The 10th CICAE – UCJC Pre-university Debate League begins!
The tenth edition of this exclusive initiative for CICAE schools kicks off, established as Europe’s most widely attended pre-university debate competition.
More than 300 students in 3rd and 4th year of ESO and Bachillerato take part in each of the three tournaments that make up the League. The League runs simultaneously in Spanish and English, with a strongly formative approach. To support this, it has an academic team of debate and public speaking experts who accompany teachers and students throughout the whole process.
An enriching experience that boosts critical thinking, spoken expression and teamwork.
Key Dates:
- September 4 – September 26, 2025: Team registration and payment
- September 27, 2025: Teacher training workshop
- October and November: Student training at their schools
- November 14-15, 2025: 1st Tournament – Colegio Mirabal, Madrid
- January 23-24, 2026: 2nd Tournament – Colegio Británico de Aragón, Zaragoza
- March 20–21, 2026: Final Tournament – Camilo José Cela University
Teacher Training
The League begins with teacher training, an opportunity to learn how the competition works, learn debate tools to accompany students during the course and understand how debates are judged. It is free and open to any teacher interested in the subject, whether or not they participate in the Debate League.
Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025. From 9am to 3pm.
Location: Universidad Camilo José Cela (Campus Castellana)
The training will be carried out in 3 levels, depending on the experience of each teacher:
A) Initiation (in Spanish): aimed at teachers who have not participated in the League or need to learn the basic concepts of academic debate.
B) Intermediate (in English): for teachers who are going to help their students in the English modality. Argumentation strategies and debate preparation will be addressed.
C) Advanced (in Spanish): for teachers who already have a background in debate and have participated in several editions. Strategies with which to drive student progress and how a debate is judged will be discussed.
