Debate speech template: build your case on cue cards
A general debate case on cue cards: hook, definitions, team line, two or three arguments with evidence and impact, rebuttal space and a strong close. Works for most school formats.
Speech10 cardsAbout 7 min to speakAdvancedUniversity
British Parliamentary debate: opening government speeches
Cue cards for the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in British Parliamentary debate: framing, model, extensions, rebuttal of opening opposition and handling points of information.
Free to use, edit, print and study. No account needed: your set stays on this device.
The cards
- 1
Opening government role
- Prime Minister: define the motion, set the model, give the first arguments
- Deputy Prime Minister: rebut opening opposition, defend the model, add arguments
Speeches are commonly seven minutes with protected time at the start and end. Check your competition's rules.
- 2
Prep time plan
- First minutes: agree the model and the two or three strongest arguments
- Then: split arguments between PM and DPM
- Then: predict opening opposition's best line and agree responses
- Final minutes: write cards, not scripts
- 3
PM: framing
"Madam / Mr Speaker, [context: what is the problem in the world today?]."
"This debate is about [the central question]."
"We win if we show [burden 1] and [burden 2]."
- 4
PM: the model
- Who acts: [___]
- What they do: [___]
- Where it applies: [___]
- Exceptions or safeguards: [___]
Keep it short and reasonable. A clear model makes opening opposition engage, not complain.
- 5
PM: argument 1
- Claim: [___]
- Mechanism: [why it happens, step by step]
- Stakeholders: [who is affected]
- Impact and weighing: [why this matters most]
- 6
PM: argument 2 and close
- Claim: [___]
- Mechanism: [___]
- Impact: [___]
"My deputy will add [their argument] and respond to opposition."
- 7
DPM: rebuttal of opening opposition
"Opening opposition's main claim was [___]."
- Response 1: [___]
- Response 2: [___]
"Even if that were true, our case still wins because [weighing]."
- 8
DPM: rebuild and extend
- Rebuild the PM's argument they attacked: [___]
- New argument: [claim / mechanism / impact]
- Summary: "Opening government has shown [burden 1] and [burden 2]."
- 9
Leave room for closing government
Your bench partners will need something new to say. Keep your case strong but focused:
- Two or three well-explained arguments, not six thin ones
- Clear stakeholders, so closing can add a new group
- A model they can defend without changing it
- 10
Points of information
- Offer points to the opposition benches regularly during their unprotected time
- Accept one or two in your own speech, ideally after your model is clear
- Keep your own points short: one question or one clear claim
Prepared POIs: [___] / [___]
How to use this template
In British Parliamentary debate four teams compete, and opening government has the advantage and burden of defining the debate. The Prime Minister sets the context, lays out a clear model and gives the first arguments; the Deputy Prime Minister rebuts opening opposition, defends the model and adds material. Because closing government will need room to extend your case, your arguments should be strong but not exhaust every idea. These cards are arranged by speaker, with a prep time plan, framing and model cards for the PM, rebuttal and extension cards for the DPM, and a card on points of information. Speech length, protected time and terminology vary between competitions, so check the rules you are debating under.
Tips
- Agree the model in the first minutes of prep. Arguing over details late leaves you with no time to build mechanisms.
- Explain mechanisms in steps: who does what, why they respond that way, what changes as a result. Judges reward clear causal chains.
- Set burdens that are fair and achievable. Overclaiming invites opposition to say you have not met them.
- Accept points of information when your argument is strong, not in the middle of your model.
- Write one-word triggers on each card in prep. Full sentences slow you down during speeches.
- Weigh explicitly: 'this matters more than their harm because it is more likely and affects more people'.
Make it fit
- For closing government, replace the model card with a card on your extension: new analysis or a new stakeholder.
- For opening opposition, replace the model card with a counter-model or a clear challenge to the government's mechanism.
- For a novice competition, keep the PM's two arguments and practise the framing card until it is under a minute.
- For Australs or Asian Parliamentary formats, map the PM and DPM roles to first and second speaker and adjust timing.
Updated October 28, 2026