Extemplary

Official Practice Ballot

EventExtemporaneous Speaking

Round1

SpeakerYou

JudgeAI Panel — Llama 3.3 70B

Grading Rubric 100 pts

Category	Pts	Criteria
1. Creative Hook & Intro	8	Evaluates the attention grabbing device (AGD): is it a cliché quote/statistic, or a genuinely creative narrative/analogy? Assesses the link: does the hook transition smoothly into the exact question drawn, or is it forced? Checks for a clear, explicit thesis statement and a formal preview of the 3 distinct main points.
2. Structure	10	Structure is similar to the following: 1 AGD, a smooth transition into the question, a clear thesis, a quick preview of 3 main points, 3 body paragraphs, and a so-what conclusion. Is there a clear and smooth transition between every part (clear signposting)? Does it use transition words and not abrupt? Does the speaker cleanly refer back to their AGD multiple times throughout their speech? Does the conclusion's "So What?" explicitly tie back to the AGD with a clear final insight, rather than just summarizing the three points? Is the amount of time spent on each speech section reasonable (14%, 26%, 26%, 26%, 7%)?
3. Strength of Argument & Analysis	16	How convincing is the argument? How good is the analysis supporting the argument? For strength of argument, is it valid (the conclusion actually follows from the premises), well-supported (real backing, not just assertion), and fair (engages honestly with the strongest opposing view and fully adresses counterarguments)? For the analysis, does the speaker explicitly explain why their evidence is important and how it proves the point/claim they are making?
4. Flaws in Reasoning	12	Are there any logical falacies or holes in their reasoning (slippery slope, hasty generalization, false dilemma, post hoc, straw man, appeal to authority without warrant, etc.)? Are there any unproven assumptions, weak causal links (correlation asserted as causation), or rhetorical intensity used in place of actual logical connection? Does the speech have contradictions, where one point conflicts with another, or a later claim goes against an earlier one?
5. Strength of Evidence	16	Are there ~6 total unique sources/pieces of evidence used (the benchmark should be 1–2 sources per point)? Are the publications credible? Is the source knowlegeable in the topic in which the evidence discusses? Does the cited data actually prove the speaker's claim?
6. Clarity	10	Are there any awkward wordings, unnatural, clunky, or convoluted phrasing? Are there any vague pronouns ("it," "this," "that," "they," "these"), especially at the beginning of sentences (ex. 'This is...')? Does the speech say what it needs to efficiently? Does the speech refrain from using verbose language, circling back, over-explaining, or adding unnecessary fluff? Does the speaker clearly signpost (verbally mark the start of the intro, each body point, and the conclusion)? Are there any filler words ("really," "um...," "very," "just," "kind of," "sort of," "I think," "basically," etc.)? Would a judge unfamiliar with the topic understand the speech: every term, acronym, or reference used?
7. Conclusion Strength	8	Does the conclusion accurately restate the 3 main body points? Does the conclusion have a "so-what" conclusion that ends the speech with an extra note? Does the conclusion deliver a satisfying, intentional echo back to the exact creative hook used in the introduction?
8. Speech Quality, Vocal Delivery, and Fluency	20	Did the speaker have proper volume, pace, tone, emphasis, and pauses? Did the speaker refrain from filler words (um, uh, ah, er), quantifiers (basically, literally, actually, seriously), qualifiers (like, you know, I mean, I think), and transitionals (so, well, okay, anyway) without a purpose (such as humor)? Did the pitch of the speech vary depending on the placement of the speech (not monotonous)?
Total	100

Your drawn question

Please choose how you'd like to enter your question.

Record

— or —

Question Drawn

Was the U.S. war in Afghanistan in vain?

This is a sample of what a finished ballot looks like — full AI judge feedback, scored line-by-line, plus a color-coded transcript you can click through. The speech itself is from the round below.

Vocal Delivery Analysis

Measured directly from the audio waveform · independent of the AI's reading of the text

These figures are measured straight from the audio waveform and word timing, then handed to the AI judge to inform the Speech Quality score above.

Watch & Read Along

Click any word in the transcript below (or a judge's note) to jump the video there. This example's highlighting timing is estimated, not exact — use "Fix sync" below if it's pointing at the wrong part.

0:00 0:00

Trouble playing? Open on YouTube ↗

Stenographer's Transcript

Round 1 · Extemporaneous Speaking

Important suggestion / big mistake Misc. comment Brilliant move Minor error Click any underlined phrase for the judge's note

Unofficial practice tool · not affiliated with or endorsed by the NSDA · audio sent only to Groq's API

xtemplary

Real practice questions

Current event briefings

Full prep & speech timer

Citation checker

Record your round

Word-for-word transcript

Vocal delivery analysis

Ballot feedback storage

Streak & calendar

Goals system

Watch & read along

AI-judged ballot

See it in action first