CAPE COMMUNICATION

STUDIES
MODULE ONE ESSAY
FORMAT
 OBJECTIVES
BY THE END OF THE LESSON, YOU SHOULD:
1) BE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE
FRAMING OF THE QUESTION FOR THIS
MODULE.
2) BE FAMILIAR WITH CAPE’S MARK
SCHEME
3) KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAIN
POINT AND PURPOSE.
4) KNOWHOW TO IDENTIFY AND
COMMENT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS
OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES
AND LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES.

5) RESPOND TO A MODULE ONE STIMULUS

 THE FRAMING OF THE QUESTION
IN THIS MODULE YOU ARE ASKED TO READ AN
EXTRACT AND RESPOND TO THE INSTRUCTIONS. THE
INSTRUCTIONS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS SIMILAR TO THE
FOLLOWING:
 STATE THE WRITER’S/SPEAKER’S MAIN POINT/IDEA
 CONSTRUCT AN ESSAY OF APPROXIMATELY 500
WORDS IN WHICH YOU INCLUDE REFERENCE TO THE
FOLLOWING:
THE SPEAKER’S DOMINANT PURPOSE
IDENTIFY THE ORGANIZATIONAL
STRATEGIES AND LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES
THAT THE WRITER/SPEAKER/POET USED TO
HELP HER/HIM TO ACHIEVE THAT PURPOSE.
COMMENT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING
THE ABOVE.
COMMENT ON THE RELIABILITY AND
VALIDITY OF THE INFORMATION.
COMMENT ON THE APPROPRIATENESS OF
TONE AND REGISTER.
[25 MARKS]
ALLOCATION OF MARKS

CONTENT- 10 MARKS
ORGANIZATION- 7 MARKS
EXPRESSION – 8 MARKS

TOTAL: 25 MARKS
 THE MAIN IDEA IS THE MOST DOMINANT
AND IMPERATIVE STATEMENT THAT THE
WRITER MAKES ABOUT THE TOPIC.
 IF YOU WERE ASKED: “WHAT IS THE PIECE
ABOUT?” AND “WHAT IS THE WRITER
SAYING?” YOUR RESPONSE WILL BE WHAT
YOU DETREMINE IS THE MAIN IDEA.
 LEST YOU FORGET- THE MAIN IDEA IS
NEVER A VERB . HENCE, IT SHOULD NOT
BE STATED AS “THE MAIN IDEA OF THE
PIECE IS TO INFORM…”
INSTEAD, YOU CAN PHRASE
YOUR RESPONSE IN THIS WAY:
“THE MAIN IDEA OF THE PIECE
IS THAT…”
IDENTIFYING THE WRITER’S PURPOSE
 UNDERSTANDING OR KNOWING WHY THE WRITER
WROTE THE PIECE IS TO UNDERSTAND THE WRITER’S
PURPOSE.
 AN AUTHOR MIGHT WRITE A PASSAGE IN ORDER TO:
PERSUADE AN AUDIENCE; DESCRIBE SOMETHING;
EXPLAIN A PROCESS; TO ENTERTAIN; REFUTE A
CLAIM; ANALYZE A TEXT; CRITISIZE; RAISE
AWARENESS; CONVEY PERSONAL FEELINGS ETC.
 UNDERSTANDING THE AUTHOR’S TONE – HER OR
HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD THE SUBJECT AND
AUDIENCE -- WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE
PURPOSE. AUTHORS CONVEY PURPOSE AND TONE
THROUGH THEIR CHOICE OF WORDS AND THE
IMPRESSION THOSE WORDS CREATE.
 ALWAYS STATED AS A VERB
E.G “THE WRITER’S PURPOSE IS TO CRITICIZE
THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE CURRENT
GOVERNMENT’S POLICY ON CRIME IN
JAMAICA.”
Read the extract adapted from “A Deadly Force” by Daniel Pendick and identify: a)
writer’s main idea/point. b) writer’s purpose

             THOUGH IT'S TRUE THAT TSUNAMIS ARE OCEAN

WAVES, CALLING THEM BY THE SAME NAME AS THE
ORDINARY WIND-DRIVEN VARIETY IS A BIT LIKE
REFERRING TO FIRECRACKERS AND ATOMIC WARHEADS
BOTH AS "EXPLOSIVES." TRIGGERED BY VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS, LANDSLIDES, EARTHQUAKES, AND EVEN
IMPACTS BY ASTEROIDS OR COMETS, A TSUNAMI
REPRESENTS A VAST VOLUME OF SEAWATER IN MOTION
-- THE SOURCE OF ITS DESTRUCTIVE POWER.
        
