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Tournaments

Durham IV 2026

What it took to break here, what gets set, and a plan for the week before.

In person, DurhamBPTournament siteEvery edition of Durham IV

Sat 28 Nov 2026in 51 days

From 5 tabs, newest Durham IV 2025.

How many points to break?

10points, the middle of
the last 3 editions

In the middle figureOlder, not counted

Safe points at the last 3 editions with a figure: 11, 10, 10, newest first. The last team in averaged 79.5 speaks in 2025.

Every year

What will they set?

Out of 44 past motions with a topic, from 5 editions.

Practise Social & Identity motionsLesson: Generating arguments

How many teams, and how many break?

8of 48 teams made the open break
in 2025

Field strength: Average in 2025, from the ratings of the debaters who went.

Who has set the motions?

  • 🇮🇪 Dylan M.
  • 🇦🇹 Paula B.
  • Dominic F.
  • 🇬🇧 Ellie M.

Chief adjudicators in 2024, the newest tab that lists them.

Every panel

What should you do first?

Work through “Generating arguments”

Your prep week starts 6 days before the tournament. 6 tasks in the plan below.

See the plan

Sign in to mark going

Your chance of breaking here and your average on each topic this tournament sets, from your own tab.

Import a tab

Your prep week

Built on the topics set most here. Import your tab and it switches to your weakest topics.

0 of 6 done. Ticks save on this device.

  • For Social & Identity motions, the topic set most here.Open the lesson
  • Mechanism, actors, weighing. Use the prep timer below.Pull a motion
  • Start with: THS the decline of the 'positivity culture' in mediaPast motions
  • Ask for a Social & Identity motion on your weaker position.
  • Pull a motion
  • Check the schedule and the break line. No new material the night before.Tournament info

Prep timer

15:00

Past motions

5 editions with motions on record, newest first.

Durham IV 20258 motions
  1. Round 1THS the decline of the 'positivity culture' in mediaPractise this motion
  2. Round 2THBT that Serbia should strengthen economic ties with China at the expense of EU integrationPractise this motion
  3. Round 3THBT the feminist movement should actively promote monogamous relationshipsPractise this motion
  4. Round 4TH as progressive political parties in the UK (Green Party, Your Party etc) would coordinate electoral strategies to prevent vote splitting that would benefit the Reform partyPractise this motion
  5. Round 5THBT environment groups in developed countries should advocate for degrowth polilciesPractise this motion
  6. SemifinalsTHS sanctions on the UAE in response to its interventions in SudanPractise this motion
  7. Novice FinalTHW leave Seahaven IslandPractise this motion
  8. Grand FinalThis House prefers to live in a population under Unity-style assimilationPractise this motion

Open the Durham IV 2025 prep page

Durham IV 20248 motions
  1. Round 1This House Would Legalise GraffitiPractise this motion
  2. Round 2In places with high levels of crime against women, This House Supports Vigilante FeminismPractise this motion
  3. Round 3This House Prefers a World where Wealth is Seen as ShamefulPractise this motion
  4. Round 4This House Regrets the Romanticisation of PregnancyPractise this motion
  5. Round 5This House Believes That it is in the interests of the Chinese population to fully remove all restrictions on immigrationPractise this motion
  6. Novice FinalThis House Would Leave CarthagePractise this motion
  7. SemifinalsAssuming feasibility, This House as California would Secede from the United StatesPractise this motion
  8. Grand FinalThis House Would Not Wear the PoppyPractise this motion

Open the Durham IV 2024 prep page

Durham IV 20238 motions
  1. Round 1THP a world with a dominant norm of spiritual fluidityPractise this motion
  2. Round 2THW ban saviour siblingsPractise this motion
  3. Round 3THS policies of debt monetisation in times of significant crisis and economic downturn (eg the Covid-19 pandemic, wars)Practise this motion
  4. Round 4THBT the Scottish government should prioritise teaching Gaelic in schools over modern langauges (eg French, Mandarin, German)Practise this motion
  5. Round 5THBT the institutionalization of art has done more harm than goodPractise this motion
  6. SemifinalsTH predicts that the proportion of people in the UK identifying as religious will be greater in 2060 than it is todayPractise this motion
  7. ProAm FinalTHP a decriminalised to legalised model of prostitutionPractise this motion
  8. Grand FinalTHP a world where children are raised communallyPractise this motion

Open the Durham IV 2023 prep page

Durham IV 202110 motions
  1. Round 1THBT historically oppressed communities should heavily prioritise teaching values of individualism to their childrenPractise this motion
  2. Round 2THW build social housing in high wealth areasPractise this motion
  3. Round 3THS the increased academisation of educationPractise this motion
  4. Round 4THR the cancellation of the European Super LeaguePractise this motion
  5. Round 5THW heavily tax corporations which automate their workforcePractise this motion
  6. Partial QuarterfinalsIn post-colonial states, THBT education (e.g. history curricula) should graphically and exclusively focus on the negative impact of colonialismPractise this motion
  7. SemifinalsTHO 'stock market populism'Practise this motion
  8. Grand FinalTHW remove the chipPractise this motion
  9. Pro-am FinalsTHP a world in which people believe in the Epicurean model of happinessPractise this motion
  10. ESL FinalsTHP a world where this machine existsPractise this motion

Open the Durham IV 2021 prep page

Durham IV 202010 motions
  1. Round 1This House prefers a world where people are told to aspire towards self-acceptance rather than self-improvementPractise this motion
  2. Round 2TH as the European Union would implement a unifrom, common tax policy (e.g. corporate tax, value-added tax, and income tax)Practise this motion
  3. Round 3Assuming he wins, THBT President Biden should repair relations to ChinaPractise this motion
  4. Round 4THW outsource UN Peacekeeping Missions to Private Military CorporationsPractise this motion
  5. Round 5TH, as new immigrants, Would prioritise the preservation of their traditional culture in the household over assimilating to the new culturePractise this motion
  6. QuarterfinalsTHBT France should abandon its policy of LaicitePractise this motion
  7. SemifinalsTHW encourage the loud reclamation of provocative and vulgar language in pop culture (e.g. Cardi B's WAP, Eminem's Insane)Practise this motion
  8. Grand FinalTHR the increasing usage of memes and political satire in political commentaryPractise this motion
  9. Pro-Am SemifinalsTHBT Muslim majority countries should boycott ChinaPractise this motion
  10. Pro-Am FinalsAssuming feasibility, THP a world without clothingPractise this motion

Open the Durham IV 2020 prep page

The break, year by year

The points that were safe, the last team in and how many broke, at each edition with results.

YearSafe on (points)Last team in (speaks)Open break
20251179.58 of 48
20241078.99 of 45
20231078.48 of 34
20211076.712 of 51
20201078.216 of 57

Every break in 2025

  • Open break8 teams
  • Novice break4 teams

Who sets the motions

Chief adjudicators by edition, where the tab lists them.

  • 2024🇮🇪 Dylan M., 🇦🇹 Paula B., Dominic F., 🇬🇧 Ellie M.
  • 2023🇬🇧 Adam M., 🇬🇧 Alyssa M.

How speakers score here

Speaker averages and what finishing high has taken.

average speaker score, 5 editions
75.6
where most speakers land
72.8 to 78.4

What finishing high has taken

  • Top speaker81.8
  • 10th speaker79.2
  • 20th speaker77.2

Median speaker average at each finishing spot, 5 editions.

Prep these too

Coming up, and their past motions cover the same topics. Topic match is how alike the two topic mixes are: 100% would be the same mix.