CAPE Communication Studies study plan

Define and distinguish the stages of information gathering, selection, and organisation as they apply to a research task

Identify at least six primary and secondary source types and state one reliability criterion for each

Draft a working research question and three sub-questions that narrow an overbroad topic

Set up a source log template that records author, date, publisher, and relevance for every source consulted

Apply skim, scan, and close-reading strategies to extract main ideas and supporting detail from three contrasting texts

Construct a comparative summary that preserves each source's position without distortion

Evaluate sources for bias, currency, and authority and justify each judgement in writing

Build an outline that groups extracted notes under thematic headings rather than source-by-source headings

Select and apply an appropriate organisational pattern (chronological, cause-effect, problem-solution, compare-contrast) to a set of notes

Convert an outline into a first full draft with a stated thesis and coherent paragraphing

Define language register, dialect, and creole and distinguish them with Caribbean examples

Identify the language varieties present in your own community and note the domains in which each is used

Explain how language both reflects and constructs community identity, using at least three concrete local examples

Analyse the social attitudes attached to standard and non-standard varieties and describe one consequence for speakers

Distinguish communicative competence from grammatical competence and apply the distinction to a real exchange

Annotate a short transcript of natural speech to mark code-switching and explain each switch

Outline the main models of communication and apply one model to a described workplace or community interaction

Identify barriers to communication (semantic, psychological, physical, organisational) in three case descriptions

Plan a piece of writing for a specified audience, purpose, and register before drafting

Draft an argumentative essay that states a position, anticipates a counter-argument, and rebuts it

Compose a formal letter and a short report, matching format, tone, and structure to the stated audience

Edit a previously written draft to remove redundancy, ambiguity, and register inconsistency

Apply cohesion devices (reference, substitution, conjunction, lexical chains) deliberately and label them in your own text

Prepare and structure a five-minute oral presentation with a clear opening, signposted body, and close

Deliver a five-minute presentation to at least one listener and collect structured feedback on clarity and pace

Revise the presentation using the feedback and re-record it

Integrate cited source material into your own prose using quotation, paraphrase, and summary without losing your voice

Compile a correctly formatted reference list for every source used across the plan

Synthesise the portfolio into a single 900-word extended response drawing on all three domains

Answer three timed practice questions drawn from each domain under exam conditions

Audit your portfolio against a self-built checklist of structure, register, citation, and mechanics

Identify your three weakest skills and write a targeted revision schedule for the final fortnight