AS THE WAVES IN THE TSUNAMI REACH SHORE, THEY SLOW
DOWN DUE TO THE SHALLOWING SEA FLOOR, AND THE
LOSS IN SPEED IS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY A DRAMATIC
INCREASE IN WAVE HEIGHT. TSUNAMIS ALSO FLOOD IN
SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING. TSUNAMI WAVES USUALLY
DON'T CURVE OVER AND BREAK, LIKE HAWAIIAN SURF
WAVES. SURVIVORS OF TSUNAMI ATTACKS DESCRIBE THEM
AS DARK "WALLS" OF WATER. IMPELLED BY THE MASS OF
WATER BEHIND THEM, THE WAVES BULLDOZE ONTO THE
SHORE AND INUNDATE THE COAST, SNAPPING TREES LIKE
TWIGS, TOPPLING STONE WALLS AND LIGHTHOUSES, AND
SMASHING HOUSES AND BUILDINGS INTO KINDLING.            
ON THE OPEN OCEAN, TSUNAMI WAVES APPROACH
SPEEDS OF 500 MPH, ALMOST FAST ENOUGH TO KEEP
PACE WITH A JETLINER. BUT GAZING OUT THE
WINDOW OF A 747, YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO PICK
IT OUT FROM THE WIND-DRIVEN SWELLS. IN DEEP
WATER, THE WAVES SPREAD OUT AND HUNCH
DOWN, WITH HUNDREDS OF MILES BETWEEN CRESTS
THAT MAY BE JUST A FEW FEET HIGH. A PASSENGER
ON A PASSING SHIP WOULD SCARCELY DETECT THEIR
PASSING. BUT IN FACT THE TSUNAMI CREST IS JUST
THE VERY TIP OF A VAST MASS OF WATER IN MOTION,
AS A TSUNAMI CAN TRAVEL GREAT DISTANCES WITH
LITTLE LOSS OF ENERGY. THE 1960 EARTHQUAKE OFF
THE COAST OF CHILE GENERATED A TSUNAMI THAT
HAD ENOUGH FORCE TO KILL 150 PEOPLE IN JAPAN
AFTER A JOURNEY OF 22 HOURS AND 10,000 MILES.
THE CONTOURS OF THE SEAFLOOR AND COASTLINE HAVE A
PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON THE HEIGHT OF THE WAVES --
SOMETIMES WITH SURPRISING AND DANGEROUS RESULTS.
DURING THE 1993 TSUNAMI ATTACK ON OKUSHIRI, JAPAN,
THE WAVE "RUN-UP" ON THE COAST AVERAGED ABOUT 15
TO 20 METERS (50 - 65 FEET). BUT IN ONE PARTICULAR SPOT,
THE WAVES PUSHED INTO A V-SHAPED VALLEY OPEN TO
THE SEA, CONCENTRATING THE WATER IN A TIGHTER AND
TIGHTER SPACE. IN THE END, THE WATER RAN UP TO 32
METERS (90 FEET) ABOVE SEA LEVEL, ABOUT THE HEIGHT OF
AN 8-STORY OFFICE BUILDING.
RESPONSE: IN THIS EXAMPLE TAKEN FROM THE
MAY 2011 CAPE PAPER 02, THE MAIN POINT MAY
ACTUALLY BE LOCATED IN THE LAST SENTENCE
OF THE INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH.
THEREFORE, THE MAIN POINT IS THAT A
TSUNAMI REPRESENTS A VAST VOLUME OF
SEAWATER IN MOTION - THE SOURCE OF ITS
DESTRUCTIVE POWER.

