Reno’s Educational Institute

Module 1 Gathering & Processing of Information

CAPE Communication Studies
Text: CAPE Revision Guide, Communication Studies, Cole & Brown, (2017)

Preparing a Portfolio
Introduction: The portfolio, aka the Internal Assessment (IA),
represents 20% of your final grade.

Purpose: To test your competence in utilising the knowledge

and skills you acquired through your exposure to
the three modules.

Components: The portfolio consists of :

 Expression (oral & written)
 Comprehension
 Critical skills (in thinking about & analysing issues)
 Evaluating sources
 Organising skills

You will be required to choose a theme, on which your

Portfolio will be based. It would be better for you to choose a theme
that relates to your personal interests.

Structure of the Portfolio:

Your portfolio must be divided into four sections, plus the
bibliography.
1. General Introduction
2. Exposition (orally presented speech)
3. Reflection (preface & creative piece)
4. Analysis
5. Bibliography, citing all your sources.
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Choosing your theme:

Your entire portfolio must be based on this theme.
 Choose a topic of interest to you, and that you can research by
interviewing experts, collating and analysing data.

 Choose a theme that has some connection to the three main

aspects of your life - personal, academic, work-related.

 Choose a theme that will(in addition to collecting data) lend

itself to creative development, i.e. one that will allow you to
write a creative piece with regard to the data collected during
your research.

NB. This will be a creative literary piece e.g. a poem, a story, piece of
Dialogue. It is not a news report or essay.

 Choose a theme that is original – something that captivates

your interests – not one your friends did, or not one done for
Caribbean Studies.

 Be sure to choose a theme for which you can get local data,
even better, data from around Central.

 Be sure that what you choose will provide enough material to

create a reflective piece.

 What communication devices will you be using in your creative

piece?

Researching your theme:

After selecting your theme, the next step is research. You will need
to complete most of your research before you begin to draft any
section of your portfolio, simply because you must have enough
material to know what you are doing.
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1. Research can be done through:

 Personal interviews
 The internet
 Local resources – organisations, government agencies, media
 Books, journals

2. Make a list of questions based on your idea:

* Who
* What
* Where
* Why
* How

3. Parts of the Portfolio:

A. The Introduction - 3 paragraphs - 200 words - 12 marks.

The Introduction gives a general synopsis of your
portfolio. Three things must be present in the introduction:

1. Identify the theme and Purpose ( 2 marks ). 1 paragraph

* State clearly your theme and topic. The examiner should

have no problem identifying these two things.
* Next, explain your purpose, that is, your reason for doing
this topic; Why? What do you hope to achieve?

2. Explain how the theme is treated in the exposition and

Reflection sections. ( 4 marks ) 1 paragraph

* Remember that your IA has a written component, and an

oral component.
* You need to explain what aspects of the theme you
discussed in the exposition.
* Say how the exposition helps you to achieve your
purpose.
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* Next, you need to explain how the theme is treated in the

reflection section – say how you brought out the theme
in the creative piece you have written.

* You also need to say how the creative piece helps you to
achieve your purpose.

3. Explain how the theme relates to your academic, work-related

and personal interests. ( 6 marks ) 1 paragraph.

* You need to explain clearly the connection between your

theme and each of the three areas above – academic,
work-related and personal interests.

* Say how some aspect of your personal life has motivated

your choice of theme, or how researching the theme will
be of use in your personal life.

* Say how the theme is related to you in your prospective

field of work – the relationship between your theme and
the career path you want to pursue.

* Say how the theme is related to your current studies –

what in your experiences ( as a student ) has prompted
you to select this theme?

To maximise your marks, you must fully and clearly deal with
each requirement.
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Example of a General Introduction

Emotional abuse is an issue that is often downplayed. This

research therefore focuses on the effects on young adults in the
Caribbean in an effort to highlight the severity of the issue with the
hope that it will be taken more seriously.
The theme was highlighted in the exposition which presented
research findings about the damaging and long-term effects that
emotional abuse has on young people. Additionally, a narrative
entitled “Blue Rage,” tells the story of a woman and her family
trapped in a cycle of emotional abuse and the resulting behavioural
and mental problems displayed by her and her children. The story is
a real-life example of the psychological effects of emotional abuse
and how it is manifested.
This topic became of interest to the researcher through a
discussion of a character’s mental health issue brought out in a novel
studied for CAPE literature. As a future social worker and
psychotherapist interested in working with troubled youths, this
theme will help the researcher better recognise symptoms displayed
by the emotionally victimised. On a personal note, the researcher
has a relative who is emotionally abusive to his child and hopes that
the findings of this research can be used in helping both of them.

Legend:
Theme: Emotional Abuse

Topic: Effects of emotional abuse on young adults in the

Caribbean.

Purpose: In an effort to highlight ……. taken more seriously.

Treatment of the theme in the Exposition.

What the exposition deals with; this is done in a way to help the
researcher achieve the purpose outlined above.
The treatment of the theme in the Reflection is clearly stated.
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The genre of the reflective piece is identified – narrative; the title,

Blue Rage, and what the story is about. The last sentence shows how
the story contributes to the purpose.

Relation of the topic to academic interests.

Relation to career aspirations

Relation to personal interests.