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United Kingdom

Debating Competition

The successful format of the debating competition for secondary schools in the United Kingdom is finally returning! The debating competition offers a great chance to actively use the German language in an authentic setting and at the same time to get to know other secondary school students from across the United Kingdom. During the debates, they address matters of legal, social and cultural significance while adopting various points of view.

Plaudernde Kinder im Kreis. Eine Illustration. © M. Hassan / Pixabay

Who can participate?

If you are interested in the debating competition, please apply with a team of four students from Year 12 (England & Wales) or Year 13 (Northern Ireland) or S5 (Scotland), all at least in their 4th year of learning German. 

Please note that students with a native German speaking background or who have resided in a German speaking country for more than one year are not eligible to participate in the competition due to matters of fairness.

Students in their last year of school are not eligible to participate in the competition. In exceptional cases however, students from Year 11 (England & Wales), Year 12 (Northern Ireland) or S4 (Scotland) may participate if necessary to make up a team of four students.

When will the competition take place?

There are three preliminary online and (tbd) in person rounds from November to March in which the participating schools compete against each other and show off their language skills. Students will then be invited to the final in March where the two winning teams debate for the trophy.

Dates

1st round: 25.11.- 06.12.2024
2nd round: 20.01.-24.01.2025
3rd round: 03.03.-04.03.2025
Final: probably 28.03.2025 (tbc)

Where will the competiton occur?

The first preliminary round will take place online via ZOOM.
The second and third preliminary rounds can take at the participating schools nationwide, with the possibility for online debates if necessary.
The final is taking place in-person at the Goethe-Institut London.

How will the competition be held?

The motion is sent via email to the German teacher 2 weeks before a debate including the following:
  • Motion / thesis
  • Position (For/Against)
  • Contact address of partner school
A time limit of 2 minutes is allotted for every student's speech. Following this, teams, the jury, and the audience have the opportunity to ask questions, which will be answered collaboratively by the team. Teams are permitted to engage in a brief discussion before providing their responses.

In order to prepare the students for the competition and to ensure that they can express themselves at the appropriate language level, the Goethe-Institut provides teachers and students with useful resources.

Logo: GIMAGINE project