THE WRITER'S PURPOSE IS TO ALERT OR EDUCATE

READERS ABOUT THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF
TSUNAMIS.
 LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES

TECHNIQUES THAT THE WRITER DEFTLY OR

CAREFULLY EMPLOYED TO GET HER/HIS MESSAGE
ACROSS. SOME OF WHICH ARE:

 ITALICS
 COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE
 FLASHBACK
 STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
 DIALOGUE
 FORESHADOWING
 THE USE OF ‘WE’ TO INCLUDE THE READER
 LITERARY DEVICES
 RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
(HYPOPHORA/ANT-HYPOPHORA)
 EMOTIVE LANGUAGE
 GENERALITIES
 JARGON
 SATIRE
 ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THEM???
 HISTORICAL DATA
 PERIODIC DEVELOPMENT
 CLASSIFICATION
 PROBLEM/SOLUTION
 COMPARE/CONTRAST
 CAUSE/EFFECT
 GENERAL TO SPECIFIC
 TIME ORDER
 SPATIAL ORDER
 PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
 ANALYSIS
 STATISTICAL DATA
 THE USE OF EXPERT OPINION
 PARAGRAPHING
 PROCESS EXPLANATION
 CLASSIFICATION- ANALYZING SUBJECTS INTO
TYPES. EG-
1. ONE MAY ORGANIZE VEHICLES BY TYPES:
TRUCKS, SPORT UTILITIES, BMW’S ETC.

2. ONE CAN CLASSIFY UNIVERSITY CLASSES BY

FACULTIES: ENGINEERING, HUMANITIES, SOCIAL
SCIENCES, MANAGEMENT OF BUSINESS, MEDICAL
SCIENCES ETC.
 EXAMPLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS- BASIC
EVIDENCE AND SUPPORT THAT ARE USED IN
EXPOSITORY AND ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING.
 COMPARISON AND CONTRAST- A COMPARATIVE PIECE
IS USUALLY ORGANIZED IN ONE OF TWO WAYS:
BLOCK OR ALTERNATING.
 BLOCK:

 INTRO AND THESIS

 DESCRIPTION OF ‘A’
 DESCRIPTION OF ‘B’
 HOW ‘B’ IS SIMILAR TO/DIFFERENT FROM ‘A’
 CONCLUSION
 ALTERNATING COMPARISON:
 INTRO AND THESIS
 ASPECT 1: COMPARISON/CONTRAST OF ONE
ELEMENT OF A AND B
 ASPECT 2
 ASPECT 3
 CONCLUSION
 ANALYSIS: DISSECT A SPECIFIC PIECE OF INFO INTO
PARTS. E.G- IF ONE IS WRITING ABOUT A LIBRARY
SHE/HE CAN USE THE METHOD OF ANALYSIS TO
SPEAK ABOUT SEVERAL PARTS OF A LIBRARY-
RESERVE DESK, ELECTRONIC CATALOG, FOREIGN
LANGUAGE SECTION…
 DESCRIPTION: THE APPEAL TO THE SENSES

