The Schools Public Speaking Competition

A school may enter one team into the Public Speaking Competition, drawn from those pupils studying GCSEs (England and Wales) or Standard Grades (Scotland). Teams consist of three people: a speaker, a chairperson and a questioner. The chairperson makes an introduction for about one minute. A speaker from another school then discusses the topic for five minutes and is questioned for a further six by the audience and the questioner from the chairperson’s team. The chairperson then has about two minutes to summarise and thank the others.

Schools will be given a choice of topics for discussion by the English-Speaking Union. They will be on issues of general interest and topics covered in the classroom. We feel that this competition will help young people in their preparation for the GCSE oral examination which demands, for successful candidates, that they 'listen to and recognize others' opinions, and respond in detail' (QCA Guidelines for GCSE English). The roles of all three speakers fully satisfies this demand, and many schools use the competition as a focus for classwork on the GSCE oral examination.

Related downloads:

Schools Mace & Public Speaking Competition 2008-2009 Download the flyer / entry form Download the Schools Mace Handbook (debating) Download the Public Speaking Competition Handbook Download an example order paper