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Debate Case Builder

Enter the resolution, your side, your contentions, and the rebuttals you expect. You get a constructive-speech outline for Public Forum, Lincoln–Douglas, policy, or a classroom debate, with every contention laid out as claim, warrant, evidence, and impact, and an estimate of whether the case fits your speech time. Honest templates, no AI. Free, no sign-up.

The round

Debate format
Your side

Write “term — meaning”. Define only the words the round could turn on.

Framework

Contentions

Contention 1

Name the author or organization and the year, then the fact, so the judge can ask for it.

Contention 2

Name the author or organization and the year, then the fact, so the judge can ask for it.

Prepared rebuttal blocks

Answers to arguments you expect, written ahead of time. Add one for each strong objection.

Rebuttal block 1

Conclusion

Speech length

Typical first speeches: Public Forum 4, Lincoln–Douglas affirmative 6, Policy 8. Check your league’s rules.

A clear delivery is about 150. Competitive speakers go faster.

0

Words in your case

0:00

Estimated delivery time

4:00

Time allowed

600

Words that fit

Write your case to see how long it takes to deliver.

Your debate case

17 parts still to write

Affirmative Constructive

Public Forum · case outline

Resolution

To write: Paste the resolution exactly as it is worded.

Introduction and framing

  1. A.

    [To write: Roadmap — name your contentions in the order you will present them.]

  2. B.

    [To write: Framework (optional) — tell the judge how to weigh the round, or skip it if your impacts speak for themselves.]

Definitions

Tip: Cite where each definition comes from if the round could turn on it.

To write: Define the words in the resolution that the round could turn on.

Contention 1

Tip: Each contention runs claim, warrant, evidence, impact. Read the claim as a tagline, give the reason, cite the evidence, then say why it matters.

  1. A.

    [To write: Claim — one sentence that says what is true.]

  2. B.

    [To write: Warrant — the reason the claim is true.]

  3. C.

    [To write: Evidence — add at least one cited source, one per line.]

  4. D.

    [To write: Impact — what follows, how large, how likely, and how soon; and why it outweighs the other side.]

Contention 2

  1. A.

    [To write: Claim — one sentence that says what is true.]

  2. B.

    [To write: Warrant — the reason the claim is true.]

  3. C.

    [To write: Evidence — add at least one cited source, one per line.]

  4. D.

    [To write: Impact — what follows, how large, how likely, and how soon; and why it outweighs the other side.]

Prepared rebuttal blocks

Tip: Signpost every answer — “They say …, we respond …” — so the judge can follow it on the flow.

Block 1
  • •

    [To write: Fill in this part of the block.]

  • •

    [To write: Fill in this part of the block.]

  • •

    [To write: Fill in this part of the block.]

  • •

    [To write: Fill in this part of the block.]

Conclusion: voting issues

To write: Voting issues — one sentence each on why the judge should vote for you.

How to Use the Debate Case Builder

  1. 1. Set up the round. Choose the format and your side, paste the resolution exactly as worded, and define the words the round could turn on.
  2. 2. Add the framing. Public Forum and classroom debates may use a short framework or none. Lincoln–Douglas needs a value and a value criterion. Policy needs a plan text for the affirmative.
  3. 3. Build each contention. Give it a short tagline, then the claim, the warrant that makes it true, the cited evidence, and the impact. Add up to four contentions.
  4. 4. Prepare rebuttals and check the time. Write answers to the arguments you expect, list your voting issues, and compare the estimated delivery time with your speech length.

Claim, Warrant, Evidence, Impact

Debate coaches teach the same four-part contention under different names: claim, warrant, evidence, and impact, sometimes shortened to CWI or called assertion, reasoning, evidence, impact. A judge flows each part separately, which is why the builder keeps them in four slots. With the built-in Public Forum example, the first contention is:

Contention 1: Sleep health

Claim

Later start times improve teenagers' sleep.

Warrant

Adolescents' body clocks shift later at puberty, so an early bell forces many teens to wake before their bodies are ready.

Evidence

American Academy of Pediatrics, 2014 policy statement “School Start Times for Adolescents”: recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Impact

Better-rested students are healthier and more alert, so a later bell improves health and learning for the students it covers.

The resolution and the two sources in the example are real. The reasoning is ours and deliberately simple, so treat the example as a template rather than a researched case. In a real round you would add quotations or data from the source, and you must be able to produce it if your opponent asks.

What Changes by Format

FormatAbove the contentionsTypical first speech
Public ForumAn optional framework4 minutes
Lincoln–DouglasA value and a value criterion6 minutes (affirmative)
PolicyA plan text (affirmative) or a position (negative)8 minutes
Classroom debateAn optional frameworkSet by your teacher

Those times are the usual constructive lengths, not rules. Leagues change them and classrooms vary, so enter your own speech length in the timing panel. The builder uses one structure for every format, and policy debaters will want to sort contentions into the advantages and disadvantages their event expects.

Weighing and Rebuttal Blocks

  • Weigh the impact. The usual lenses are magnitude (how big), probability (how likely), and timeframe (how soon). Say why your impact beats theirs on at least one.
  • Answer in four steps. A rebuttal block runs: they say, we respond, because, therefore. Naming their argument first lets the judge keep it on the flow.
  • Prepare, but listen. Blocks save time on arguments you can predict. A block read against an argument nobody made costs you time and credibility.
  • Fit the clock. About 150 words a minute is a clear delivery. If the estimate is over time, cut your weakest evidence before you speak faster.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a debate case?
Start with the resolution and your side, define the key terms, add a framework if your format uses one, and build two or three contentions that each state a claim, give the warrant, cite evidence, and explain the impact. Then prepare answers to likely objections and end with your voting issues.
What is a contention in debate?
A contention is one main argument for your side, usually with a short tagline. A typical case has two or three. Each is supported by a warrant, which is the reason it is true, and by evidence, and it ends with an impact.
What is the difference between a claim and a warrant?
The claim is the statement you want the judge to accept. The warrant is the reasoning that makes the claim true. Evidence then backs up the warrant. A claim without a warrant is an assertion, and judges generally do not credit assertions.
How do you weigh impacts in a debate?
Compare them on magnitude, probability, and timeframe: which affects more people or more severely, which is more likely to happen, and which happens sooner. Good weighing tells the judge which of these matters most and why your side wins on it.
What is a value and a value criterion?
In Lincoln–Douglas debate, the value is the ultimate good your side upholds, such as justice. The value criterion is the standard used to measure whether the value is upheld. The two together tell the judge how to decide the round.
How many words should a constructive speech be?
It depends on the time and your pace. At about 150 words a minute, a 4-minute speech holds roughly 600 words and a 6-minute speech roughly 900. Competitive speakers talk faster, so adjust the pace in the timing panel.
Does this tool research my case or write my arguments?
No. It arranges the contentions you write into an outline and estimates the time — honest templates, no AI. It cannot find evidence or judge whether your argument is sound, so the research and the reasoning are yours.

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