 VISUAL (SIGHT)
 AURAL (HEARING)
 TACTILE (TOUCH)
 GUSTATORY (TASTE)
 OL FACTORY (SMELL)
PROCESS ANALYSIS: ANALYZING THE
CHRONOLOGICAL STEPS IN ANY
OPERATION.
E.G – HOW TO FRY AN EGG
FIRSTLY, GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS AND
TOOLS (EGG,SALT,PEPPER, OIL, SPATULA,
FRYING PAN, STOVE ETC.. )THEN YOU
BEAT/MIX THE EGG WITH OTHER
INGREDIENTS, TURN ON THE STOVE, PUT
THE POT ON, ADD OIL TO POT THEN POUR
YOUR BEATED EGG… IN A MINUTE OR
TWO-----FRIED EGG!! “ANNO MAKARONI
FRY DEM EGG DEH…A CAAH
MAKARONI…”
 CAUSE AND EFFECT ANALYSIS:
MAPPING OUT POSSIBLE CAUSES AND EFFECTS.
THERE ARE TWO PATTERNS FOR DOING CAUSE
AND EFFECT ANALYSIS:
 SEVERAL CAUSES LEADING TO ONE EFFECT.
 ONE CAUSE LEADING TO MULTIPLE EFFECTS.
 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE
STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES
 TO EFFECTIVELY COMMENT ON THE USE OF O.S AND
L.T IN A PASSAGE ONE MUST WRITE ABOUT THE
CONNECTION BETWEEN THE STRATEGY OR
TECHNIQUE AND THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE WRITER’S
PURPOSE. THEREFORE, IDENTIFYING AND NAMING
THE STRTEGIES AND TECHNIQUES IS INSUFFICIENT!
 YOU ARE NOT EXPECTED TO CRITIQUE THE PASSAGE,
HENCE YOU SHOULD NOT BE MAKING STATEMENTS
SUCH AS “THE WRITER COULD HAVE…” OR “SHOULD
HAVE…”
 WHEN YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED A TECHNIQUE OR
STRATEGY:
 SPECIFY WHAT IT IS
 PROVIDE LINE NUMBER AND SPECIFIC
INFORMATION FROM THE TEXT
 PLACE THE INFORMATION IN INVERTED
COMMAS E.G “IT’S AN ALARMING PROSPECT…”
 FINALLY, WRITE ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
THE TECHNIQUE OR STRATEGY.
 POSSIBLE QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN WRITING
ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TECH. OR
STRTEGY:
 WHAT THE DEVICE IS ADDING TO THE PIECE?
 HOW THE DEVICE IS ADDING TO YOUR
UNDERSTANDING OF THE PIECE?
 HOW THE DEVICE IS IMPACTING ON YOUR
SENSES?
 HOW THE DEVICE IS HELPING TO ACHIEVE THE
WRITER’S PURPOSE?
 IN ESSENCE, WHEN WRITING ABOUT THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF O.S AND L.T:
1. PAY ATTENTION TO THE VERB THAT YOU
USED IN IDENTIFYING THE PURPOSE
2. ASK THESE QUESTIONS:
 HOW IS THIS PERSONIFICATION (‘THE
ANTIQUE BUILDINGS WELCOME THE VISITORS
WITH OPEN ARMS’) HELPING TO PERSUADE
READERS TO VISIT KINGSTON?
 HOW IS REFERENCING AN EXPERT HELPING
NATURE LOVERS TO VISIT ST. ANN?
WRITING THE ‘A’ MODULE ONE ESSAY
 USE THE ‘PEEL’ OR ‘SEAL’ FORMAT
 P- POINT S- STATE POINT
 E-EXAMPLE E- EVIDENCE
 E-EXPLANATION A- ANALYSIS
 L- LINK L- LINK

AS SOON AS YOU HAVE RESPONDED TO THE:

