The National Guidelines on English Language 5-14 recommend that schools should provide structured and stimulating opportunities to use language with increasing precision in contexts appropriate to the needs of individuals and the world in which they live.In the later stages of secondary education, arrangements documents for National Qualifications courses in English emphasise the need to develop oral communication skills through, for example, presenting information and opinions and discussion of issues and texts.Debating is one of a number of ways of providing such opportunities.