CAPE Communication Studies case studies
CAPE Communication Studies · Put your knowledge to work in context.
CAPE Communication Studies is one of the subjects offered under the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), which CXC describes as certification of the academic, vocational and technical achievement of students in the Caribbean who have completed a minimum of five years of secondary education and wish to further their studies. The syllabus is designed to develop communicative competence and critical awareness of language as a tool for personal, social and academic development, emphasising mastery of language in various contexts and exploring the relationship between language, culture, identity and technology. The CAPE Communication Studies case studies are 5 cases and about 3,649 words.
1The Canteen Survey That Didn't Add Up
At a secondary school in a coastal town, a lower-sixth student is completing her School-Based Assessment on whether the canteen should stay open until 4:30 p.m. She stands outside the canteen at lunch and asks the first 40 students who pass, 'Don't you agree the canteen should stay open later?
720 words, about 4 min2Two Versions of the Same Hurricane Notice
A community development officer in a rural district of about 1,200 people must issue a hurricane preparedness notice. Most residents speak a Caribbean English-lexicon Creole at home and Standard English at school or work; radio is the main source of local information, and literacy levels vary.
729 words, about 4 min3The Youth Parliament Speech
A sixth-form student is chosen to speak at a regional youth parliament on climate resilience. The audience will include 60 peers, 10 government officials and local press; she has four minutes.
711 words, about 4 min4The Plastic Bottle Brief
The debating society must produce a one-page research brief on the motion 'This house would ban single-use plastic bottles on campus.' The team has six sources: campus canteen sales data showing about 1,100 bottles sold per week; an industry-funded lifecycle study arguing plastic bottles are greener than alternatives; a Ministry of Health statistic that 62% of campus waste is plastic; an online student petition with 480 signatures; an NGO report on marine debris; and a viral social media post claiming that plastic bottles cause cancer. One member wants to lead with the cancer claim because it is 'shocking.' Another wants to ignore the industry study.
782 words, about 4 min5The Front Desk Language Memo
A 90-room hotel in a tourist district receives a complaint from a Canadian guest. She says the receptionist spoke 'broken English' when giving directions to a local taxi driver.
707 words, about 4 min