 MAIN POINT
 PURPOSE
 [THESIS]--THE FACT THAT THE WRITER USED BOTH O.S AND L.T
TO HELP ACHIEVE HER/HIS PURPOSE
 VALIDITY/RELIABILITY/CREDIBILITY/TONE
 BODY PARAGRAPHS- UTILIZE THE ‘P/S’ BY MAKING A
POINT TO IDENTIFY EITHER THE O.S OR L.T WHICH YOU
WILL DISCUSS.
 FOLLOWED BY THE ‘E’ – GIVING SUPPORTING
EXAMPLES TAKEN FROM THE PIECE.
 THIRDLY, WRITE ABOUT THE SECOND ‘E/A’- BY GIVING
AN EXPLANATION TO THE QUESTION, “HOW DOES THIS
EXAMPLE OF THE STRATEGY OR TECH. HELP THE
WRITER TO ACHIEVE HER/HIS PURPOSE?”
 YOUR EXPLANATION SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE
INFORMATION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE STRATEGY
OR TECH. WAS USED EFFECTIVELY IN THE EXTRACT TO
ACHIEVE THE WRITER’S PURPOSE.
 AND FINALLY WRITE ABOUT THE ‘L’ (MAKE A LINK)
THE WRITER’S MAIN POINT IN THIS EXTRACT IS
THAT TSUNAMIS REPRESENT A VAST VOLUME
OF SEA WATER IN MOTION POISED WITH ITS
IMMENSELY DESTRUCTIVE NATURE.
CONVERESLY, HIS PURPOSE AIMS AT
CREATING AWARENESS IN READERS OF THE
CATASTROPHIC ABILITY OF THESE WAVES TO
CAUSE DESTRUCTION AND TO ALSO EDUCATE
READERS ABOUT THE FACTORS AFFECTING
THE FORMATION OF THESE GIGANTIC WAVES.
HE ACCOMPLISHES THIS THROUGH SKILLFUL
USE OF VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONAL
STRTEGIES, LANGUAGE TECHNIGUES AND A
SUITABLE/APPROPRIATE TONE.
 ONE SUCH STRATEGY THAT THE AUTHOR EMPLOYS EXTENSIVELY IS
THE PROVISION OF FACTS. UNQUESTIONABLY, THE WRITER DEEMS IT
IMPORTANT TO APPRISE READERS OF THE AVERAGE SPEED OF A
TSUNAMI WHEN TRAVELLING IN OPEN WATER AND ITS DREADFUL
IMPACT AS IT APPROACHES LAND, WHILE HIGHLIGHTING A FEW
FACTORS WHICH CAN AFFECT THE WAYS IN WHICH A TSUNAMI IS
FORMED. HE STATES “AS THE WAVES IN THE TSUNAMI REACH SHORE,
THEY SLOW DOWN DUE TO THE SHALLOWING SEA FLOOR, AND THE
LOSS IN SPEED IS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN
WAVE HEIGHT. TSUNAMIS ALSO FLOOD IN SUDDENLY WITHOUT
WARNING.” CLEARLY, BY INCORPORATING THIS PIECE OF FACTUAL
INFORMATION THE AUTHOR PROVES TO READERS THAT HE IS NOT
SIMPLY KNOWLEDGEABLE ON THE TOPIC, BUT THAT HE IS ALSO
ACHIEVING HIS PURPOSE OF WARNING READERS OF A TSUNAMI’S
POWER AND POTENTIAL TO DESTROY EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE
IN ITS PATH. ULTIMATELY, THE WRITER’S INCLUSION OF FACTS
SEAMLESSLY COMPLEMENT HIS MODE OF WRITING-EXPOSITORY-
WHILE EDUCATING HIS AUDIENCE OF THE IMPENDING DANGERS OF
SUCH A PHENOMENON.
ADDITIONALLY, THE WRITER UTILIZES THE STRATEGY
OF COMPARISON TO CONCRETIZE HIS PURPOSE OF
ALARMING AND EDUCATING READERS OF THE
POTENTIAL DANGERS OF A TSUNAMI. NOTABLY, HE
HUMOUROUSLY INDICATES THAT “CALLING THEM BY
THE SAME NAME AS THE ORDINARY WIND-DRIVEN
VARIETY IS A BIT LIKE REFERRING TO FIRECRACKERS AND
ATOMIC WARHEADS BOTH AS "EXPLOSIVES.” THIS
IMPLICIT COMPARISON CERTAINLY SERVES TO AROUSE A
SENSE OF PANIC/FEAR IN READERS REGARDING THE
DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF TSUNAMIS. FURTHERMORE, HE
EXTENDED THIS ORGANIZATIONAL STRTEGY OF
COMPARISON WHEN HE DESCRIBED THE SPEED OF A
TSUNAMI TO THE SPEED OF A JETLINER, AS IS EVIDENT
IN THE LINE “TSUNAMI WAVES APPROACH SPEEDS OF 500
MPH, ALMOST FAST ENOUGH TO KEEP PACE WITH A
JETLINER.”THIS IS INDEED A VERY APPROPRIATE
STRATEGY AS IT GIVES READERS A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING OF THE HERCULEAN NATURE OF A
TSUNAMI, THEREBY CREATING A SENSE OF AWARENESS
AND FRIGHT IN READERS. NO DOUBT, THE AUTHOR’S
TOGETHER WITH O.S THE WRITER USED LANGUAGE
TECHNIQUES TO ENSURE THAT HIS PURPOSE IS
ACHIEVED. FOR EXAMPLE HIS USE OF BOTH VISUAL AND
AUDITORY IMPLICIT METAPHORS TO DESCRIBE
TSUNAMIS AS “DARK WALLS” AND “WAVES BULLDOZING
INTO THE SHORE” ALLOW READERS TO EXPERIENCE
THE DESTRUCTIVE AND IMMENSE POWER OF THE
TSUNAMIS. THE “DARK WALLS” SUGGESTS THAT
TSUNAMIS ARE IMPENETRABLE, WHILE “[THE]WAVES
BULLDOZING INTO THE SHORE” GIVES READERS THE
IMPRESSION THAT A TSUNAMI IS INVASIVE AND
DESTRUCTIVE- CLEARING WHATEVER IS IN ITS PATH.
SUBSEQUENT TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE
CATASTROPHIC CAPABILITY OF A TSUNAMI IT IS
POSSIBLE THAT READERS MIGHT NOW HAVE A MORE
SERIOUS OUTLOOK ON THE IMPENDING DANGERS OF
TSUNAMIS…
Conclusion- reiterate main points (always include the purpose)