. LO (OO)
3. DPM (OG)
4. DLO (OO)
5. GM (CG)
6. OM (CO)
7. GW (CG)
8. OW (CO)
🔑 SECTION 2: Roles of the Four Teams
Each team has a unique job to do. Think of a bench like a relay team — the Opening speakers
start the case, and the Closing speakers build on it.
Opening Government (OG):
● Explains what the motion means and sets the ground for the debate
● Proposes a model or policy if the motion demands one
● Presents the first arguments supporting the motion
● Responds to attacks from OO
Opening Opposition (OO):
● Directly refutes OG’s arguments
● May present an alternative worldview or set of values
● Builds reasons to oppose the motion
Closing Government (CG):
● Adds new analysis to support the Government bench
● May introduce a new angle or explain deeper consequences
● Must stay consistent with OG’s position
Closing Opposition (CO):
● Strengthens the Opposition case by introducing fresh arguments or perspectives
● Engages with CG directly
● Cannot contradict OO’s stance
Key Concept: Extension
The second half of the debate must add something new to be rewarded. It must be relevant to
the debate, persuasive, and consistent with the earlier half of the bench. Just repeating what OG
or OO already said, even if in better language, is not enough.
🔑 SECTION 3: Points of Information (POIs)
A POI is a short interruption that an opposing speaker offers during a speech. You can think of
it like a challenge in a press briefing — quick, sharp, and strategic.
Rules of POIs:
● May only be offered between the 1st and 6th minute
● Must be under 15 seconds
● Offered by standing and saying, "Point of Information" or "On that point"
● The speaker may accept or reject the POI
● Once rejected, the questioner must sit down immediately
Judging POIs:
● Judges check whether speakers engage with POIs offered to them
● Not taking any POIs without a clear reason may affect speaker scores
● Accepting bad or irrelevant POIs is worse than refusing all
● Good POIs are clear, direct, and strategically useful
Tips for New Debaters:
● You are not punished for rejecting POIs, but you should show you are in control
● POIs are not for showing off. They are meant to weaken your opponent’s case or clarify
yours
🔑 SECTION 4: What Wins a Debate?
The team that wins is the one that is the most persuasive. In WUDC, persuasiveness comes from
two main areas: analysis and style.
Analysis includes:
● Arguments that are logical, well-reasoned, and relevant
● Explanations of why something happens or why it matters
● Using evidence, examples, and comparisons to show strength
Style includes:
● Clear speech and confident delivery
● Logical structure that is easy to follow
● Effective use of time and tone
Important for Judges:
● Judge only what is said during the debate, not what you wish had been said
● Don’t reward arguments that are clever but irrelevant
● Don’t punish speakers for their accent or confidence level — clarity is what matters most
🔑 SECTION 5: The Ordinary Intelligent Voter
The WUDC judging standard is called the Ordinary Intelligent Voter (OIV). This is a fictional
person judges must imagine.
The OIV is:
● Reasonable, open-minded, and informed about world issues
● Not an expert in any topic
● Unbiased and focused only on what was argued clearly
Judges must avoid:
● Using their own opinions to decide the debate
● Adding arguments that were not made
● Making assumptions based on identity or delivery style
