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Limited PrepIndividual (middle school)
Mixed Extemporaneous Speaking
Middle school extemp drawing from both domestic and international question pools. 30 minutes of prep, seven minutes of analysis — the full event, sized for the next generation.
Time
7 minutes (30-second grace)
Prep
30 minutes
Format
Individual (middle school)
Round structure
Draw & prep (30 min)
Questions may be domestic or international — file coverage has to span both.
Speech (7 min)
Answer the question in sentence one, prove it with 2–3 sourced points, land the answer again.
What judges look for
- A direct answer to the actual question
- Structure a judge can outline from memory
- Cited sources used accurately
- Age-appropriate poise and recovery
- Analysis, not just facts
Ballot criteria
Answering the questionCritical
Direct, sustained response to the prompt.
OrganizationHigh
Clear structure and signposting.
EvidenceHigh
Sources and accuracy.
DeliveryMedium
Composure and clarity.
Practice tips
- Build one shared file system covering US and world news.
- Drill answer-first openings until they're reflexive.
- Practice with both question types every session.
- Celebrate clean 5-minute speeches before stretching to 7.
Common mistakes
- Only prepping the question pool you like
- Facts without a thesis
- Memorized canned intros that don't fit the question
- Panic when the draw is unfamiliar — structure is the parachute
Drills for this event
Current eventsStructureSourcesComposure